November 3 , 2015 U. S. Department of Transportation Docket Management System 1200 New Jersey Ave., Washington, DC 20590 RE: Exemption Request Section 333 of the FAA Reform Act and Part 11 of the Federal Aviation Regulations. Dear Sir I Madam: Pursuant to the Section 333 of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 (the "Reform Act"), Lance Murchison (the "applicant"), operator of an Unmanned Aircraft Systems ("UAS") seeks an exemption from the Federal Aviation Regulations ("FARs") to allow for commercial operation for aerial imaging and video of land and less than 3 story buildings not part of cities or high populated areas requested by clients and for recreational use The area will be primarily the areas in Tennessee, Mississippi, and Arka nsas. This is the area commonly known as the Mid South area. Applicant: Lance Murchison 1640 Dexter Lane Cordova, Tennessee 38016 Attachments: DJI Safety GuidelinesRegulations from which the exemption is requested: 14 CFR Part 21 subpart H 14 CFR 45.23 (b) 14 CFR 91.7 (a) 14 CFR 91.9 (b) (2) 14 CFR 91.103 14 CFR 91.109 14 CFR 91.119 (c) 14 CFR 91.121 14 CFR 91.203 (a) and (b) 14 CFR 91.405 (a) 14 CFR 91.407 (a) (1) 14 CFR 91.409 (a) (2) 14 CFR 91.417 (a) and (b) Extent of relief I see k, and why 14 CFR Part 21 subpart HThe UAS to be operated carries neither pilot nor passenger and carries no explosive materials or flammable liquids. Given the size, weight, speed, and limited operating area associated with the aircraft to be utilized, I request exception. In the restricted environment and under the conditions proposed operation will be at least as safe, or safer, than a conventional aircraft operating with an airworthiness certificate without said restrictions. 14 CFR 45.23 (b) Due to the size of this UAS it does not have a cockpit, cabin, or pilot station on which to market certain words or phrases. Lettering would be very difficult to place on such a small aircraft and dimensions would need to be smaller than required minimum. Unders tanding the importance of lettering, I will mark my UAS with the largest possible letters by placing the word "Experimental" or assigned number or name, based on request/ruling of FAA, on UAS fuselage. The equivalent level of safety will be provided by hav ing the UAS marked on its fuselage as required. 14 CFR 91.7 (a) As there will be no airworthiness certificate for the aircraft, should this exemption be granted, no FAA regulatory standard will exist for determining airworthiness. Given the size of the a ircraft for maintenance and use of safety check list prior to each flight an equivalent level of safety will be provided. 14 CFR 91.9 (b) (2) Given the size and configuration, the UAS has no ability to carry a flight manual on the aircraft. There is no r oom, capacity, or pilot on board to adequately carry flight manual. An equivalent level of safety will be maintained by keeping the flight manual at ground control point where the pilot will have immediate access to it. 14 CFR 91.103 As FAA approved flig ht manuals will not be provided for the aircraft, an exemption will be needed. Normal procedures including but not limited to; reviewing weather, flight battery requirement, landingand takeoff distances, along will all of those found in attachment "DJI Sa fety Guidelines". An equivalent level of safety will be provided by preflight protocol) to properly match the machine. 14 CFR 91.109 UAS and remotely piloted aircraft do not have fully functional dual controls. Flight control is achieved through the use of a control box that communicates with the aircraft via radio communications. The equivalent level of safety provided because neither a pilot nor passenger will be carried in the aircraft, and by the speed and size of the aircraft. 14 CFR 91.113 (a) and (b) I can achieve an equivalent level of safety as achieved by current regulations because my UAS does not carry pilot nor passenger. While helpful, a pilots' license will not ensure remote control piloting skills. 14 CFR 91.121 The UAS may not have a b arometric altimeter, but instead does have a GPS altitude read out. I believe an exemption may be needed. An equivalent level of safety is achieve by the operator receiving live flight data monitoring and confirming current altitude along with altitude of launch site shown on GPS altitude indicator. 14 CFR 91.203 (a) and (b) Similar to, 14 CFR 91.9 (b) (2), given the size and configuration, the UAS has no ability to carry certificate and registration documents on the aircraft. There is no room, capacity, or pilot on board to adequately such documents. An equivalent level of safety will be achieved by keeping these documents to the extent they are applicable to the UAS, at the ground control point where pilot has immediate access to them. 14 CFR 91.405 (a) , 14 CFR 91.407 (a) (1), 14 CFR 91.409 (a) (2), 14 CFR 91.417 (a) and (b) Given this section only applies to aircraft with an airworthiness certificate; these sections do not applyto this applicant. As a safety precaution, operator will perform preflight inspections and ensure UAS is in working condition before initiating each flight. Lance Murchison is seeking relief from all FARs above preventing applicant from conducting aerial photography and video of real estate taken at levels less than 400ft, at a speed less than 33.5 mph, and with a maximum flight time of 22 minutes. The drone to be used is a DJI Phantom 3 Standard . At 2.74 pounds, the weight of the UAS's meets the definition of "small unmanned aircraft" found in section 331 "The Reform Act". In o rder to obtain high quality photography and video the UAS will be used at speeds much less than it's top speed of 33.5 mph. Due to the UAS being battery powered, there are no combustible fuels onboard the UAS. Maximum flight time for the UAS's is 22 minut es for their battery life. Flights will be terminated with 30 % battery life remaining. Given the size, weight, speed, and limited operating area associated with these aircrafts, I find this exception to be reasonable with an equivalent, or greater, level o f safety to be reached by the operator. Safety: *Please see attachment "DJI Safety Guidelines" for safety precautions I use for every flight. Aside from these practices Lance Murchison, employee for National Cotton Council h as more than 4 years of experi ence piloting gimbal controlled cameras on a helicopter that flew for WPTY ABC 24 in Memphis. This experience gives me knowledge of the different types of airspace, right of way rules, basic weather knowledge and weather minimums which helps me in the deci sion making of whether to fly or not. Additionally: 1) I do not operate within 5 miles of an airport unless prior contact to Air Traffic Control or the airport manager has been made. 2) I land my UAS prior to manufacturer recommended minimum level of ba ttery power. 3) I pilot my UAS through remote control by line of sight. 4) My UAS uses GPS and a flight safety feature whereby it returns to a preprogrammed position and then slowly lands if communication with the remote control pilot is lost.5) I act ively analyze flight data and other sources of information to constantly update and enhance safety protocol. 6) I conduct extensive pre -flight inspections and protocol, during which safety carries primary importance. 7) I always obtain all necessary permissions prior to operation; and, 8) I have procedures in place to abort flights in the event of safety breaches or potential danger. Public Interest The use of an UAS provides me the ability to give a higher level of service in my photography and vi deography work for clients. Not only does this benefit the clients , but it benefits the general public because it is much more efficient than traditional ways of using a plane or helicopter to achieve the same result. We can now provide this level of service while being conservative with fuel, time, emissions, noise, and other resources. Considering size, weight, speed, and absence of combustible fuels, my UAS will have much less of a safety concern for the general public when compared to larger manned ai rcraft.