Dr. Parag Batavia

President

, Neya Systems LLC

Neya Systems LLC

145 Lake Drive, Suite 104

Wexford, PA 15090

724.799.8078 x101

The Honorable A n tho n y R. F o xx

Office of the Secretary

US Dep artme n t of T rans p ortation

1200 New Jersey A v e., SE W ashington, DC

20590 The Honorable Mi c hael P

. Huerta

Office of the A dminist rator

F ederal A viation A dministrat ion

800 Inde p endence A v e n ue SW W ashington, DC 20591

January 18th

, 2016

RE: Neya Systems sUAS Air w orthiness Exemption P etition for FMRA Sec 333 Ex e m p tion

Ge n tlemen:

Neya Systems , LLC (‘Neya Systems ’) here b y p etitions the F AA for regulatory relief pursua n t to Sec tion

333 of P .L 112

– 95 333 and 14 C.F.R. Sec. 11.81 to conduct commercial flig h ts with sUAS owned by Neya Systems

and to pursue resear c h and de v elopme n t of the those sUAS and ass o ciated sUAS sof tw are wi thin defined areas of

o p erations, secured according to the Neya Systems pr o cedures outlined in this document

, in the national airspace

(NAS). A tt a c hed, therefore, is a request for exemption from air w orthiness and s p ecific Title 14 C.F.R. sections for

the t y p es of sUAS and sUAS o p erations descri b ed in t his Section 333 exemption p et ition.

Neya Systems is a sof tw are platform de v elo p er dedicated to de v eloping fleet manageme n t systems and o p erations

pr o cesses for the safe depl o yme n t of sUAS in the NAS. This p etition seeks authorization to o p erate the Neya

Systems sUAS descri b ed in this p etition within restricted access areas. These areas of o p erations, similar to the

“closed set” areas descri b ed in Exemption No. 11062, will b e defined and submitted for appr o v al prior to o p erations.

Generall y

, Neya Systems sUAS o p erations will b e b el o w an altitude of 400 ft. A GL, within s p ecific access

restricted areas, within Class G airspace, with the p ermission of the flig h t service station, using sU A V s o p erated b y

Neya Systems qualified sUAS operators who possess FAA required certification

, and within visual line of sig h t of

the o p erator or obser v er. The U A V s co n templated in this pro p osal are of small size and w eig h t (less than 55 lb.),

capable of relati v ely sl o w s p eeds (top s p eed of a U A V to b e depl oy ed under this p etition is less than 50 kt.) and, as

demonstrated in this p etition, do not p ose a threat to the safe t y of the NAS, p ersons on the ground, or national

securi t y

.

This exemption seeks authorization to conduct commercial and R&D flig h ts according to the terms of t his p etition

while adhering to all other F AA sUAS rules and regulations.2

W h y w e require an exemption

Commercial O p eration

An exemption is required b ecause curre n t F AA regulations do not all o w for the commercial use of sUAS la c king

air w orthiness certificates in the NAS. Neya Systems requests an air w orthiness exemption for the s p ecific t y p es of

sUAS descri b ed in this p etition to carry b oth acti v e p a yloads including sensor pa c k ages, e.g. film and video

equipme n t, and lig h t

- w eig h t inert p a yloads

.

Resear c h and De v elo pm e n t

Neya Systems de v elops o p erational, n a vigational, and fleet manag eme n t sof tw are for commercial sUAS so that they

m a y fly safely and predictably in the NAS. In order to de v elop and test the sof t w are for these sUAS under the

v arie t y of o p erational conditions a sUAS will face in the NAS, it is necessary to test v arious sUAS and sUAS

configurations, o p erating systems, and ma nageme n t systems in differe n t e n vironme n ts. F AA Order 8130.34C for a

S p ecial Air w orthiness Certificate: Ex p erime n tal Category d o es not authorize the necessary v ariable aircraft

c haracteristics and systems to meaningfully test the res p onsi v eness of these sUAS to the capricious influences

affecting the NAS.

Therefore, to gain the meaningful data a b out sUAS features necessary for de v eloping a program for safe and

efficie n t sUAS o p erations, an exemption is required that authorizes R & D: 1) across a range of sUAS ma k es,

m o dels and proto t y p es, 2) in a v arie t y of l o cations (su b ject to the re strictions outlined in this p etition), and 3) for

iterating on the systems and airframes on an ongoing basis. Without this exemption the regulatory requireme n ts for a

S p ecial Air w orthiness Certificate, Ex p e r ime n tal Category (S A C

- EC) are ov erly burdensome b ecause they forbid the

necessary R & D, i.e. rapid iterations on proto t y p es. Finall y

, as the F AA is w ell aw are, the S A C

- EC d o es not

authorize commercial o p erations of the t y p e descri b ed a b ov e; whi c h are required for Neya Systems resear c h and

de v elopme n t.

The t y p es of sUAS for whi c h Neya Systems requests exemptions

Th e sUAS that Neya Systems requests exemptions for are as follows :

• 3D Robotics X8 Plus

• DJI Phantom 2 Vision Plus

• DJI Matrice 100

• Ascending Technologies Pelican

Neya Systems is de v eloping software that requires testing and verification using a class of sUAS that are designated

“L o w

- Energy small Unmanned A erial V ehicles” (“LE sUAS”). These LE sUAS are appr o ximately eq ui v ale n t to the

Air F orce designat ed “Micro UAS” class of UAS. S p ecificall y

, LE sUAS are those sUAS whi c h are small ( < 2

meter in largest dimension), lig h t

- w eig h t (

∼ 55 lb. or less ), sl o w

- m o ving (

∼ 50 kt.) and o p erate close to the ground

(< 400 ft. A GL). W e b elie v e that these LE sUAS and ass o ciated Neya Systems o p eration and manageme n t systems

meet the standard pr o vided b y Section 333 of the FMRA for a UAS to o p erate safely within the National Airspace

prior to the completion of FMRA’s required rule

- making. Section 333 descri b es se v en mini m um criteria to

determine whether an sUAS m a y o p erate safely in the NAS without creating a hazard or p osing a threat to national

securi t y

. These criteria com pri se size, w eig h t, s p eed, o p erational capabili t y

, o p eration in close pr o ximi t y to air p orts,

o p eration in close pr o ximi t y to p eople, and o p eration within visual line of sig h t. The LE sUAS that Neya Systems is

requesting exemptions for are of a t y p e and scale that meet these criteria and that are equi v ale n t to t hose for whi c h

F AA has rece n tly gra n ted Sec 333 exemptions and, similarl y

, are not a n ticipated to create a hazard to users of the

Nati onal Airspace System (“NAS”), p ersons on the ground, or p ose a threat to national securi t y

. Basic

c haracteristics of the Neya Systems pro p osal are summarized b el o w

.3

T able 1: Section 333 Determina n ts and LE sUAS

Criterion Ney a Systems Owned LE sUAS and O p erations

1. Size Under 2m largest dimension

2. W eig h t Less than 55 lb. maxi m um ta k eoff w eig h t

3. S p eed V el o ci t y not to exceed 50 kt. or 25.7 m/s.

4. O p erational Capabili t y D a y VFR, with

∼ 30 mi n utes of flig h t time.

5. O p eration of the UAS in close pr o ximi t y to air p orts A t least 5 miles from air p orts or with explicit A TC appr o v al.

6. O p eration in close pr o ximi t y to p opulated areas O p erated ov er pro p er t y with conse n t of o wner.

Exclusion of non

- participa n ts from area of o p erations.

7. O p eration in visual line of sig h t. O p erated with direct visual co n tact b y PIC or Obser v er.

In addition to the LE sUAS o p erational requireme n ts listed a b ov e and, in order to further mitigate risk, ea c h sUAS

used by Neya Systems is equip p ed with a pilot

- co n trolled precautionary landing system capable of autonomously

landing or returning to the operator in the event of a lost communication link or other exige n t emergency such as

critically low battery

.

Comparison to Ultralig h t Aircraft

14 CFR P art 103 “Ultra lig h t V ehicles” descri b es the applicabili t y

, ins p ection requireme n ts, w ai v ers, certification

and registration requireme n ts, as w ell as o p erating rules, for another class of aircraft that are the closest comparable

aircraft to sUAS curre n tly in the NAS. Ultralig h ts are defined, in part, as a sin gle

- o ccupa n t manned aircraft that

w eigh less than 254 lb. emp t y w eig h t, carries no more than 5 gallons (

∼ 41 lb.) of fuel, and has a maxi m um s p eed of

55 kt. The F AA has determined that these aircraft require no air w orthiness certificate or ins p ection; that ultralig h t

pilots require no pilot certifications nor medical certification, despite flying in the NAS; and that ultralig h ts are not

required to b e registered or to b ear markings or a n y kind. In addition, the o p erational rules in 103 Subpar t B are

equi v ale n t to, or e v en less stringe n t than, those that Neya Systems is pro p osing f or our LE sUAS o p erations. Please

see Ultr alig h t and LE sUAS Comparison ( T able 2) b el o w.

A significa n t difference b e tw een ultralig h ts and LE sUAS as is, of course, the presence of a pilot on b oard the

ultralig h t. While this m a y decrease the risk of C2 loss e v e n t, in case of other catastrophic e v e n ts the pilot is at risk.

LE sUAS are unmanned and t h us the risk to the pilot is r em o v ed, and as descri b ed a b ov e

, C2 loss

- link risks are

mitigated. T h us, gi v en the pilot training, s p eed, w eig h t, airspace limitations, and other risk mitigation measures

pro p osed b y Neya Systems

, LE sUAS simply do not p ose additional hazard to the national airspace, p ersons,

pro p er t y

, or national securi t y

. A risk

- based approa c h to determining LE sUAS safe t y

, as outlin ed in the FMRA

2012 Section 333, clearly indicates that the LE sUAS that Neya Systems uses are less hazardous than some existing

aircraft in the NAS.4

T able 2: Ultralig h t and LE sUAS Comparison

Item Ultralig h t Rules Neya Systems LE sUAS Rules

Pilot No certification required Pilot Ground S c h o ol, Neya Systems o p erator

qualification and currency

W eig h t 294 lb. (including fuel) + p ilot 55 lb.

S p eed 55 kt. 55 kt.

Registration No registration Registration with AIR

– 200

Air w orthin ess No requireme n t for certification. Air w ort h y according to ma n ufacturer standards

and Neya Systems te c hnicians.

O p erat i ng

Rules

Airspace Class B,C, and D, with A TC appr o v al. Class E Class B,C, and D with A TC appr o v al. Class G.

and G.

Altitude None Bel o w 400 ft. A GL

limits

D a yli g h t D a y VFR D a y VFR

P opu lat ed Not ov er congested areas. Not ov er congested areas.

areas

Priori t y Safe t y Issues

In addition to the Reliabili t y

, Safe t y and O p eration of LE sUAS considerations described in the sections below, t he

Neya Systems PIC will be well versed in the reliabili t y and safe o p erations, Command and Co n trol lost

- link

procedures

, and “See and A v oid” (also kn o wn as “Detect and A v oid” in the co n text of U A V s) requ ireme n ts of the

platform of each platform that they intend to operate before taking flight

.

Reliabili t y , Safe t y and O p eration of LE sUAS

O p erations in Class G airspace b el o w 400 ft

. A GL 5 m iles or More F rom an Air p ort :

• The region of o p erations for LE sUAS is b el o w 400 ft

. A GL, in Class G airspace and 5 miles or more from

an air p ort or otherwise in c o ordination with the FSDO and A TC.

• The airspace used will b e wholly with the underlying pro p er t y o wner’s written conse n t.

• Aircraft separation will b e accomplished b y flying under VFR rules during the d a y with a pilot and an

obser v er

. The pilot will be qualified according to all FAA s UAS regulation s, s ee Pilot Requireme n ts below

.

O p erations in co n trolled Airspace (B, C, D), Bel o w 400 Ft. A GL

. This region of o p e ration of LE sUAS is b el o w 400

ft

. A GL, in Class B, C, and D airspace:

• T w o

- wa y com m unication with A TC will b e established b efore o p erations commence or b efore the sUAS

e n ters co n trolled airspace.

• These o p erations will b e wholly with the underlying pro p er t y o wner’s written conse n t.

• Aircraft separation will b e accomplished b y flying under VFR rules during the d a y with a pilot and an

obser v er

. The pilot will be qualified according to all FAA s UAS regulation s, s ee Pilot Requireme n ts below

Command and Co n trol (C2) link failure m o des, mi t i gation strategies:

• In addition to the l o ca tional protections outlined a b ov e, lost link mitigation is a c hie v ed by each platform

with (one or more of) redunda n t failure o p eration, auto

- land, return

- to

- home, and geo

- fencing functionality

to reduce the probabili t y and mitigate the se v eri t y of a C2 failure.5

14 CFR Sec. 91.113 Rig h t of W a y

, See and A v oid Requireme n ts Mitigation for reduced “See and A v oid” capabili t y

is that all pro p osed o p erations under this p etition are at 400 A GL and b el o w. In this near

- surface airspace, the only

other legally o p erating aircraft are other appr ov ed U A V s or those o p erating with a s p ecial use certificate (Life

Flig h t, fire w at c h co n tractors etc.) F urther risk mitigations include a PIC will b e monitoring all UAS o p erations, and

a visual obser v er

, will b e empl oy ed for all U A V flig h t o p erations to a v oid aerial conflicts. F urther, the pro p osed

U A V s will fly only within visual l ine

- of

- sig h t of the PIC and an obser v er, under VFR conditions, and during

d a ylig h t hours. W e b elie v e that t y p es of LE sUAS and o p erations together with the prot o cols and c haracteristics

outlined in this p etition mai n tain the curre n t high le v el of safe t y in the NAS.

Pilot Requireme n ts

In accordance with the FAA regulati ons, the Neya Systems Pilot in Command (PIC) m ust b e qualified and curre n t

according to one or more of the Neya Systems sUAS safe flight procedures (as specified by the platform ’ s manual)

and passed the Pri v ate Pilot F AA Ground S c h o ol kn o wledge test , the written te st of the Recreational or Sport Pilot

Certification , or equivalent certification as mand ated by FAA regulations

.

Information Sup p o rting this P etition as S p ecified in 14 C.F.R. Sec. 11.81

This section res p onds to the s p ecific requireme n ts of 14 CFR Sec 11.81.

(a) Mailing address and other co n tact information su c h as a fax n u m b er, telephone n u m b er, or email address

co p y

.

Neya Systems

, LLC

A TTN: Dr. Parag Batavia

145 Lake Drive, Suite 104

Wexford, PA 15090

724.799.8078 x101

Email: paragb@neyasystems.com6

(b) The s p ecific section or sections of 14 C.F.R. from whi c h Neya Systems seeks an exemp tion

.

§ 91.203 Air w orthiness certificates

§ 47.16 T em p orary registration n u m b ers

§ 91.121 Altimeter settings

§ 91.203(a) Air w orthiness certificate with registration n u m b er (within the aircraft)

§ 91.203(b) Displ a y of air w orthiness certificate

§ 91.9(b,c) Ma n ual, marking, and placards

P art 43 Ins p ection and mai n tenance programs;

§91.405 Mai n tenance required;

§91.407 O p eration after mai n tenance, pre v e n ti v e mai n tenance, rebuilding, or alteration;

§91.409 Ins p ections;

§91.417 Mai n tenance records

P art 45 Registration and marking s p ecial rules

P art 21 ( Subpart H) Air w orthiness certificate; Ex p erime n tal certificate

- general

§61 Requireme n ts for certification of instructors for crew training

§91.119 Mini m um safe altitudes: General

§91.413 A TC trans p onder tests and ins p ections

§91.215 A TC trans p onder and altitude re p orting equipme n t and use

§67 Medical standards and certification

§91.109 Flig h t instruction; Si m ulated instrume n t flig h t and certain flig h t tests

§91.151 F uel requireme n ts for flig h t in VFR condition s

(c) The exte n t of relief Neya Systems seeks, and the reason Neya Systems seeks the relie f

.

A Section 333 exemption is required b ecause curre n t F AA regulations do not all o w commercial use of sUAS in the

NAS, or for appropriate resear c h and de v elopme n t of sUAS. Neya Systems requests an air w orthiness exemption for

the s p ecific t y p es of sUAS descri b ed in this p etition to carry inacti v e and acti v e p a yloads, e.g. sensor pa c k ages for

commercial applications su c h as videograp h y and precision agriculture and lig h t

- w eig h t inert pa c k ages, under the

conditions and o p erating limitations outlin ed in this document

. In addition, Neya Systems is de v eloping sUAS

sof tw are, including o p erational, n a vigational, and managem e n t sof tw are for small commercial U A V s, so that sU A S

m a y fly safely and predictably in the NAS. In order to de v elop and test t hese sUAS under the v arie t y of o p erational

conditions that a sUAS will face in the NAS, it is necessary to test v ariations on aircraft c haracteristics, o p erating

systems, and manageme n t systems in differe n t e n vironme n ts. F AA regulations in F AA Order 8130.34C for a

S p ecial Air w orthiness Certificate: Ex p erime n tal Category do n ot authorize the necessary rapid m o difications of

aircraft c haracteristics and ass o ciated systems to test t hese sUAS.

Therefore, to gain meaningful data a b out the necessary features for safe and efficie n t sUAS o p er ations, an

exemption is necessary : 1) to o p erate a range of sUAS ma k es, m o dels and proto t y p es,

2) in a v arie t y of l o cations (su b ject to the restrictions outlined in this p etition), 3) to b e p ermitt ed to adjust the

systems and airframes tested on an ongoing basis, and 4) for b oth resear c h and com mercial use. Finall y

, as the F AA

is w ell aw are, the exemption is necessary b ecause the S A C

- EC d o es not authorize commercial o p erations of the t y p e

soug h t here, whi c h is required for Neya Systems to de v elop accurate data a b out the t y p es of sUAS that are b est

suited for safe o p erations in the v arious conditions affecting the NAS.7

(d) The reasons w h y gra n ting Neya Systems ’ request w ould b e in the public i n terest; that is, h o w it w ould

b enefit th e public as a whole

.

The pro p osal is designed to establish a reasonable meth o dology to test s p ecific t y p es and pl atforms of sUAS, in a

v arie t y of e n vironme n ts and to enable the safe and efficie n t depl o y me n t of commercial sUAS. The outputs of safe,

reliable, and regulatory complia n t o p erations of sUAS pr o vide economic b enefits historically unparalleled since the

i nv e n tion of flig h t, b enefitting sta k eholders at e v ery le v el, b oth public and pri v ate. L a wful, safe aerial ro b otics

o p erations will create new high

- te c h empl o yme n t that will sti m ulate ci t y and state g ov ernme n ts; create new small

and large businesses; infuse new i n terest in STEM for c hildren; and increase the safe t y of citizens through enhanced

first

- res p onder capabilities. Gra n t of this p etition w ould enable the resear c h and o p erational de v elopme n t of

necessary industry infrastructure to enable the safe and efficie n t acceleration of these significa n t public b enefits to

the United States public.

(e) The reasons w h y gra n ting the exemption w ould not ad v ersely affect safe t y , or h o w the exemption w ould

pr o vide a le v el of safe t y at least equal to that pr o vided b y the rule from whi c h Neya Systems seeks the

exemption

.

Neya Systems o p erations will pr o vide a le v el of safe t y that is eq ui v ale n t to curre n t a viation standards. In brief, the

foll o wing pr o cedures that apply during o p erations conducted under this exemption request, establish an equi v ale n t

le v el of safe t y (ELOS) as foll o ws:

1. The Neya Systems LE sUAS are less than 55 p ounds and are battery p ow ered.

2. All Neya Systems LE sUAS will b e U.S. registered and displ a y marks either in accordance with 14

C.F.R. P art 45, Subpart C or appr ov ed alternati v e marki ngs.

3. Neya Systems sUAS o p erations under this exemption will b e conducted within the visual line of sig h t of the pilot

o p er ator or least one obser v er, at less than 400 feet A GL, in c o ordination with the FSDO, within Class G airspace

and with the p ermission of the flig h t standards service station or other l o cal authori t y

, as applicable. O p erations in

co n trolled B,C, or D airspace will b e conducted in c o ordination with FSDO and A TC with prior p ermission.

4. Neya Systems o p erations will b e conducted in defined regions and ov er pro p er t y authorized for thi s use b y the

land o wner. Consiste n t with the rece n tly issued Section 333 Exemption No. 11062 (Astraeus A erial), the area of

o p erations will b e submitted for appr o v al to the l o cal FSDO and will b e su b ject to a n y restrictions or conditions

im p osed b y the FSDO. Class G airsp ace o p erations will also b e su b ject to the express written appr o v al of the Fli g h t

Service Station. All o p erations will remain within the geographic b oundaries of the o p erating area.

5. LE sUAS o p erations under this exemption will b e conducted under the su p ervision of a desig nated pilot in

command (PIC) who has final res p onsibili t y for the o p eration and in accordance with 14 C.F.R. 91.3. See the Pilot

Requireme n ts section above

. All LE sUAS o p erators m ust h av e demonstrated proficiency with the sUAS b eing

o p erated, and passed the Pri v ate Pilo t F AA Ground S c h o ol kn o wledge t est.8

6. O p erators and engineers will mai n tain the LE sUAS system in a condition for safe o p era tion according to the

ass o ciated ma n ufacturer’s mai n tenance ma n ua ls, including pre

- flig h t and p ost

- flig h t i ns p ections.

7. The PIC and obser v ers will mai n tain situational aw areness and p ercei v e, pr o cess, and p er form risk manageme n t

prior to and during ea c h o p eration

. The PIC will terminate the o p eration if hazards that cannot b e acceptably

mitigated are obser v ed.

8. LE sUAS will safely stop o p erating and either return home or auto

- land at a l o cation along the flig h t path if the

co n trol link is lost.

9. F or ea c h LE sUAS, the PIC will h av e the abili t y to force a co n trolled landing at a n y time

.

(f ) A summary F AA can publish in the FEDERAL REGISTER, stating: (1) The rule from whi c h y ou seek the

exemption; and (2) A brief description of the nature of the exemption y ou seek.

P etitioner: Neya Sy stems , LLC

Sections of 14 C.F.R 21; 45.23(b); 91.9(b); and 91.203(a) and (b) and ancillary sections.

Description of Relief Soug h t: P etitioner seeks to b e exempt from the requireme n ts of 14 C.F.R. P art 21(Subpart H),

§ 91.121, §21.193, §91.203, §91.319, §91.119; §91.413; §91.215, §91.155, §91.109, §91.111, §91.113,

§91.115, §91.151; §91.203(a); §91.203(b), §91.9(b,c); part 43; §45.11, §45.21, §45.22(d); §47.16, part

49, part 61, and part 67.

Neya Systems requests this regulatory relief in order to conduct R&D and commercial use for a class of sUAS ov er

pri v ate and public pro p er t y su b ject to o p erating pr o cedures that meet an equi v ale n t le v el of safe t y as those that F AA

requires for similar o p erations in manned a viation.

(g) A n y additional information, views or argume n ts a v ailable to sup p ort y our request

Please see the i n tr o duction to this exemption request and the atta c hed “ Supporting Information ”

.

(h) If y ou w a n t to exercise the privileges of y our exemption outside of the United States, the reason w h y y ou

need to do so.

While not currently the case, futur e Neya Systems partners and clie n ts may o p erate ma n ufacturing and testing

f acilities outside the United States

. Neya Systems pilots o p erating in a n y jurisdiction will o p erate according to the

standards mandated b y the F AA and the restrictions outlined in this document

.9

Neya Systems seeks this exemption to conduct commercial o p erations and sup p orting R&D of sUAS within

s p ecified areas in the NAS. Without this exemption, sUAS inn o v ation will b e suppressed, the public economic

b enefits deri v ed from increased sUAS de v elopme n t will b e denied, and the Congressional directi v e to accelerate the

i n tegration of UAS i n to the NAS will b e im p eded. The LE sUAS owned by Neya Systems p h ysical and o p erational

c haracteristics are complia n t with those descri b ed in the FMRA and F AA’s guidance for Sec 333 exemptions. Neya

Systems res p ectfully requests that the F AA gra n t its p etition for exemption from air w orthiness, C O A, and C O W

requireme n ts.

Please do not hesitate to co n tact Dr. Parag Batavia

, the Regulatory Services POC, via email a t

parag b@neyasystems.com if y ou h av e a n y questions or concerns.

V ery Res p ectfully Y ours

,

Dr. Parag Batavia

President, Neya Systems LLC