September 2, 2015

U.S. Department of Transportation Docket Management System 1200 New Jersey Ave., SE Washington, DC, 20590

RE: Exemption Request Under Section 333 of the FAA Modernization and Reform Ac t of 2012 and 14 C.F.R. Part 11

Dear Madam, Sir,

Pursuant to Section 333 of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 and 14 C.F.R. Part 11, the University of Colorado Boulder’s Research and Engineering Center for Unmanned Vehicles (hereinafter known as RECUV) seeks an exemption from the Federal Aviation Regulat ions deta iled below for the DJI Phantom 3, Inspire 1, S900, and S1000 , and 3DRobotics Solo UAS. The largest of these five systems, the S1000 UAS, has a maximum gross takeoff weight of 24.3 lbs. All of the proposed UAS are multi

- rotor aircraft with electric propulsion. These UAS are all commercial platforms with a proven track record and have been approved for flights in the National Airspace under several different FAA Certi ficates of Authorization (COA).

The requested exemption would allow RECUV to pursue the University ’s interests in aerial data collection using small unmanned aircraft systems whi ch do not meet the criteria of public oper ations
per 49 USC. § 40125(b) . The systems proposed will be used to conduct data gathering for aerial photos and video, aerial surveys , R&D and product demonstrations. The team at RECUV will opera te in accordance with FAA N 8900. 1 volume 16 and utilize both a Pilot in Command and a ground

based visual observer. RECUV will also utilize emergency, lost link, and lost communication procedures that are available upon request. All flights under these exemptions will be conducted w ith the following restrictions:

1. Flights will be in Class G airspace at no more than 400’ AGL.
2. The UAS will be operated over private property only with the permission of the owner. 3. The UAS will not be operated over populated areas.
4. The U AS will not be operated within 5 NM of an airport.
5. Operations will be limited to daytime operations under visual meteorological conditions. 6. The aircraft will remain within visual line of sight of the observer at no more than 1/2 NM
range. 7. A NOTAM will be i ssued prior to flight operations. James Mack t 303 704 5464 Flight Operations Manager james.mack@ colorado.edu

Rese arch and Engineering Center for Unmanned Vehicles (RECUV) 429 UCB Boulder, Colorado 80309

- 0 4298. The UAS will have a maximum GTOW of less than 55 lbs. 9. The aircraft will be U.S. registered and display the N

- number. 10. The PIC and Observer will possess the certifications required under N 8900. 1 volume 16

. 11. No operator or observer will engage in, nor may an operator or observe r permit, any activity during a critical phase of flight which could distract any operator or observer from the performance of his/her duties or interfere in any way with the proper conduct of his/her duties. 12. T he PIC will conduct a pre

- flight inspection prior to each flight so as to ensur e that the UAS and associated systems are in a condition for safe operation. 13. The PIC and observers will maintain two

- way communications with ea ch other during all operations; if unable to maintain two

- way communications, or if any condition occurs that may otherwise cause the operation to be unsafe, the operator will immediately conclude the operation. 14. The aircraft will automatically return to a specific location if the communica tions link is lost. 15. All flights will be conducted below 70mph.

The regulations from which the exemption is requested are as follows. The Appendix contains details of the RECUV operations related to showing an equivalent level of safet y for these exempt
reg ulations.

• 14 C.F.R. Part 21, Subpart H

• 14 C.F.R. §91.203(a) and (b)

• 14 C.F.R. §45.23(b)

• 14 C.F.R. §61.23(a)

• 14 C.F.R. §61.113(a) and (b)

• 14 C.F.R. §61.133(a)

• 14 C.F.R. §91.7(a)

• 14 C.F.R. §91.9

• 14 C.F.R. §91.109(a)

• 14 C.F.R. §91.119

• 14 C.F.R. §91.121

• 14 C.F .R. §91.151(a)

• 14 C.F.R. Subpart E (§91.401

- §91.417)



### UAS Overview
RECUV is submitting this request for exemption for five different multi

- rotor platforms

. These commercially available systems have been shown to be reliable and are popular products utilized by hobbyists and professionals. O ne is manufactured by 3DRobotics, the Solo. The other four of these platforms are manufactured by DJI; the Phantom 3, Inspire 1, S900, and S1000

. RECUV has expertise and knowledge in the operations of these systems. We will utilize training and operational procedures that follow the guidelines presented in N 8900.1 volume 16.RECUV is planning on using the proposed five UAS f or aerial media and surveying . The five UAS are multi

- rotor aircraft with electric propulsion. Figure 1 below contains an image of the five UAS and Table 1 conta ins more detailed information on these systems. RECUV proposes that the small size and weight of the UAS included in this request for exemption, flown under the guidelines of N 8900.1 volume 16, will have an equivalent level of safety to manned aircraft pe rforming similar missions.

Aircraft Dimensions W eigh t 3DRobotics Solo 1 8 "x1 8"x10 " 3. 9 lbs DJI Phan tom 3 14" x14"x7" 2.8 lbs DJI Inspire 1 17"x18"x12" 6.5 lbs DJI S900 35"x35"x14" 18.1 lbs DJI S1000 41"x41"x14" 24.3 lbs

Table 1 : Name, size, and weigh t of the aircraft.

The name and contact information of the applicant are:

University of Colorado Boulder Research and Engineering Cent er for Unmanned Vehicles (RECUV) Attn: James Mack

, Flight Operations Manager Phone: 303.704.5464 E

- mail: james.mack@colorado.edu

RECUV requests exemption under Section 333 to enable safe commercial UAS operations for the activities stated. By approving these exemptions the FAA will create benefits to the areas mentioned Figure 1 : The UAS : (1) The 3 DRobotics Solo , (2) the DJI Phantom 3, (3) the DJI Inspire 1, (4) the DJI S900, and (5) the DJI S1000that is ultimately in the public interest. Please contact us if you require additional information or clarification.

Sincerely,

James Mack Flight Operations Manager
RECUV

# APPENDIX

Specific Exemption Requests and Equi valent Level of Safety Showings



### 14 C.F.R. Part 21, Su bpar t H: Airworthiness Certificates
14 C.F.R. §91.203(a) and (b)

- Civil aircraft: Certifications requ ired. Section 91.203 requires all civil aircraft to have a certificate of airworthiness. Part 21, Subpart H, entitled Airworthiness Certificates, establis hes the procedural requirements for the issuance of airworthiness certificates as required by FAR §91.203(a). RECUV requests an exemption from these rules and will utilize an internal airworthiness process based on MIL

- HDBK 516B for an equivalent level of safety.

Such an exemption meets the requirements of an equivalent level of safety under Part 11 and Section 333 of the Reform Act. The Federal Aviation Act and Section 333 of the Reform Act both authorize the FAA to exempt aircraft from the requirement for an airworthiness certificate, upon consideration of the size, weight, speed, operational capability, and proximity to airports and popul ated areas of the UAS involved.



### 14 C.F.R. §45.23( b)

- Display of marks; general. These regulati ons provide that each aircraft must display "N" and the aircraft’s registration number in letters at least 3 inches high. Additionally, the aircraft must display the word "EXPERIMENTAL" in letters at least 2 inches high near the entrance to the cabin, cock pit, or pilot station. Given the size of the UAS (fuselage length of 6’), this requirement is impossible to match. The equivalent level of safety will be achieved by having the registered N

- number in 1 inch lettering on the side of the fuselage.



### 14 C.F.R. §61.23(a)

- Medical certific ates: Requirement and duration. Regulations provide that a person must hold at least a second class medic al certificate when exercising:

• Second

- in

- command privileges of an airline transport pilot certificate in part 121 of this chapter (other than operations specified in paragraph (a)(1)(ii) of this section); or

• Privileges of a commercial pil ot certificate

Given the size of the UAS in this petition and the limited flight area and the safety features integrated in the autopilot RE CUV believes that an Equivalent Level of Safety can be reached if the operat or has a valid drivers license.



### 14 C.F.R. §61.113(a) and (b), §61.133

- Private Pilot Privileges and Limitations: Pilot in Command; Commercial P ilot Privileges and Limitations
Subs ections (a) and (b) of §61.113 prohibit private pilots from operating aircraft in commercial operations, and §61.133(a) requires an individual operating an aircraft for compensation or hire to hold a commercial pilot certificate.RECUV requests an exemptio n from 14 C.F.R. §61.113(a) and (b) and 14 C.F.R. §61.133(a) so that above mentioned UAS may be operated by individuals who have a private pilot certificate. Based upon the design features of the UAS, its autopilot system, and safety factors, the FAA shoul d permit operation of UAS by operators with a private pilot certificate when the conditions described above have been satisfied. The above

- described conditions are in

- line with those set forth in Volume 16, Chapter 4, Section 1 of FAA Order 8900.1.

RECUV p roposes to conduct operations in accordance with these restrictions. Given these conditions and restrictions, an equivalent level of safety to manned operations will be achieved through operation with a private pilot certificate. The risks associated with the operation of the multi

- rotor aircraft (given the size, speed, operational capabilities, and lack of combustible fuel) are so much less than the level of risk associated with fixed wing and rotorcraft operations, both private and commercial, as cont emplated by Part 61, that allowing operations of these UAS, as set forth above, meets or exceeds the present level of safety provided under 14 C.F.R. §61.1 13(a) and (b) and §61.133(a).



### 14 C.F.R. §91.7(a)

- Civil aircraft flight manual, marking, and placard requirements This regulation requires that no person may operate a civil aircraft unless it is in airworthy condition. RECUV requests that an exemption be granted allowing commercial operation without an airworthiness certificate. Given the size of the ai rcraft

, self

- certification utilizing MIL

- HDBK 516B will provide an equivalent level of safe ty.



### 14 C.F.R. §91.9(b)

- Civil aircraft flight manual, mar king, and placard requirements. This regulation provides that no person may operate an aircraft unless a cur rent, approved flight manual is in the aircraft. RECUV assumes that the intent of this requirement is to ensure that flight manual information is available to the aircrew while operating the aircraft. RECUV requests an exemption to this requirement since t he aircraft is not only too small to carry documentation, but the documentation would not be available to the crew. The equivalent level of safety will be achieved by keeping a hard copy of the us er manual with the ground crew.



### 14 C.F.R. §91.109(a)

- F light instruction; Simulated instrument flight and certain flight tests Sections 91.109(a) provides that no person may operate a civil aircraft that is being used for flight instruction unless that aircraft has fully functioning dual controls. The UAS in t his exemption are remotely piloted aircraft, and, by design, not equipped with fully functional dual controls. Flight control is accomplished through the use of a control box that communicates with the aircraft via radio communications. Utilizing a pilot s killed in remote piloting will provide an equivalent level of safety.



### 14 C.F.R. §91.119

- M inimum safe altitudes: General. The regulation provides that over sparsely populated areas the aircraft cannot be operated closer than 500 feet to any person, vessel , vehicle, or structure. Since the UAS in this exemption will be operating at a maximum of 400 feet AGL, this requirement cannot be followed. To provide an equivalent level of safety RECUV will only fly over private property with the permission of the land owner. The land owner will be briefed of the expected route of flight and the associated risks to persons and property on the ground. We maintain that due to the small size of the UAS, the hazard to persons, vessels, vehicles, and structures is not compar able to manned aircraft and should beconsidered in granting the exemption. Furthermore, RECUV will not operate over congested areas

nor over an y open air assembly of persons.



### 14 C.F.R . §91.121

- Altimeter settings. The regulation states that aircraft shal l maintain cruising altitudes by reference to an altimeter setting available within 100 nautical miles of the aircraft. The UAS will fly below 400 feet AGL and will not need to maintain hemispherical cruising altitudes in order to de

- conflict with other ai rcraft. To provide an equivalent level of safety, the autopilot calculates the reference altitude (ground level) with the on

board GPS during the pre

- flight tests. The GPS and barometer data are then used to ca lculate the altitude in

- flight.



### 14 C.F.R. §91. 151(a)

- Fuel requirement s for flight in VFR conditions. The regulation states that no person may begin a flight in an airplane under day

- VFR conditions unless there is enough fuel to fly to the first point of intended landing and to fly after that for at least 30 minutes. As the aircraft in this request are electric

- powered, this requirement is inapplicable. An equivalent level of safety is achieved through a low battery power warning. These UAS will be
return ed to base and land sa fel y when the power is too low.



### 14 C.F.R. Subpart E (§91.401

- §91.417)

- Maintenance, Preventi ve Maintenance, and Alterations The regulation provides that the operator is primarily responsible for maintaining the aircraft in an airworthy condition, including compliance with part 39 and 43. Paragraphs 91.407 and 91.409 require that the aircraft be "approved for return to service by a person authorized under 43.7" after maintenance and inspection. RECUV plans to have the PIC perform maintenance and inspection o f the aircraft and "be authorized to approve the aircraft for return to service." The PIC will ensure that the aircraft is in an airworthy condition prior to flight and conduct detailed inspections after every 10 flight h ours. Additionally, checklists will be utilized with all of the necessary pre

- flight procedures prior to every flight operation. The PIC will document work performed in accordance with 91.417. We feel that due to the size, construction, and simplicity of the aircraft, the PIC can ensure an equivalent level of safety.