# TSC)DIRECT

Tri-State Consumer Insurance Company December 15,2015'



# u.s. Department ofTransportation Docket 

### Management System 

### 1200 

### New Jersey Ave. SE Washington; DC 20590
Re: 

### Petition for Section 333 Exemption to dte FAA Modernization and 

### Reform Act of 2012 

### Ladies and 

### Oentlemen:
Pursuant to 

### Section 333 ofthe 

### FAA Modernization aad 

### Refann Actof2012, Tri-State Consumer Insurance (hereinafter ""Tri-State") h«eby 

### requests an exen¢on for authority to operate unmanned airoraft in the National Airspace**Sy~** (NAS) and from the below 

### referenced 

### Federal Aviation Regulations. 

### Specifically.,**Tri~State** 

### seeks authority to operate 

### a DJI Phantom 3 UAS to 

### perform aerial roof inspections and aerial photography 

### for insurance purposes of properties that 

### have allegedly 

### incurred damage and 

### on which 

### an insurance claim has been 

### made.



### _ ·. · · - 'The FAA bas- gramed'atlltast·one 

### eieUiptiOn to**zt~y** 

### intending to 

### use UAS to 

### perform such 

### .aerial inspections**for~** 

### amoog'otlier**~ msuraltcif~.** **1** Similarly, 

### the FAA has granted 

### -numerous exemptions-to-companies intending to 

### use UAS for aerial photography in 

### connectioo with 

### commercial real 

### estate tistings. 2 

### Such operations, involving the operation of 

### smatl UAS over homes 

### for**~qf~~~;yg~ ~-(~~** **._~ (B,Kht$1lytics}~** **indi$t!Jt~sbable**

# ~=~t2~3~~502"~~·0~~':**J9S~: ·It~**  

### licensed on**~.28.** 

### 1985 and 

### commenced business on**Mare.b9~"t1986u1he** 

## Company 

# is aWhOlly owned 

### subsidiary ofThe 

### Tri-State 

### Consumer,lnc., a New**y,~ ~~-**  The 

### Company's office is located at IOOJericboQuadrangJe, 

### Suite 124, Jericho, 

### NY H753. The main telephone 

### number is (516) 681-9400 and fax munber is (516} 390-2671. · H. Description ofthe 

### Proposed UAS Operation and Safeguards

' ' 

### Tri-State intends to

### ~y aDJI

### ~ 3 for its 

### UAS opennions. 3 The {)JI Phantom 

### 3 is incredibl}' 

### small, weighing 

### only 1,280 

### grams (less than three pounds), 

### wen 

### below tbe 

### 55_pound limit set forth in the draft nile for 

### small UAS. As such, it

### presents little threat to the. 

### safe aJ}d.effic:ientopercltion of**~~ ~** **N~. Further~,** **j,t._is;~_55mm** in diagonal size, bas a**maxirnuln.~Peed~<!f** 16 meters per seci:Jbd;(ti¥s),**a~~ ~,OQ!y** **S~s~ _8\!d.a!D&Ximum~t_ofl** **rp/,s;,~lht!-~** will not 

### exceeif31 

### knot8: 

### Whiie the 

### llJi 

### Phantom 3 is·capable 

### Of Operating 6,000 meters (approximately 19,685**f~t) ~¥1t~~yel.**  

### Tii.oState will 

### not operate the UAS 

### more than 500 feet 

### above ground level. All.tlights 

### witi 

## be Conducted in 

### Class G airspace during daylight 

### hours· No flights will be conducted 

### will$**fi~** ,($) 

### nautical 

### rimes of Mailport 0£ heliport without a letter ofagreement 

### from the airport's or**t~ ~**  l t t ,J; J •

.**'!~~** ••**..~** ...**~--~** •

. . .**heJiP9tt~srnahage~otunles$·the,~OI'l.i$~permi~by** 

### ..**,~y-iss.uedCOAr•···•:;,·.** r • • · ••**-~··**•• • ·•**~** ' • , .: -**~** • • • • • • • ·• ,.., ' • •· • - • · • • -· • • J • •• · • ; • • • ·.C:_;·

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..**~** _.**~~~-:"l ~-** **~** ... _**:r~rJ.- ·~;-=-**  .• :. : · .. /'? ::. r.:.**~-=··** __**SeeExemptionNo.•13U6,;~0ocketN0!.~2015-'301l.'-.** 

## <·':''- ;·: ,.-, 2 See**e.g,._~** Ho/13l05iRegulatorj•DOtk'et: 'NO. fAA:.201s.-2916'' ·;. '• .;'**u~** · - 3 Numerous uemptions have beencranted for OJl Phantoms, including Phantom 3s.
100 Jericho

## Quad~~ngl~,**S~ite i.2;4;'Je~~h9~** **,~j ~.?;_3,~ii;2,~** **Pb~~~;** (516)

## 68L-9~QD,.• :('H8) f595·.,00:?'6- nvww.800joinnow.com**F~x Numbe~s** **-~ A~to**  

### • (516)**~7,~46_96,·~Home** .,(516}**802~5859** • ·Claims··· (516) 681-9766

: ·.! ;

_ .. •**~-.** :· ·.•

. . 

# ..

.. ,_**~**To further ensure the safety ofthe UAS operations. Tri-State will perform each flight 

### within tbe visual line 

### of siJbt ofthe PIC and 

### visual observer. The PIC and visual observer will 

### be able to 

### communicate verbally at all times. 

### Tbe 

### PIC will perfonn a pre-flight 

### mspection ofthe 

### UAS m accordance with the 

### DJI-provided operation 

### manual. Such an 

### operation, conducted by 

### a license PIC with 

### the assistance of

### a visual observer. is significantly 

### safer than 

### a traditional 

### maamed aircraft oper$ion. 

### Not only 

### is the aircraft 

### sjgaificantly 

### smaller than 

### a manned aircraft, it. 

### will not carry 

### crew or flammable fuel. As per the 

### DJ.I Phantom 3 useunanuat, 

### the 

### operating frequency is 

### 2.400 OHJ-2.483 

### GHz and

. the 

### camera sensor is a Sony 

### BXMOR. l/2.3", 

### effective pixels: 12.4 

### M (total pixel&: 

### 12.76 M). 

### The DJI Phantom 

### 3 complies .with part 

### 15 of

### the FCC 

### RuleS. Operation is 

### subject to 

### the 

### foBowing two conditions:
1. 

### This**~vice may~** **carise~l** interferenCe 

### 2. This device must 

## a(:cepr any inteiference received, 

### iacluding interference that 

### may cause undesired**operation~** 

### · 

# m. ThePIC
Tri-State intends to employ Bryan M. Vaughan, who holds a Recreational Pilot's 

### License and a 

### valid U.S. driver license, to 

### perfonn the UAS 

### operations. Moreover, Mr. Vaughan received bis associate degree in applied 

### science, Air 

### Traffic Control, and is well-qualified to 

### understand the importance of safely operating UAS in 

### the NAS. However, in 

### the event 

### Mr. Vaughan is not capable or available to 

### perfonn anoperatiOn**~or** 

### any reason, 

### Tii.State may employ another 

### duly licensed pilof

### io act 

### a PIC.
Before the PIC performs any operation, Tri-State will ensure that slhe has at least five (5) hours offlight time on the DJI Phantom 3 in a secure area outside NAS.
At all 

### times, the PIC will 

### be 

### assisted by 

### a visual observer, who will 

### provide 

### support and situational 

### awareness as needed. 

### IV.**UAS~ Tri~State**  ·win use the DJI Phantom 3 to conduct aerial inspections and photography ofproperties that allegedly have been damaged. 

### The 

### purpose will be to ascertain the extent of the 

### damage, ifany, 

### and to perform related analytics.
The 

### operations will be 

### restricted to the 

### discrete area above and immediately 

### surrounding the owner's property and will only 

### be conducted with the owner's permission. Before any operation is conducted, 

### the PIC will 

### inspect the 

### area to 

### ensure that there 

### are no obstructions that could threaten the safe operation of the UAS.
Given the extremely small size of the DJI Phantom 3, 

### the restrictiolls on the operations ofthe UAS detailed in Section 

## mabove, and the limited area in which any given UAS operation will 

### be conducted, Tri-State's proposed operations present little, ifany, 

### threat to the operation of manned aircraft in the NAS. There can be no 

### doubt that the operations are at least 

### as safe, ifnot substantially safer, than 

### the operation oftraditional manned aircraft. Further, 

### using UAS to perform the roof inspections ensures that an inspector does not have to physically climb onto a roof to survey the extent of any damage, an inherently dangerous activity.

### V. Specific Regulations for Which Exemption is Sought 

### Tri..State seeks an exemption from 

### each of

### the following 

### replations:

• 14 CFR 

### Part 21, Subpart H (CertifiCation procedures for products 

### and parts, 

### Airworthilless Certificates) • 14 CFR § 

### 61.3**(Req~nt** 

### for 

### certificates, ratings and 

### authorizations)
• 14CFR 

### f 9l.l03(b)(2) 

### (Prdiijht action) 

### ·• t4CFR. § 

### 91.105 (Flight 

### crewm.embers at stations) 

### • 14 CPR§ 91.109 (Flight 

### instruction; simulated instrument 

### tlipt

### and certain test flights) 

### • 14 CFR.t9l.H9 (Minimunuafe altitudes: Oenetal) 

### • 14CPR § 

### 91.121 (Altimetersettinp) 

### • 14 CPR 

### f 91.151 (Fuel requiremelltS for 

### tlipt ill 

### VFR conditions) • 14CFR § 

### 91.405 (Maintenance required) 

### • 14 CPR§ 91.4f17 (Operation after 

### maintenance, preventative maintenance, 

### rebuildhtJ, or alteration) 

### • 14 

### CPR § 

### 91.409 (Inspections) • 14 

### CFR § 

### 91.417 (Maintenance records)



### VI. Conclusion Please do 

### not 

### hesitate to 

### contact me at (516) 837-8890 if

### you have any questions about 

### this petition. 

### Thank you for 

### your time 

### and 

### attention to 

### this matter.