Stephen Wayne Caruso

2101 Magic Mantle Drive Lewisville, Texas 75056 August 12, 2015

U.S. Department of Transportation

Docket Management System 1200 New Jersey Ave., SE Washington, DC 20590

RE: Exemption Request Section 333 of the FAA Reform Act of 2012

Dear Sir or Madam:

In accordance with the FAA’s Guidelines for Submitting a Petition for Exemption

under section 333 of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 , I, Stephen Wayne Caruso , referred to hereafter as the petitioner, request exemption from the following sections of Title 14, Code of Federal Regulations §§ 61.113(a); 61.113(b); 91.119(c); 91.121; 91.151(a); 91.40 5(a); 91.407(a)(1); 91.409(a)(1); 91.409(a)(2); 91.417(a) & (b);

In order to operate small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) commercially in airspace regulated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for the purposes

of :

Aerial data collection, to inc lude but not limited to aerial photography, videography, pipeline patrols, mapping, crop surveying, demonstration flights, inspections , film and movie production and other flight operations that could be performed safely and more cost effectively with the use of small UAS at low altitude within the U.S. national airspace system as compared to a manned

aircraft.

Operations will be performed only at the request of and with the authorization and permission of clients or their authorized agents in order to fa cilitate

commerce and raise awareness of the beneficial uses of small unmanned air systems. So long as such operations are conducted within and under the

conditions outlined herein or as may be established by the FAA as required by

Section 333. The conditi ons identified and proposed by the petitioner are drawn

from references 13.

The FARsAugust 12, 2015

Page 2

The petitioner seeks exemption from the above mentioned FARs for the following

reasons;

61.113(a) & (b) ; The petitioner requests relief in order to facilitate the utili zation of pilots, who hold a PRIVATE PILOT (or greater) certificate. Any pilots operating

under this exemption would be required to comply with any conditions as set

forth and in a similar fashion to the previously granted exemptions.

91.119(c) As discussed in Exemption 11138 (DOUGLAS TRUDEAU), operations conducted closer than 500 feet to the ground may require that the UA be operated closer than 500 feet to essential persons, or objects that would not be possible without additional relief. The peti tioner requests modification, waiver or exemption and clarification concerning the terms “congested areas” and “densely populated”. The petitioner requests waiver for this condition to allow reasonable and responsible operations in areas of subdivisions an d neighborhoods if required

91.121 As discussed in Exemption 11138 (DOUGLAS TRUDEAU) is inapplicable

since the UAS does not have an altimeter and instead utilizes electronic GPS

with a barometric sensor for altitude information.

91.151(a) As discussed in Exemption 11136 (ADVANCED AVIATION SOLUTIONS LLC) prior relief has been granted for manned aircraft to operate at

less than the prescribed minimums, including Exemption Nos. 2689, 5745, and

10650. In addition, similar UAS specific relief has been granted in Exemption Nos. 8811, 10808, and 10673 for daytime, VFR conditions. The UAS provides battery power remaining in percent to the PIC. The UA batteries provide approximately 25 minutes of powered flight. Information provided in the operating

documents discu sses procedures regarding remaining battery power management. Those documents contain a condition in which the PIC will initiate a landing procedure when battery remaining reaches a specified level. Given the limitations on proposed operations and the loca tion of those proposed operations, The FAA found that a reduced minimum power reserve for flight in daytime VFR conditions was reasonable.

91.405(a); 91.407(a)(1); 91.409 (a)(1) & (2); 91.417(a) & (b) As discussed in Exemption 11138 (DOUGLAS TRUDEAU), The petitioner proposes to inspect

and ensure that the UAS is in a condition for safe flight in accordance with the operating documents. The FAA found that adherence to the petitioner’s operating

documents and the conditions and limitations specified, describ ing the requirements for maintenance, inspection, and recordkeeping, were sufficient to ensure that safety would not be adversely affected.August 12, 2015

Page 3

The UAS

The DJI Phantom 3 Professional plus is a recently released successor to the DJI
Phantom 2 series, a consumer grade small rotorcraft in the quadcopter configuration with an advertised weight of less than 46 Ounces (1280g) designed primarily to carry aloft a high definition camera. It has an advertised maximum speed of less than 32 knots (16m/s) and a maxi mum climb rate of less than 1000 feet per minute (5 m/s).

It is powered by four electric motors with a distance between motors of less than

12 inches (289.5mm) It utilizes an internal inertial measuring unit (IMU) with integrated barometric sensor augmen ted with global positioning system (GPS) to maintain its geospatial orientation and position. It is controlled primarily through

an FCC certified radio control (RC) unit. Real time video and telemetry information is transmitted back to a ground control sta tion allowing the operator and/or PIC to monitor battery level, GPS signal strength, altitude (AGL), and distance from PIC, ca mera imagery, and control camera angle. It has failsafe modes of operation for either loss of RC or GPS signal. The onboard flight controller can limit altitude and maximum altitude can be preprogrammed by the PIC. Battery life limits flight times to approximately 23 minutes. The onboard flight controller will warn the pilot via telemetry and external lighting cues before reaching a low battery state. An automatic termination of flight and landing

will be initiated when the battery reaches a predetermined low state. It is anticipated that flights will usually last less than 10 minutes. More information is

available in attachment 1 or

http://www.dji.com/product/phantom3

Risk mitigation

The petitioner has reviewed FAA exemptions reference’s 13

, Conditions and

Limitations section and believes that the procedures specified therein are
reasonable and will be utilized in order to manage and mitigate risk and ensure public safety.

A preflight checklist will be developed and employed to ensure that the UA

airworthiness will be verified before launch. Airworthiness will be maintained b y performance of routine inspections before each flight, maintaining flight and maintenance logs to record time on failure prone components.

The petitioner request that in a manner similar to reference 3, he be allowed to operate within 5 miles of an airp ort provided that;

“ The UA may not operate in Class B, C, or D airspace without written approvalAugust 12, 2015

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from the FAA. The UA may not operate within 5 nautical miles of the geographic

center of a non

- towered airport as denoted on a current FAA published aeronautical chart unless a letter of agreement with that airport’s management is obtained, and the operation is conducted in accordance with a NOTAM as required by the operator’s COA. The letter of agreement with the airport management must be made availa ble to the Administrator upon request .” Operations within 5 miles of an airport are not anticipated to be routine but the petitioner is requesting a mechanism to facilitate such activities without requesting a new and separate exemption(s) should the need arise. Operations

within class B airspace are not requested due to the lack of mode C transponder.

Public interest

Use of the UAS in lieu of a manned aircraft would enhance safety and reduce the environmental impact as compared to similar operations conducted with manned

aircraft of greater proportions, carrying a crew and flammable fuel. Additionally,

use of the UAS in order to facilitate commerce could lead to economic growth.

Operations for this petition will enable service for property owners or their designees seeking an enhanced perspective for characteristics, amenities, and benefits of their desired photographic subjects that cannot be displayed through ground level videography/photography. Aerial photography is a valuable marketing tool that can lead to increased commerce and enhance personal photography. Crop surveying applications could lead to decreased use of pesticides and fertilizer and conservation of water as well as increased

crop yields and decreased costs. Aerial surveying and insp ections can increase

work site efficiency, improve volumetric estimations and reduce risks. The petitioner will provide clients with photographic data for these purposes on a ‘for hire’ basis acting as an independent contractor. A visual observer will be u tilized.

Liability insurance will be obtained commensurate with the granting of this request for exemption. Flight data including UA flight time, Control Unit operation
time, incident, accident, and details concerning any deviations from normal operation s will be available to FAA for use in collecting data regarding the use of UAS as part of this application. This data may be submitted to FAA via traditional means, e.g. COA Monthly Reports, or other means as required.

Conclusion

The petitioner is reques ting this exemption for the purposes of “ Aerial data collection, to include but not limited to aerial photography, videography, pipeline patrols, mapping, crop surveying, demonstration flights, inspections, film and movie production and other flight operat ions ”. The reason for such a general and broad based request is that the petitioner wishes to utilize a business strategy ofAugust 12, 2015

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horizontal integration and maximize economies of scope in order to capitalize on opportunities as they may arise in the future with out the long turnaround time associated with additional exemptions.

The petitioner's business model is based on the idea of offering ad hoc small

UAS services to individuals or companies who wish to employ these services as a safe, effective, and legal option to enhance their business or hobby. The petitioner’s own market research shows pent up demand for these services currently exists in the real estate market and other markets are just beginning to

emerge.

The petitioner has refrained from engaging in commercial use of the UAS. The primary purpose of seeking this exemption is to obtain the capability to offer those services while remaining in compliance.

The petitioner is a licensed pilot, holding a commercial pilot certificate flying single

- engine land aircraft for over 20 years.

Respectfully submitted,

Stephen W. Caruso

Attachments: These attachments are too large for submission via the submission portal.

They are available at this website for viewing or download. http://www.dji.co m/product/phantom

- 3/download 1) 

### Phantom 3 Professional User Manual
2) 

### Phantom 3 Professional Quick Start Guide
3) 

### Phantom 3 Safety Guidelines and Disclaimer

References: 1) FAA Exemption No. 11138, Regulatory Docket No. FAA20140481 in

the matter of the petition of DOUGLAS TRUDEAU 2) FAA Exemption No. 11136, Regulatory Docket No. FAA

– 2014

– 0508 in the matter of the petition of ADVANCED AVIATION SOLUTIONS LLC 3) FAA Exemption No. 11080 Regulatory Docket No. FAA20140355 in the matter of the petition of FLYIN G CAM INC