Light	and	Gl ass	S tu dio ,	LLC	(Roy	Adkins) 775	Pinehurst	Pl

ace Jackson,	MS	39202 U.	S.		Depart

ment	of	T ra nsport

at ion Dock et	Management	System 1200	New	Jersey	A

ve .	,	SE	W

ashington,	DC	20590

**Fe de**  **ra l	A** 

**viat ion	Ad**  **minist ra**  **ti on	Ex**  **empt**

**ion Pe**  **ti ti**  **on	f or	Ex**  **empt**

**io n	und**  **er	Sect ion	333**  **FA A	Mod**  **ernizat ion	and	Ref**  **orm	Act	of	2012 Publ**  **ic	112**
**- 95	F**  **eb.		14,	2012,	Sect ion	333**  **Submit ted	b**  **y:	Light	and	Gl**

**ass	S tu**  **di o,	LLC.		(Roy	Adkins)** 
Re ferences: 1) FA A	Ex emption	No .		11138,	R egul atory	Dock et	No .		F

AA20140481	in	the	mat ter	of	the pet

ition	of DOUGLAS	TR UDEA U 2) FA A	Ex emption	No .		11136,	R egul atory	Dock et	No .		F

AA

– 2014

– 0508	in	the	mat ter	of	the	pet

it ion	of ADV ANCED	A VIA TION	SOL UTIONS	LLC 3) FA A	Ex emption	No .		11080	Regul atory	Dock et	No .		F

AA20140355	in	the	mat ter	of	the	pet

it ion	of FL YIN G	CAM	INC
Date:	9/11/2015 Dear	Sir	or	Mad

am: In	accord ance	with	the	F

AA ’s	Guid el ines	for	Submit

ti ng	a	Pet ition	for	Ex emption	und er	sect ion	333	of	the FA A	Mod ernizat ion	and	Reform	Act	of	2012,	Light	and	Gl ass	S tu dio ,	LLC	(Roy	Adkins)	,	referred	to	here after as	the	pet

itioner ,	request	ex empt

ion	fr om	the	foll

owing	sect

ions	of	T itl

e	14,	Cod e	of	F ed er al	R egul

at ions	§§ **61.	113(a);	61.	113(b);	91.	119(c);	91.	121;	91.	151(a);	91.	405(a);	91.	407(a)(1);	91.	409	(a)(1);	91. 409(a)(2);	91.	417(a)	&	(b);** 
In	o rd er	to	operate	small	unmanned	aircraft	systems	(U AS)	commercially	in	airspace	regul ated	by	the Fe de ra l	A viation	Ad minist

ra ti on	(F AA)	for	the	purposes	of	aerial	photography ,	cinematography

, vid eography ,	and	other	flight	operations	that	coul d	be	performed	s afely	and	more	cost	effect ive ly	with	the use	of	small	U AS at	l

ow	al ti tu de within	the	U .	S.		nat ional	airspace	system	as	compared	to	a	manned	aircraft. Operat ions	will	be	performed	only	at	the	request	of	and	with	the	authorizat ion	and	permission	of	client s or their	authorized	agent

s	in	ord er	to	facil it

ate	commerce	and	raise	awareness	of	the	beneficial	uses	of	small unmanned	air	systems. So	l ong	as	such	operations	are	cond ucted	within	and	und

er	the	condit

ions	outlined	herein	or	as	may	be est ablished	by	th e	F

AA	as	required	by	Sect

ion	333.		The	condit

ions	id ent ified	and	proposed	by	the petitioner	are	d rawn	from	references	1

- 3. **The	F ARs**  The	pet itioner	seeks	ex emption	fr om	the	abov e - mentioned	F ARs	for	the	foll

owing	reasons;**61.	113(a)	&	(b);**

The	pet itioner	request

s	relief	in	ord

er	to	facil it

ate	the	ut il ization	of	an	F AA	licensed	Private	Pil

ot	(R oy	All

an Adkins,	Cert	#	2763846	)	with	the	ad di ti on	of	a	visual	observ er .			All	pre

- fl ight	inspect

ion,	maintenance	and fl ight	l ogs	will	be	sav ed	and	mad e	avail a bl e	to	the	F AA	and	Secret

ary	of	T ra nsport

at ion	(SoT)	for	review; with	the	purpose	of	safely	integrat ing	civil	U AS	oper at ion	in	the	Nat ional	Airspace	Sy stem. **91.	119(c)**
As	discussed	in	Ex empt

ion	11138	(DOUGLAS	TR UDEAU),	operat ions	cond ucted	cl

oser	than 500	feet	to	the ground	may	require	that	the	U A	be	operated	cl oser	than	500	feet	to	essent ial	persons,	or	object

s	that	woul

d not	be	possibl

e	without	ad

di ti onal	relief.		The	pet

it ioner	request

s	modificat

ion,	w aiver	or	exempt

ion	and cl arificat ion	concerning the	terms	“congested	areas”	and	“d ensel y	popul

ated” .			The	petitioner	request s wa ive r	for	this	condit

ion	t o	all ow	reasonabl

e	and	responsibl

e	operat ions	in	areas	of	subdivisions	and neighborhood

s	if	required

. The	pet itioner	will	primarily	operate	the	U AS bet ween	ground	l

evel	and	200	feet.		The	U AS	will	be	operated over	d esignated	propert

ies	with	the	owner’s	consent	and	whil e	maint aining	a	safe	d ist

ance	from	persons. The	pet itioner	will	compil

e	flight	d at a	from	the	l

ogs.		This	d

at a	ma y	assist	the	F

AA	in	d evel opment	of regul at ions	for	commercial	operat ions	in	l ow - risk,	cont

roll ed	en vir onment

s. **91.	121**
As	discussed	in	Ex empt

ion	11138	(DOUGLAS	TR UDEAU)	is	inapplicabl e	since	the	U AS	d

oes	not	have	an al ti meter	and	instead	ut il izes	el ect ronic	GPS	with	a	bar omet ric	sensor	for	al ti tu de informat ion. **91.	151(a)**
As	discussed	in	Ex empt

ion	11136	(ADV

ANCED	A VIA TION	SOL UTIONS	LLC)	prior	rel ief	has	been	granted for	manned	aircraft	to	operate	at	l ess	than	the	pr escribed	minimums,	incl uding	Exempt ion	Nos.		2689, 57 45,	and	10650.		In	ad

di ti on,	simil

ar	U AS	specific	relief	has	been	granted	in	Ex empt ion	Nos.		8811,	10808, and	10673	for	d

aytime,	VFR	condit

ions.		The	U AS	provid

es	bat tery	power	remaining	in	percent	to	the	PIC. The	U A	bat

teries	provid

e	approximately	25	min utes	of	pow ered	flight.		Informat ion	pr ovid

ed	in	the oper at ing	d

ocument s	d iscusses	proced ures	regard ing	remaining	bat tery	pow er	management.		Those do cument

s	cont ain	a	cond ition	in	which	the	PIC	will	init iate	a	l anding	proced

ur e	when	bat

tery	remaining reach es	a	specified	l

evel .		Given	the	limit

at ions	on	proposed	operat ions	and	the	l

ocat ion	of	those	proposed oper at ions,	The	F

AA	found	that	a	red uc ed	minimum	power	reserv e	for	flight	in	d ayti me	VFR	condit

ions	w as reasonabl

e. **91.	405(a);	91.	407(a)(1);	91.	409 (a)(1)	&	(2);	91.	417(a)	&	(b)** 
As	discussed	in	Ex empt

ion	11138	(DOUGLAS	TR UDEAU),	The	pet it ioner	proposes	to	inspect	and	ensure that	the	U AS	is	in	a	cond ition	for	safe	fl ight	in	accord ance	with	the	operat ing	d ocument s.		The	F AA	found that	adher ence	to	t he	petitioner’s	operat ing	d ocument s	and	the	condit

ions	and	limit

at ions	specified

, de scribing	the	requirement s	for	maintenance,	inspection,	and	recordkeeping,	were	sufficient	to	ensure	that safet y	woul d	not	be	adv ersely	affected

. **The	U AS**  The	DJI	Phanto m	2	is	a	highly	successful	consumer	grad e	small	rotorcraft	in	the	quad copter	configurat

ion with	an	adv ert

ised	weight	of	l

ess	than	44	O unces	(1242g)	d esigned	primarily	to	carry	al oft	a	high	d

efinit ioncamer a.		It	has	an	adv ert ised	maximum	speed	of	l ess	than 30	knot

s	(15m/s)	and	a	maximum	cl imb	rate	of le ss	than	1200	feet	per	minute	(6	m/s).		It	is	pow ered	by	four	el ect ric	motors	with	a	dist

ance	bet ween motors	of	l

ess	than	14	inches	(350mm).		It	ut il izes	an	internal	inert

ial	measuring	unit	(IMU)	with integrat ed	baromet

ric	sensor	augmented	with	gl obal	positioning	system	(GPS)	to	maint ain	it s	geospat ial orient at ion	and	posit

ion.		It	is	cont

roll ed	primarily	through	an	FCC	cert ified	r ad io	cont

rol	(RC)	unit.		Real ti me	vid eo	and	tel

emet ry	informat

ion	is	t ra nsmit ted back	to	a	ground	cont rol	st at ion	all owing	the	operator and/or	PIC	to	monitor	bat tery	l evel ,	GPS	signal	st

re ngth,	al ti tu de (AGL),	dist ance	from	PIC,	camera	imagery , and	cont rol	camera	angl

e.		It	has	fail

saf e	mod es	of	operat

ion	for	either	l

oss	of	R C	or	GPS signal .		Al ti tu de can be	limited	by	the	onboard	flight	cont roll er	and	maximum	al ti tu de can	be	preprogrammed	by	the	PIC. Bat tery	life	limit

s	fl ight	t imes	to	approximately	25	minutes.		The	onboard	fl ight	cont roll er	will	w arn	the pil ot	via	tel emet ry	and	exte rnal	light ing	cues	before	reaching	a	l ow	bat tery	st ate.		An	automat

ic	terminat

ion of	fl ight	and	cont

roll ed	automat

ic	l and ing	will	be	init

iated	when	the	bat

tery	reaches	a	pred

etermined	l

ow st ate.		It	is	ant

icipated	that	flight

s	will	usually	l

ast	l ess	than	1 2	minut es.		More	informat ion	is	av ail

abl e	via the	link	to	the	DJI	Phantom	2	U AS	Manual	("Manual"),	which	outl ines	the	operat ing	requirement

s, li mit at ions,	and	technical	specificat ions	for	the	DJI	Phantom	2	sy stem. ht tp ://www

.dji.com/prod

uct/phantom

- 2/d

ownl oad
**Risk	mit igation**  The	petitioner	has	reviewed	F AA	exemptions	reference’s	1

- 3	Cond itions	and	Limit at ions	sect

ion	and believes	that	the	proced ur es	specified	therein	are	reasonabl e	and	will	b e	ut

il ized	in	ord

er	to	manage	and mit igate	risk	and	ensure	public	safet y. A	preflight	checklist	will	be	d evel oped	and	empl

oyed	to	ensure	that the	U A	airw orthiness	will	be	v erified	before	l aunch.		Airworthiness	will	be	maint ained	by	performance	of rout ine inspect

ions	before	each	fl ight,	maint aining	fl ight	and	maintenance	l ogs	to	record	t

ime	on	fail

ure prone	component

s.		These	d

ocument s	will	be	mad

e	a va il abl e	to	the	F AA	and	SoT	to	assist	in	fut ure impl ement at ion	of	safet

y	st and ard s	and	regul

at ions.		The	pet

i ti oner	will	only	operate	the	U AS over de signated	propert

ies	with	the	owner’s	consent.		Flight	pl ans	will	be	pred

etermined	to	limit	the	U ASs	flight ti me	and	limit	safet

y	concerns.		The	pet

it ioner	will	t

ak e	into	account	dist

ance	from	persons	and	potent ial fl ight	obst

acl es	prior	to	operat

ing	the	U AS.		U AS oper at ion	will	alw ays be	within	VLOS	of	the	PIC	and	the observ er . **Publ ic	inter**  **est**
Us e	of	the	U AS	in	lieu	of	a	manned	aircraft	woul d	enhance	safet

y	and	red uce	the	en vir onment

al	impact	as compar ed	to	simil

ar	operat ions	cond uc ted	with	manned	aircraft	of	greater	proport ions,	carrying	a	crew and	fl ammabl e	fuel .		Ad di ti onally ,	use	of	the	U AS in	ord

er	to	facil it

ate	commerce	coul

d	l ead	to	economic growth.		Operat ions	for	this	pet ition	will	enabl

e	service	for	prop ert

y	owners	or	their	d

esignees	seeking	an enhanced	perspect

ive for	characterist

ics,	amenit

ies,	and	benefit

s	of	their	d

esired	photographic	subject s that	cannot	be	displ

aye d	through	ground	l

evel	vid eography/photography

.		Aerial	photography	is	a	v al uabl e mark eting	tool	that	can	l ead	to	increased	commerce	and	enhance	personal	photography .		Aerial	surv eying and	inspect

ions	can	increase	work	site	efficiency ,	improve	vol umet

ric	est imations	and	red uc e	risks.		The petitioner	will	provid

e	cl ient s	with	photographic	d

a ta for	these	purposes	on	a	‘for	hire’	basis	act ing	as	an ind epend ent	cont ra ct or .		A	visual	observ er	will	be	ut il ized .		Flight	d at a	incl uding	UA	flight	t ime,	Cont rol	U nit oper at ion	time,	incid

ent,	accid ent,	and	d

et ail s	concerning	an y	d

eviat ions	fr om	normal operat ions	will	be ava il abl e	to	F AA	for	use	in	coll

ect ing	d at a	regarding	the	use	of	U AS as	part	of	this	appl icat ion.		This	d

at a	may be	submit

ted	to	F AA	via	t ra di ti onal	means	or	other	means	as	required

. **Concl usion**  The	pet itioner	is	request

ing	this	ex emp ti on	for	the	purposes	of	“aerial	photography ,	cinematogr aphy

, vid eography ,	inspect ions	and	other	flight	operat ions” .		The	r eason	for	such	a	general	and	broad	based request	is	that	the	pet itioner	wishes	to	ut il ize	a	business	st

ra tegy	of	horizont

al	integrat i on	and	maximizeeconomies	of	scope	in	ord er	to	capit

al ize	on	opport

unities	as	they	may	arise	in	the	fut ure	without	the	l

ong tu rnaround	t

ime	associated	with	ad

di ti onal	ex empt

ions.		The	pet

it ioner's	business	mod

el	is	based	on	the id ea	of	offering	ad	hoc	smal l	U AS	services	to	individ ual s	or	companies	w ho	wish	to	empl oy	these	services	as a	safe,	effect

ive ,	and	l egal	opt ion	to	enhance	their	business	or	hobby .		The	primary	purpose	of	seeking	this exempt ion	is	to	obt

ain	the	capabil it

y	to	offer	those	services	whil e remaining	in	compl iance. Sincerely , Roy	Adkins Light	and	Gl

ass	S tu dio ,	LLC