Date: Aug 18 th

, 2015

U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t i on

Do c k e t Man a g e ment S y s tem

1200 N e w J e rs e y Av e

., S E W a shin g ton, DC 20590

R e : P e t i t i on of the Michael R. Limotta & Co., Inc. DBA "LIMOTTAIT.com"

, for a n E x e mp t ion P u rsu a nt t o

S ec t i on 333 of the F AA Mod e rni z a t i on a nd Re f o r m A c t of 2012

To W hom i t M a y Con c e r n:

P u r suant to S ec t i on 333 of the F A A Mod e rni z a t i on a nd Re f o r m A c t of 20 1 2 ( " R e fo r m A c t " ) a nd 14

C. F .R. P a rt 1 1, LIMOTTAIT.com (" Company " ) h e r e b y a ppl i e s for a n e x e mp t ion f r om the F e d e r a l A

viation

R e gulations ( " F

AR s " ) id e nt if

ied b e low t o a l l ow c om m e r c ial op e r a t i on of small unmann e d ae r i a l vehi c les

( i.e., " small unm a nn e d a ir c r a f t " or " UAS " ) for the pu r pose o f c ondu c t i n g controlled flights for aerial sensor

research , pre cision agriculture research, UAS flight trainin g and maintenance. Additionally will provide for

14

- 21 young adult e ducation in the fields of aerial robotic applications, gamification programs and sharing

services.

This peti t ion for e x e mp t i on is created b a s e d on inf o rm a t i on out l ined in th i s Pe t i t i on f o r E x e mp t ion, as

we ll a s but not limited to t h e se accompanying documents ;

1. Company F l i g ht O p e r a t i ons Man ua l and;

2. Company Operations Manu a l

(c ol le c t i v e l y r e fe r

re d to as " Company’s Op e r a t i ons Man ua ls" )

3. Us e r G uide and;

4. Us e r M a nu a l

(c ol lec t i v e l y r e f

e r r e d to as " M a nuf

a c tu r e r ' s Man u a l " ) 1

The Company submi t s these as well as other Company s u pporting mat e ri a ls as c o n fid e nt i a l

docum e nts pur s u a nt t o 14 C. F .R. § 11.35 ( b )

, a s the mat e ri a ls contain c onfid e nt i a l c o m m e r c ial a nd/or

p r o p ri e t a r y info r mat i on that the Company h a s not a nd will not sh a re with o t h e rs. A ddi t ional l y , t h e se

do c u m e nts contain op e r a t i ng c ondi t ions and p r o ce du re s that a r e not g e n e r a l l y a v a i l a ble to the public a nd

a re pro t ec ted f

rom r e le a s e und e r the F r ee d o m of I n fo r mation A c t, 5 U.S. C

. § 552 e t seq.

1 T he te r m " Man u f

ac tu r e r 's Man ua l" a lso includ e s a ll r e lev a nt manu f ac tu r e r p ubli ca tions

, in c ludin g , but not

l i m i ted to: op e r a t i ons a n d f li g h t m a nu a ls

, us e r g ui d e s

, c ompon e n t m a int e n a n c e m a n u a ls

, pilo t tr a in i ng

man u a ls, s e rvi c e info r mation l e t t e rs a nd, s a f e t y /se r vi c e bul l e t i ns).U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

Aug 18 th , 2015

P a g e 2

T h is P e t i t i on is o r g a ni z e d a s follows:

I. P e ti t io n e r

II. D e s cr i p tion of P r o p os e d O p er a t io n s

A. A erial Sensor and Systems Research, Agriculture Systems Research, Precision

A griculture, and UAS Education.

II. R e levant Sta t u to r y Au t h o r ity

IV. Company’s P r o p osed UAS O p er a t io n s Mee t t h e R e qu ir e m e n ts of S ec ti o n 333 of t h e R e f o r m A c t

A. App r ov a l i s W a r

ra nted B a s e d on the UAS ' s S i z e

, W e i g ht, S p e e d, a nd Op e r a t i on a l C a p a bi l i t y

B

. App r ov a l i s W a r

ra nted B a s e d on the O p e r a t i on a l R e strictions S e t F o r th i n the Op e r a t i ons

Man u a l s

V. R e g u latio n s F r o m W h i c h Ex e m p tion i s Requested

A. 14 C. F .R. P a rt 21, Subp a rt H

– Air w o r th i n e ss C e r t ific a tes a nd 14 C. F .R. § 91.203 (a ) ( 1 )

B

. 14 C. F .R. P a rt 27 A irwo r th i n e ss S tand a rds: No r mal C a te g o r y Rotor c r a ft

C. 14 C. F .R. §§ 91.9 (c ), 45

. 23(b) a nd 45.27 ( a ): Ai r c r a ft M a rki n g a nd I d e nt i fi ca t i on Requir e m e nts

D. 14 C. F .R. § 91.405 (a ), 9 1.407 (a ) ( 1 ), 91

. 409(a) ( 1) a nd ( 2 ); 91.417 ( a ) a nd ( b ) : Mainten a n c e

I nspe c t i ons

E. 14 C. F .R. P a rt 61, 14 C. F .R. § 61.3, 14 C. F .R. § 61.113: P riv a te P i lot P rivile g e s and L i m i t a t i o n s

F

. 14 C. F .R. § 91.7 (a ): C i vil Air c r a ft Ai r wo r th i n e ss

G. 14 C. F .R. § 91.9 ( b ) (2 ) : C iv i l Air c r a ft F l i g ht Man u a l i n the A ir c r a ft a nd 14 C. F .R. § 91.203 (a )

a nd ( b ) : C a r r y

i n g Civ i l Air c raft Ce r t i fi ca t i on a nd R e g is t r a t i on

H. 14 C. F .R. § 91.103: P r e fli g ht A c t i on

I

. 14 C. F .R. § 91.109 (a ): F l i g ht I nstru c t i on

J

. 14 C. F .R. § 91.11 9 ( c ) : M in i mum S a fe Alt i tudes

K. 14 C. F .R. § 91.121: Al t i met e r Settin g s

L

. 14 C. F .R. § 91.151 (a ): Fuel R e quir e ments for F l i g ht i n V F R Condi t ions

VI. D r u g a n d Al c o h ol P r o g r a m

VII. P ub l i c I n t e re s t

VIII. P r iv a c y

IX. F e de r al R e gis t e r S u mm a r y

X. Concl u sionU.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

Aug 18 th , 2015

P a g e 3

I. D E SCRI P T I O N O F P ET I T I O NER

B a s e d in Solvang , California

, Michael R. Limotta & Co., Inc

, the (Company) since 1997, has been

supplying IT Services and automation solutions to SMB, Mid

- market and enterprise businesses primarily

focusing on Hospitality, Education and Brewery verticals. Existing relationships in agriculture (wine, crop

production in Santa Maria, Santa Ynez and the Solvang valleys) increasi ng automation opportunities in the

field of the grape Brewery industry. Historical experience in system design and data collection techniques

via probes and sensors with 3rd party software products , has helped the Company in creating a data

acquisition pla tform that includes UAS of varying sizes and typologies. Currently the Company is

developing a turn

- key Managed Agriculture Automation kit system and cloud based data storage services

system. Additionally, the Company created LEARNROBOTS.org a 501c3 to provide training and education self

sustained business providing mentor

- mentee matching, cloud based services and kit deliverables for STEM

- UAS

(hands

- on), STEM

- UAS Competition opportunities for pre

- teen and teen robotic sciences. The Company s ee ks an

e x e mp t ion to allow the Company to c om m e r c ial ly op e r a t e UAS to facilitate controlled flights for aerial

sensor research, precision agriculture research, UAS flight training and maintenance. Additionally will

provide for 14

- 21 young adult education in the fields of aerial robotic applications, gamification programs

and sharing services.

The c onta c t i n f

o rm a t i on f

o r Petitioner is as f

ol l o w s:

Michael R. Limotta & Co., Inc. DBA "LIMOTTAIT.com"

320 Alisal Road, #101

Solvang , CA 93463

888

- 884

- 6278

mlimotta@limottait.com

II. D E SCRI P T I O N O F P R O P O S E D O P E RAT I O N

Company s e e ks an e x e mp t ion pursu a nt t o S ec t i on 333 of the Re f o r m A c t t o op e r a te the DJI Phantom

II, S1000 also know n as

, ( LI

- UAS ) f o r the p r opos e d op e r a t i ons discuss e d b e low. All UAS ope ra t i ons will

oc c ur und e r ti g ht l y c ontroll e d c ondi t ions at locations wh e re Company h a s r e c e ived p e rmission t o op e r a te

f r om t he lando w n e r, c ontroll e r o r a uthori z e d r e p re s e ntativ e s

. The pro p osed UAS op e r a t i ons will be

c ondu c ted in a cc o r d a n c e with the c ondi t ions and lim i ta t ions of this P e t i t i on f o r E x e mp t ion and Company’s

Op e r a t i ons Man u a ls. As d e tailed in Company’s Op e r a t i ons Man u a ls, all UAS op e r a t i ons will be l i m i ted to

d a y t i me V F R c ondi t ion s , with i n visu a l l i ne

- o f

- s i g ht ( " V L OS " ) o f the op e r a tor and or (“VO”) visual

observers

, in uncont r ol l e d a irsp a c e

, a nd will o cc ur a t l ea st 5 nm a w a y f rom a n a irp o rt. Mo re ov e r,

Company’s O p e r a t i ons Manu a ls inco rpor a te r e dund a nt s a f e g u a rds to a ssu r e that the a ir c r a ft do e s not tr a v e l

ou t side the c ontroll e d are a o f UAS op e r a t i ons, in c lud i ng GPS "geo

- f e n c i ng" te c hnol o g ies.

A. A erial Sensor and Systems Research, Agriculture Systems Research, Precision

Agriculture, and UAS Education.U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

Aug 18 th , 2015

P a g e 4

Company s e e ks to use sm a ll UAS s for the pu rpose of c ondu c t i n g c om m e r c ially UAS for sensor and

systems aerial research, agriculture systems research, precision agriculture operations and UAS education

.

Additional l y, the Company h a s t a i l o re d i t s op e r a t i ons to m ee t t he re qui r e ments e stablished b y t h e F A A in

p r ior g ra nts of e x e mp t i on s a uthori z ing c om m e r c ial use o f UAS i n aerial research , agriculture, and

e ducation for UAS flight training, maintenance and industry application uses includi n g :

 Counsel for Mountain High Aviation, LLC ( E x e mp t ion No. 11581 )

 Soundview Aerial Photography ( E x e mp t ion No. 12189 )

 TRIMBLE NAVIGATION LTD ( E x e mp t ion No. 11110 )

 SkyWard IO, Inc. (Exemption No. 11521)

 Turin Aviation Group (Exemption No. 11895)

 Michael Baker International, LLC ( E x e mp t ion No. 11711 )

 M2 Flight Solutions, LLC (E x e mp t ion No. 11519 )

 B iz UAS Corp, ( E x e m pt i on No. 11351 )

All UAS a erial missions and op e r a t i ons will be conducted at approved p r op e r t y in a c ontrol l e d a re a

,

a w a y f r om sp ec tators a nd p e r s ons not invo l v e d. All UAS aerial missions and op e r a t i ons will be c ondu c ted

du r i n g d a y l i g h t hours , V F R c ondi t ions, a t alt i tudes b e low 40 0 ' A G L

. As s e t fo r th below, Company’s

op e r a t i ons pro v ide a sup e rior l e v e l of sa fe t y and quality compared to performing the same filming work

using conventional fixed

- wing aircraft or helicopters.

Company s e e ks to use sm a ll UAS s for the pu rpose of c ondu c t i n g controlled flights for aerial

sensor research, precision agriculture research, UAS flight training and maintenance. Additionally will

provide for 14

- 21 young adult education in the fields of aerial robotic applications, gamification programs

and sharing services. T r a di t ional methods of aerial research in e ducation for UAS flight training,

maintenance and industry ap plication use is extremely important for the national education of UAS and for

the gro wth and expansion of the UAS industry and the hundreds of UAS application uses. The growth of

the small UAS industry will ultimately reduce uncalled for r isk, physical h a rm, se r ious i nju r y and death

associated with the manned aircraft that currently perform and number of aerial tasks

. Further, the use of

traditional aircraft e x poses participants and pedestrians a r isk of d a n g e rous low level aircraft engine failure

making recovery or emergency landings as one of the extremes

. The use o f s m a ll UAS s m i t i g a tes th e se

h a z a rds a nd is ul t i m a te l y a much s a f e r m e thod of p e r f

o rming the s e and most all applications where the

need for ae ri a l operations are required

.

S mall UAS aerial research in e ducation for UAS flight training, maintenance and industry application

uses is much s a f

e r t h a n the use of tr a di t ional mann e d a ir c r a ft p e r f o rming the s a me fun c t i on. Conv e nt i on a l

ope ra t i ons us i ng roto rc r a ft a nd fi x e d

- wing a ir c r a ft i n low le v e l op e r a t i ons pr e s e nt risks a ssoci a ted w i t h

v e hicl e s w e i g hi n g thous a nds of po u nds a nd ca rr y i n g la r ge a moun t s of f

u e l. I t is i mport a nt t o note th a t t he

use o f sm a ll UAS in t his a re a will not on l y be sa f e r a nd mo r e c ost e f

f e c t i v e , but t he qu a l i t y of collected

data and in f

o r mation is f

a r sup e rio r

.U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

Aug 18 th , 2015

P a g e 5

S mall UAS aerial research in Education for UAS flight training, maintenance and industry application

uses is more r e l i a ble, a nd a l l ows f o r the c ol l ec t i on, diss e m i n a t i on, a nd sto r a g e o f visual a nd other senso r y

d a ta w i t h gr e a t e r p r ec is i o n a nd du ra t i on. S mall UAS s are a lso ca p a ble o f a c ce ss i n g a nd inspe c t ing a re a s

and many other tasks that wo u ld o t h e r w ise be in a cce ss i ble to humans or cannot be completed with

c onv e nt i on a l aircr a ft.

III. R ELE V ANT ST ATUT O RY AUT H O RI T Y

This P e t i t i on f

o r E x e mp t i on is submi t ted pu r suant to S ec t i on 333 (a ) th r o u gh ( c ) of the F AA

Mod e rni z a t i on a nd R e fo r m A c t of 2012 ( " R e fo r m A c t " ). Co n g r e ss h a s dir e c ted the F AA " to sa f e l y

a c ce le r a te the i nte g r a t i on of c iv i l un m a n n e d a ir c r a ft s y stems i nto t he n a t i on a l airsp a c e s y stem

. " P u r suant to

S e c t i on 333 of the Re f

o r m A c t, t he F AA Admin i str a tor is t o p e rmit unm a nn e d a ir c r a ft s y st e ms t o op e r a te in

the Na t i on a l Air Sp ac e (" N AS " ) wh e re it is s a f e to do so b a s e d on the f

ol l owi n g c onsid e r a t i ons:

● The UAS ' s s iz e , w e i g ht, spe e d a nd op e r a t i on a l c a p a bi l i t y ;

● Op e r a t i on of the UAS in close pro x i m i t y to ai rp o rts a nd populat e d a r ea s; a n d

● Op e r a t i on of the UAS with i n the visu a l l ine of sight of the op e r a tor.

Addit i on a l l y , the FAA A dm i nis t r a tor h a s ge ne r a l autho r i t y to g r a nt e x e mp t ions f r om t he a g e n c y 's

s a f e t y re g ulations a nd m i ni m um s t a nd a rds w h e n the A dm i nis t r a tor d ec ides a r e q u e sted e x e mp t ion i s in the

publ i c in t e r e st. S e e 49 U.S. C . § 106( f ) ( d e fini n g the a u t hori t y of the Admin i str a tor ) ; 49 U. S .C. § 44701 ( f)

( p e rmit t ing e x e mp t ions f

r om §§ 447 0 1 (a ), ( b ) a nd ;

§§ 44702

– 44716, e t se q

. ). A p a r t y r e qu e st i n g a n e x e mp t ion m ust e x p l a in the rea sons w h y the e x e mp t ion:

( 1) would b e n e fit the publ i c a s a w ho l e

, a nd ( 2 ) would not adv e rs e l y a f f ec t s a f e t y ( or how it would provide

a lev e l of s a f

e t y a t l ea st e q u a l t o the e x is t ing r ules )

. S e e 14 C. F .R. § 11.81 (p e t i t i ons for e x e mp t ion).

IV. Company’s P R O P O S E D UAS O P E RAT I O NS M EE T T H E R E Q UIR EME NTS O F SE CTI O N

333 O F T H E R E F O RM ACT

The small UAS op e r a t i ons p r opos e d b y Company i n th i s P e t i t i on for E x e m p t i on qu a l if y f o r

e x p e di t e d a ppro va l purs u a nt to S ec t i on 333 of the Re f o r m A c t a s e a c h of t h e st a tu t o r y c rite r i a a nd r e lev a nt

f ac tors a re s a t i sfi e d.

A. Ap p r oval i s Wa rr a n t e d Based on t h e UAS 's S i z e , W e ig h t, S p ee d , a n d O p er a t io n al Ca p a b i l ity

A G r a nt of E x e mp t ion i s ap p rop r iate for op e r a t i o n s co n du c ted usi n g the LI

- UAS UAS s due t o its si z e w e i g ht,

sp e e d, a nd op e r a t i on a l ca p a bi l i t y

.U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

Aug 18 th , 2015

P a g e 6

 T he LI

- UAS h a s b ee n a ppro ve d for u s e in prior S ec t i on 333 G ra nts of E x e mp t ion f r om t he F A A

. 2

 The LI

- UAS w ei g hs l e ss t h a n 5 5 pounds, in c lud i ng p a y load.

 The LI

- UAS will not be f lown a t a g r ound speed in e x ce ss of 50 knots.

 Alt i tude in f

o r mation wi l l be g e n e r a ted b y e quip m e nt onboa r d the U A a s s p ec ified using GPS

tria n g u l a t i on, di g i t a l l y e n c o d e d b a rom e tric a l t i m e te r

, ra dio a l t i m e te r , or a n y c omb i n a t i on the re o f

.

This i n f o r mation wi l l be t ra nsm i t t e d to t he pi l ot v i a tel e metric d a ta f e e d.

 The UAS s will h a ve s y stem r e dund a n c ies a nd in d e p e nd e nt fu n c t i on a l i t y to e nsure the ov e r a ll sa f e t y

a n d p re dict a bi l i t y of the s y stem. I f c onn e c t i on to t he re m ote c ontrol or g round c ontrol station is

l ost, f a i l s a fe s y stems wi l l pe r m i t t he UAS to r e turn to a p r e d e t e rmin e d loc a t i on a nd s a f e l y l a nd

without in j u r y o r d a m a g e

.

 The ra dio f

r e qu e n c ies u s e d for op e r a t i ons a nd c o n trol of the UAS c omp l y with t he Fe d e r a l

C om m unic a t i ons C om m is s ion ( " F CC " ) a n d other a ppro p ri a te g ov e rnm e nt ove r s i g ht a g e n c y

re qu i r e ments. The op e r a t i n g f r e qu e n c y for t he LI

- UAS is 2.4 G H z

.

I f the s a me o p e r a t i ons w e re c ond u c ted usi n g a h e l i c opte r , the a i r c raf t ' s tak e

- o f f w e i g ht would l i k e l y

e x cee d 6,0 0 0 pounds carrying a pilot, camera operator and VO

- visual observer

- navigator . The dif f e r e n c e

in w e i g ht betw e e n the LI

- UAS a nd a h e l i c opt e r si g n ific a nt l y r e du ce s t h e potential h a rm to the p a r t icip a t i ng

a nd no n

- p a rticip a t i ng ind i viduals or pro pe r t y in t he e v e nt o f a n a c c ident or incid e nt. I n a ddi t ion, t he r isk to

t he onbo a rd pilot a nd ca me r a op e r a tor is eli m inat e d.

______________________

2 S e e e .g

., G r a nt of E x e mp t ion t o Michael Baker International, LLC ( E x e mp t ion No. 11711 )

, M2 Flight Solutions, LLC (E x e mp t ion No. 11519 )

, Biz UAS Corp, ( E x e m pt i on No. 11351 )

.U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

Aug 18 th , 2015

P a g e 7

B. Ap p r oval i s Wa rr a n t e d B a s e d on t h e O p er a t io n al R e st r ic t io n s S e t F o r th in Company’s

O p er a t io n s M a nu a l s

Company’s O p e r a t i ons M a nu a l s a nd the M a nu f ac tu r e r ' s Manu a l f

o r the sel e c t e d UAS s will c ontain a ll

the p r o c e dures and l i m i tations n ece ss a r y to s a f e l y a nd s u cce s s f

ul l y p e r fo r m t h e op e r a t i ons spe c if i e d in t his

P e t i t i on f o r E x e mp t io n . To a s si s t t he F AA in m a king a sa f e t y a ssessment of Company’s p ropos e d

op e r a t i ons, b e low is a summa r y of o p e r a t ional l i m i tations a nd c ondi t ions that Company will a dh e re to, and

w h i c h will e nsure a n e q u i v a le n t or hi g h e r l e v e l of s a f e t y to ope r a t i ons c on d u c ted und e r c u r r e nt r e g u l a to r y

g ui d e l i n e s:

1. The UAS w e i g hs l e ss t h a n 5 5 pounds, ful l y load e d

.

2. All ope ra t i ons shall be c o ndu c ted ov e r p riv a te or c ontroll e d

- a c ce ss prop e r t y with p e rmission f r om t he

land o w n e r/ c ontroll e r o r a ut h o r i z e d r e p re s e ntative. P e rmission f r om l a nd own e r/ c ontroll e r o r

a uthori z e d r e p r e s e ntative w i l l be obtain e d for e ac h fl i g ht o p e r a t i on.

3. All UAS s op e r a ted und e r the G r a nt of E x e mp t ion wi l l be id e nt i fi e d b y s e ri a l numbe r

, r e g is t e r e d in

a cc o r d a n c e with 14 C F R p a r t 47, and h a ve identifi c a t i on ( N

- Numb e r) ma r ki n g s in acc o r d a n c e with 14

C F R p a rt 45, Subp a rt C. M a r kin g s will be a s la r g e a s pr a c t ic a ble.

4. Mini m um c re w f

or e ac h fli g ht op e r a t i on will c onsist of a pi l ot, who will be P i l o t

- in C om m a nd

( " P I C " ) o f the UAS

, a nd one o r mo r e Visu a l Obs e rvers ( " Obs e rv e r " ) a s ne c e s s a r y to sa f e l y c o ndu c t

t he m i ss i on.

5. P I Cs shall poss e ss at le a s t a Sport P i lo t ' s C e rtifi c a te a nd c u rre nt C lass I II Medi ca l C e rtifi ca t e and/or

a valid state driver’s license

. The P I C will a lso m ee t t he f l i g ht r e vi e w re qui r e ments spe c ified in 14

C

. F .R 61

. 56 in an a ir c r a ft in which the P I C is r a ted on his or h e r pi l ot c e rtifi ca te.

6. The UA shall be o p e r a t e d with i n V L OS of the P IC a nd Obs e rver a t all t i m e s. The P I C must use

h uman vision un a ided b y a n y d e v i c e other t h a n c o r r e c t i ve l e n s e s, as spe c ified on the P I C ' s F AA

is s u e d medi c a l c e rti f

ic a te.

7. The P I

C a nd Obs e r v e r desi g n a t e d for a n y o p e r a t i o n will be a ble to c om m unic a te v e rb a l l y a t all t i m e s.

8. Ele c tronic mess a g i n g or t e x t i ng will not be p e rmit t e d du r ing fli g ht o p e r a t i o ns.

9. The a ddi t ional re qui r e m e nts i d e nt i fi e d in t he G ra n t of E x e mp t ion shall be a dd e d to t he Company’s

O p e r a t i o ns Man ua l s.U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

Aug 18 th , 2015

P a g e 8

The Op e r a t i ons Man ua l s will be maintain e d a nd made a v a i l a ble to the Admin i str a tor upon re q u e st. I f a

disc r e p a n c y e x is t s b e tw ee n the c ondi t ions and lim i tations in the G r a nt of E x e mp t ion a nd Company’s

Op e r a t i ons Man u a l s, the c ondi t ions and lim i tatio n s in t he G ra nt of E x e mp t ion shall t a ke pre ce d e n c e a n d must

be f ol l ow e d. Oth e r w ise, Company shall follow the p r o ce du r e s outl i n e d in t h e ir Op e r a t i ons Man ua ls.

10. Company m a y u pd a te or r evis e it s O p e ra tio ns M a n u a ls

. R e vision s w il l b e t r a c k e d a n d a r e vi s e d

c o p y of the M a n u a l w il l be p r ovi d e d to th e A dminist r a to r upo n re q u e st

. Company w il l a ls o p re s e n t a n u pd a t e d

a n d r e vis e d O p e r a

tion s M a n u a l s i f i t p e tition s f o r e x t e nsio n o r a m e nd m e n t t o it s G r a n t of E x e mption

. I f a n

up d a t e or r e vis i on would a f f ec t t he b a sis upon whi c h the F A A g ra nts t he e x e mp t ion, Company will se e k a n

a m e ndment to i ts Gr a nt of Ex e mp t ion. Company will c o nta c t the F A A ’s UAS I nt e g r a t i on O f fi c e ( A F S

- 80) if

q u e st i ons a rise r e g a rdi n g u pd a tes or re vis i ons to the op e r a t i ng do c u m e nts.

11. Company’s O p e ra t i on s M a n u a l s a nd it s G r a n t o f E x e mptio n w il l be a v a i l a bl e to th e

P I C a t the g r o un d c on t r o l st a tio n a n y tim e t h e UAS is op e ra ti n g

.

12. The P I

C is prohib i ted f

r o m be g inn i n g a UAS f

l i g ht un l e ss ( c onsid e r i ng wind a nd f o re ca st w ea th e r

c ondi t ions) the r e is en o u g h po w e r to f l y to t he f i rst in t e nd e d point of l a nding, and a ssu m ing n o rm a l c r uis i ng

spe e d, to f

l y a ft e r t h a t for a t l ea st 10 m i nute s

.

13. Ma x i m um to t a l fli g ht t i m e f or e ac h o p e r a t i on a l fl i g ht usi n g the LI

- UAS will be l i m i ted to 40

m i nutes or the a mount of time the UAS ca n be flo w n a nd s t i ll maintain a re s e rve b a t ter y po w e r of no less

than 25 % , whi c h e v e r oc c u r s fi r s t

.

14. F l i g hts will be op e r a ted a t an a l t i t ude of no more t h a n 400 fee t A G L a nd w i ll n e v e r e n t e r n a v i g a ble

c o ntroll e d a irsp a c e without prior w r i t ten a uthori z a t i on a nd a ppro va l f r om t he F A A. I n the e v e nt t he str u c ture

b e ing insp e c ted e x cee ds 400 f e e t A G L

, t h e UAS will not be oper a ted m o re th a n 100 fee t abo v e the h i g h e st

point on the stru c tur e

, a n d no more than 50 f e e t h o r i z ontal l y f

r om t he s t ructur e

.

15. F l i g ht op e r a t i ons must be c ondu c ted a t le a st 500 fe e t f r om all nonpa r t i c ipat i ng p e rsons. ( p e rsons

oth e r t h a n the P I

C, V O, op e r a t o r t ra ine e s o r e ssential p er sonnel ), v e ssels, v e hicl e s, and st r u c tur e s unl e ss:

a

. B a rri e rs or str u c tur e s a re p re s e nt t h a t suf f ic i e nt l y p rot ec t nonpa r t i c i p a t i ng p e rsons f rom the U A

a n d /or d e b r is i n the e v e nt of a n a c c ident. The op e r a tor must e nsu r e that nonp a rti c ipating

p e rsons re main und e r s u c h p r ote c t i on. I f a si t u a t i on a ris e s wh e re nonp a rticip a t i ng p e rsons l e a ve

such p r ote c t i on a nd a re with i n 500 fee t of the U A

, f l i g h t ope ra t i ons must c ea se i m medi a te l y

a nd/or;U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

Aug 18 th , 2015

P a g e 9

b. The a ir c r a ft is op e r a ted n ea r v e s s e ls, vehi c les or s t ru c tur e s w h e re t h e own e r/ c ontroll e r o f su c h

v e ssels, v e hicl e s or str u c tur e s has g r a nted p e rmission and the P I C h a s made a s a f e t y a s s e ss m e nt

of the r isk of op e r a t i n g c loser to t hose obje c ts and d e t e rmin e d that it do e s not pr e s e nt an undue

h a z a rd, a nd;

c

. Op e r a t i ons n e a rer to the P I C, V O , op e r a tor t r a in e e s or e ssential p e rsons do not pr e s e nt an

undue h a z a rd to those p e rsons p e r § 91.119 (a ).

16. The UA m a y not be o p e r a ted l e ss t h a n 500 f e e t b e low or less than 2,000 f e e t hori z ontal l y f

r om a

c loud or w h e n vis i bi l i t y is l e ss t h a n 3 st a tu t e m i les f rom the P I C.

17. The UA m a y not op e r a te with i n 5 m iles of a n a irpo r t re fer e n c e point a s de n o t e d on a c u rr e nt F A A

publ i shed a e ron a

ut i ca l c h a rt unless a letter of a g r ee ment with that a irpo r t’s man a g e ment is obtain e d, a nd the

op e r a t i o n is condu c ted in a c c o r d a n c e with a N OT A M as r e qui r e d b y t h e Company COA. The letter of

a g re e ment with the a irpo r t m a n a g e ment will be made a v a i l a ble to the A dm i nis t r a tor upon r e qu e st.

18. P rior to e ac h fl i g ht t he P IC sh a ll inspe c t t he UAS to con f irm th a t i t i s in a c ondi t ion sa f e f or fli g ht.

The pr e

- fli g ht i nsp e c t i on will acc ount for a ll disc re p a n c ies, e .g. inop e r a ble c omponents, items, or e quip m e nt,

not a lr e a d y c ov e r e d in t he r e le v a nt s e c t i ons of the op e r a t i n g d o c uments. The P I C s h a ll not op e r a te the UAS

if the i n spe c t i on r e v e a ls a c ondi t i on that a f f e c ts t he sa f

e op e r a t i on of the UAS un t il the n ece ssa r y

m a in t e n a n c e h a s b e e n p e r f o r med a nd the UAS is found to be in a c ondi t ion for sa f e f l i g ht. The g r ound

c ontrol s t a t i o n shall be includ e d in t he preflight ins p ec t i on. All m a in t e n a n c e a nd a l t e r n a t i ons must be

p r op e r l y do c umen t e d in t he UAS r e c o r ds a s r e qui r e d b y Company’s Op e r a t i ons Man ua l s

.

19. Company students will learn to will c a r r y out i ts m a in t e n a n ce , insp e c t i ons, a nd r e c o rd ke e ping

r e quir e ments in a cc o r d a n c e with t he Op e r a t i ons Ma n u a ls. M a in t e n a n ce , inspe c t i on, a nd a l t e r a t i ons will be

not e d in t he UAS rec o r ds, in c lud i n g to t a l t i m e in se r vic e , d e s c ription of wo r k a c c omp l ished, a nd the

si g n a tu r e of the a uthori z e d p e rson re turni n g the UAS to se r vic e

.

20. A n y UAS that h a s un d e r g one m a in t e n a n c e or a l t e r a t i ons that a f f ec t t h e UAS op e r a t i on or fl i g ht

c h a r a c te r is t ics ( e .g

., r e p l ace m e n t of a fli g ht c ritic a l c om p on e nt) must und e r g o a fun c t i o n a l test fli g ht in

a cc o r d a n c e with Company O p e r a t i ons Man ua l s

. The P I C who c ondu c ts the fun c t i on a l test fli g ht must make a n

e nt r y i n th e UAS a ir c raft r e c o rds of the fli g ht. The r e qui r e men t s a n d p r o ce du r e s f o r a f u n c tion a l test fli g ht a nd

UAS r e c o r d e nt r y shall be includ e d in the Company’s O p e r a t i ons Man ua l s

.U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

Aug 18 th , 2015

P a g e 10

21. The UAS will be op e r a t e d a nd maintain e d a cc o r d i ng to t he Ma n u f a c tu r e r ' s

Man ua ls and a n y r e quir e d manu fac tu r e r Sa f e t y / Se rvi c e B ul l e t i ns.

22. P rior to t he op e r a t i on, a Miss i on P ac k e t wi l l be c r ea ted in a cc o r d a n c e with t he r e quir e ments on

Company’s Op e r a t i ons Manu a ls.

23. Company will learn how to obtain a n A i r T r a f fic O r gani z a t i on ("AT O ") issu e d Ce r t i fi c a te of

W a iver or A uthori z a t i on, othe r wise known a s a CO A , prior to condu c t i n g a n y op e r a t i ons und e r this G ra nt of

E x e mp t ion. A N OT A M will be issued a s r e quir e d b y the CO A

. All ope ra t i ons will be c ondu c ted in

acc o r d a n c e with a irsp a c e r e quir e ments in the A T O is s u e d COA in c lud i ng c l a ss of a irsp a ce

, a l t i t ude l e v e l a nd

potential tr a nspond e r re quir e ments.

24. All r e quir e d p e rmissions and p e rmits will be obtain e d f r om t e r ritori a l, s t a t e

, c oun t y or c i t y

j u risdictions, including loc a l la w e n f o rce m e nt, fire or ot h e r a ppro p ri a te g o v e rnm e nt a l ag e n c ies.

25. I f the UAS l oses c om m u nic a t i on with t he pi l ot, i t will h a ve the ca p a bi l i t y t o r e turn to a p r e

d e t e rmin e d loc a t i on with i n the op e r a t i on a l a r e a a nd land s a f e l y

.

26. Cont i n g e n c y plans w i l l b e in p l a c e to s a f e l y te r m i n a te f

l i g ht i f t h e re is a lo s s of c om m unic a t i on

b e tw ee n the P I

C a nd the Obs e r v e r

.

27. The UAS will h a ve the c a p a bi l i t y to sa f e l y a bort f

l i g ht i n the ca se o f un p redict e d obst ac les or

e m e r g e n c ie s

.

28. PICs and Observers will have at least a current Class III Medical Certificate or a valid state

driver’s license.

29. Prior to conducting operations for filming, the PIC will have accumulated and logged, in a

manner consistent with 14 CFR § 61.51(b), a minimum of 200 flight cycles and 25 hours total time as a

UAS rotorcraft pilot and at least 10 hours logged as a UAS pilot with a similar UAS type.

30. Prior to conducting operations for filming, th e PIC will have accumulated and logged, in a

manner consistent with 14 CFR § 61.51(b), a minimum of 54 CFR § 61.51(b), a minimum of hours as UAS

pilot operating the make and model of UAS to be utilized for operations under the exemption and three

take

- offs and three landing in the preceding 90 days.U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

Aug 18 th , 2015

P a g e 11

31. Op e r a t i ons shall oc c u r d u r ing d a y t i me V F R Met e o r olo g i c a l C ondi t ions; f l i g hts und e r S p ec i a l

V i sual F l i g h t R ul e s ( " S V F R") sh a ll n o t be c ondu c ted.

32. The UA shall r e main c l e a r a nd y ield the ri g ht of w a y to all o t h e r m a nn e d op e r a t i ons a nd a c t i vi t ies

a t all t i m e s (in c lu d in g

, b ut not l i m i ted to, u l t r a l i ght v e hicl e s, pa r ac hute ac t i vi t ies, p a r a s a i l i n g ac t i vi t ie s , h a ng

g l i d e rs, e tc. )

.

33. UAS Op e r a t i ons und e r Instr u ment F l i g ht R ules, a t n i g ht, or b e y ond V L OS a re p r ohib i ted.

34. The UAS will not be op e r a ted f rom a n e lev a ted pl a tfo r m or mov i ng d e v i ce / v e hicl e

.

35. B e f

o re c ond u c t i ng o p e r a t i ons, the ra dio f re q u e n c y spe c trum used f o r op e r a t i on a nd c ontrol of the

U A w i ll c omp l y with t he F e d e r a l C om m unic a t i ons C o m m i ss i on ( F CC) or other a ppro p r i a te g o v e rnm e nt

ov e rsi g ht a g e n c y r e quir e m e nts.

V. R E G ULATI O NS F R O M W H ICH E X EM P T I O N IS R E Q UES TE D

The Fe d e r a l Aviation A c t e x p re ss l y g r a nts t he F A A the a uthori t y to i ssue e x e mp t ions. This statuto r y

a uthori t y

, b y i t s te r ms, i n c ludes e x e mp t ing c iv i l air c r a ft, a s t he te r m i s de f ined und e r § 40101 of the A c t

, including UAS s, f

r om i t s sa fe t y r e g u l a t i ons a nd m i ni m um s t a nd a rds wh e n the A dm i nis t r a tor d ec ides a

r e qu e sted e x e mp t ion i s in t he publ i c in t e r e st

. 3

Company s e e ks an e x e mp t ion f r om sev e r a l i nte r r e la t e d pr o vis i ons of T i t le 14 of the Code of Fe d e r a l

Re g ula t ions ( "14 C

. F .R " ) Pa r ts 21, 45, 61 a nd 91 f or pur p o s e s o f c ondu c t i n g the r e qu e sted o p e r a t i ons us i ng a

UAS

. L is t e d b e low a r e : ( 1) the s p ec ific s ec t i o ns of 14 C. F .R f or whi c h e x e mp t ion i s sou g ht, and ( 2) the

op e r a t i n g p r o ce du r e s and s a fe g u a r d s that P e t i t i o n e r h a s e stablished whi c h will e n sure a le v e l of s a f e t y b e t t e r

th a n or e qu a l t o the r u l e s f r om which e x e mp t ion i s sou g ht

. 4

_________________________________________

3 49 U.S. C . § 44701 ( f) (a

u thori z ing the g ra nt of e x e mp t ions f r om r e quir e me n ts of r e g ulations p re s c rib e d

p u rsu a nt t o Se c t i ons 44701( a ) a nd (b) a nd S ec t i ons 44702

- 44716 )

.

4 14 C. F .R § 11.81 (e ), w h ich re quir e s a p e t i t i on f o r e x e mp t ion t o inclu d e:

The r e a sons w h y gr a nt i n g the e x e mp t ion would not a dv e rs e l y a f f e c t s a f e t y

, or how the e x e mp t ion would

p r ovide a lev e l o f s a f

e t y a t l e a st e qu a l to that p r ovided b y t h e rule f rom w hich y ou s ee k e x e mp t ion.U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

Aug 18 th , 2015

P a g e 12

UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEM

A. 14 C. F

. R. P a r t 21, Subp a r t H

– Ai r w o r thi n e ss C er ti f ica te s a n d 14 C

. F

. R. § 91.203 ( a ) (1)

The F A A h a s s t a ted th a t no e x e mp t ion i s ne e d e d f r om t his s ec t i on if a f

ind i ng is m a de und e r the

R e f o rm Ac t t h a t t he UAS sel ec ted p r ov i d e s an e quival e nt l e v e l of sa fe t y wh e n c ompa re d to a i r c r a ft no r mal l y

used f o r the same a ppl i ca t i on. Th e se c rite r i a a re m e t, and the re fo r e no e x e mp t ion i s ne e d e d

. 5 I f, ho we v e r,

t h e F AA d e te r m i n e s that t h e re a re some c h a ra c te r is t ics of the c h o s e n UAS that fa il to m ee t the re quir e m e nts

of the R e fo r m A c t, an e x e mp t ion i s r e qu e sted.

Eq u ival e n t Le v e l of Sa

f e ty

Company’s use o f the LI

- UAS i s s af e w h e n taki n g in t o acc ount their si z e , w e i g ht, sp ee d, a nd

op e r a t i on a l c a p a bi l i t y

. A s set f o r th i n the d e s c ript i on of pro p osed op e r a t i ons in S ec t i on I V ( A), the LI

UAS w e i g hs l e ss t h a n 5 5 pou n ds, in c lud i ng p a y load a n d will not be f

lown a t a g r ound sp ee d in e x ce ss

of 50 knots. UAS i s a lso e quipped w i t h s a f e t y fe a tur e s that will allow P e t i t i on e r to op e r a te the UAS

sa f e l y a ft e r e x p e ri e n c e c e rt a in i n

- fli g ht conti n g e n c ies or f a i l u re s

. 6

, 7

5 S e e G r a nt of E x e mp t ion No. 11062 to Astr a e us A e r i a l ( F A A

- 201 4

- 0352 a t p g s. 1 3

- 14, 2 2 ).

6 S e e e .g

., G r a nt of E x e mp t ion No. 11184 to L o w Count r y RC, Corp. (F A A

- 2014

- 0803 a t p g . 3):

" The [ D J I S 1000] h a s the ca p a bi l i t y to op e r a te s a f e l y a f t e r e x p e ri e n c i n g ce r tain i n

- fli g ht c ont i n g e n c ies o r

f a i l u re s a nd uses a n a ut o

- pi l ot s y stem to mainta i n UAS stabili t y a nd c ontrol. The UAS is a lso a ble to r e spond

to a loss of g lobal pos i t i oning s y stem ( G PS ) or a los t

- l i nk e v e nt with a p r e

- c oo r dinat e d, p re dict a ble,

a u t omat e d fli g ht man e u v e r, a nd m a nu a l fli g ht c ontrol fun c t i on a l i t y a s a b a c kup. Th e s e s a f e t y f e a tu r e s

p r ovide a n e q u ival e nt lev e l of s a f e t y c ompa re d to a mann e d a ir c r a ft p e r f o r m i n g a si m i l a r oper a t i on."

7 S e e e .g

., G r a nt of E x e mp t ion No. 11184 to VD O S Glob a l, LL C. ( F A A

- 2 0 1 4

- 0382 a t p g s. 4

- 5 ) :

" The LI

- UAS with upgrades ca n be o p e r a ted e nt i r e l y b y a touc h

- s c r ee n, ma p

- b a s e d i nte r fa ce

. This me a ns

the op e r a tor on l y n e e ds to c om m a nd the s y stem w h e re to g o, a nd the s y stem do e s all the f l y i n g for the

op e r a t o r. T he LI

- UAS c a n b e op e r a ted in bo t h s e mi a nd ful l y a utono m ous fli g ht mode s

. I n a d di t ion, the LI

UAS with upgrades comes with pre

- programmed no f l y z on e s the UAS c a nnot e n t e r a r ea s.

{footnote continued}U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

Aug 18 th , 2015

P a g e 13

Addit i on a l l y , the UAS s c a r r y n e i t h e r pilots nor p a sseng e rs, c a rr y no e x plo s ive m a te r ials or fl a m m a ble

liqu i d fu e ls, a nd op e r a te e x c lus i v e l y w i t hin t he p a r a met e rs st a t e d in Company’s Op e r a t i ons Man u a ls.

Op e r a t i ons c ond u c ted u n d e r this e x e m pt i on will b e c lose l y c ontroll e d a nd mon i tor e d b y the op e r a tor

a nd will be c ondu c ted in c omp l ian c e with l o ca l pub l ic s a f e t y r e quir e ments, to p r ovide s ec u r i t y f o r the a r e a of

o p e r a t i on. Company will a lso provide the F A A w i t h a dv a n c e not i c e of a ll op e r a t i o n s via N O TAMs a s

r e quir e d b y the a ppl i ca ble CO A

. In a ll ca s e s, op e r a t i on of the LI

- UAS und e r the pro p osed c ondi t ions will be

a t l ea st as s a f

e a s, or s a f

e r th a n, c onv e nt i on a l r otor c r a ft o p e r a t i n g with a n a irwo r th i n e ss c e rtifi ca t e

.

L a st l y , the UAS s do not ne e d a m e a ns to c om m unic a te w i t h other a i r c r a ft o r A TC, b eca use tho s e

ca p a bi l i t ies w i l l be poss e ssed b y t h e P I C a nd Obs e r v e r, w ho a re not onbo a rd the UAS

. 8 I n a ddi t ion, no

s e ns e

- a nd

- a void t ec hnol o g y is ne ce ssa r y for the UAS s b eca use t h e y will be op e r a t e d a t all t i m e s in V F R

c ondi t ions and w i th i n V L OS of the P I C a n d Op e r a tor

. 9

B

. 14 C. F

. R. P a r t 27 Ai r w o r thi n e ss S tan d a r d s: N o r m al Ca te g o r y Ro t o r c r a f t

Tit l e 14 C. F .R. P a rt 27 s e ts fo r th t he pro c e d u r a l r e quir e ments for a i r wo r th i n e ss ce rtifi c a t i on of

norm a l c a te g o r y roto r c r a ft. To the e x tent that Company’s s sm a ll UAS s would othe r wise r e q uire

c e rtifi c a t i on und e r Pa r t 27, P e t i t i on e r s ee ks an e x e mp t ion f r om P a rt 2 7 ' s airworthiness standards for

the same reasons identified in the request for exemption from 14 C.F.R. Part 21, Subpart H, supra

.

{ c ont i nu e d from pre v ious pag e }

deemed unsafe or unnecessary to fly over. The p e t i t i on e r stat e s fu r ther t h a t the UAS h a s bui lt

- in in t e l l i g e nt

f a ult h a ndl i ng whi c h a l l ows the LI

- UAS to d e te c t a s y stem f a ult while in t h e a i r a n d a uto m a t i ca l l y f l y b ac k

to i t s tak e o f

f lo c a t i on a nd land. Fa ul t s that ca n be d e t e c t e d includ e : lo s s of c om m u nic a t i on; e x cee ding p re

s e t wind thr e sholds; and low b a t ter y le v e ls.

All fli g ht op e r a t i ons a re g lobal posit i oning s y st e m ( G PS ) c ontroll e d, m a king the s y stem ea s y to n a v i g a te.

At a n y point if t h e op e r a t or is not e x pl i c i t l y c om m a nding the s y stem t o move, the s y stem a uto m a t i ca l l y

holds i t s G P S posi t ion. The fli g ht c ontrol s y s t e m e mp l o y s n ot on l y GPS posit i oning but a v a ri e t y of s e nsors

i n c lud i ng sona r

, b a rom e tr i c p re ssu r e

, temp e r a tu r e

, wind speed a nd othe r s to e nsure stabi li ty s o long a s wind

thr e s h olds a re not e x cee d e d. Also a fli g ht t e rmin a t i on l i nk

– to p re v e nt a ' f l y a w a y ' or other po t e nt i a l l y

d a n g e rous situ a t i on

– is av a i l a ble to the op e r a tor

. "

8 S e e G r a nt of E x e mp t ion No. 11062 to Astr a e us A e ri a l ( F A A

- 201 4

- 0352 a t p g . 13).

9 Id.U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

Aug 18 th , 2015

P a g e 14

C. 14 C. F

. R. §§ 91.9 ( c ), 45

. 23(b) and 45.27 ( a ) : A ir c r a f t M a r k i n g a n d I d e n ti f

ica t ion R e q u ir eme n ts

Company s e e ks an e x e mp t ion f r om t he a ir c r a ft m a r k ing a nd identifi c a t i on r e q uir e ments c ontain e d in

14 C. F .R. § § 91.9 (c ), 45

. 23( b ) a nd 4 5.27 (a ).

● 14 C. F .R. § 91.9 (c ), Civ i l Air c r a ft F l i g ht M a nu a l, Ma r king a nd P la c a rd re q uir e ments, p r ovides th a t:

No p e rson m a y op e r a te a U.S

. - re g is t e r e d c iv i l aircr a ft unless that a ir c r a ft is identifi e d in

a cc o r d a n c e with Pa rt 45 of th i s ch a pte r

.

● 14 C. F .R. § 45.23 ( b ) , M a rkin g s of t h e Aircr a ft, st a tes:

W h e n ma r ks include only the Roman c a pi t a l lett e r " N " a nd the re g is tr a t i on number is

d i spl a y e d on l i m i ted, re strict e d or li g h t

- sport ca t e g o r y a i r c raft or e x p e rime n tal or

p r ovis i o n a l l y c e rtifi ca ted a i r c raf t

, the op e r a tor must a lso disp la y o n that a ir c raft n ea r e a c h

e ntr a n c e to the ca bin, c o c kpi t

, or pi l ot station, in lette r s not less than 2 inch e s nor mo r e

than 6 inch e s h i g h, the wo r ds " l i m i ted," " r e stric t e d," " l i g h t

- sp o rt, " e x p e r i ment a l," or

" p rovisional," a s ap p l i ca ble.

● 14 C. F .R. § 45.27 (a ), Ro t o rc raft, stat e s:

E ac h o p e r a tor of a rot o rcr a ft must disp l a y on that r otor c raft hori z ontal l y on both sur f a ce s o f

the c a bin, fus e l a g e

, boom, o r ta i l the ma r ks r e quir e d b y § 45.23.

I n a pr e v i ous G r a nt of E x e mp t ion, t he F AA d e t e r m i n e d that e x e mp t ion f r om t h e se r e quir e ments w a s

w a r ra n ted p r ovided th a t t he a i r c r a ft " h a ve i d e nt i fi ca t i on ( N

- Numb e r ) m a rki n g s in a cc o r d a n c e with 14 C

. F .R

P a rt 45, Subp a rt C i f the ma r kin g s a re a s la r ge a s pr ac t ic a ble

. " 10

Eq u ival e n t Le v e l of Sa

f e ty

All UA f lown b y Company will b ea r N

- numb e r m a r kin g s that a r e a s l a r g e a s p rac t i ca b l e in

acc o r d a n c e with 14 C

. F

. R. P a rt 45, Subp a rt C

. 11

__________________________

1 0 F AA D o c k e t No. F AA

- 2 014

- 0352.

1 1 S ee

, e .g., F AA D o c k e t N o. F AA

- 201 4

- 0352, a t 1 4

.U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

Aug 18 th , 2015

P a g e 15

D. 14 C. F

. R. § 91.405 ( a )

, 9 1.407 ( a ) (1 ) , 91.40 9 (a ) (1) a n d ( 2 ) ; 91. 4 17(a) a n d ( b ): M ai n t e n a n c e

I n s p ec tions

Company s e e ks an e x e mp t ion f r om t he mainten a n c e inspe c t i on r e quir e ments c ontain e d in

14 C. F .R. § 91.405 (a ), 9 1.407 (a ) ( 1 ), 91

. 409(a) ( 2 ) ; 91.417( a ) a nd (b ) . Th e s e r e g ulations spe c i f y mainten a n c e

a nd insp ec t i on st a nd a rds in r e f e r e n c e to 14 C

. F .R. P a rt 43. S ee

, e .g., 14 C. F .R. § 91.405 (a ) ( stati n g that ea c h

own e r o r op e r a tor of a n a ir c r a ft " sh a ll h a ve t h e a ir c r a ft insp e c ted a s p re s c rib e d in sub p a rt E o f this pa r t and

sh a ll b e t w ee n r e qu i r e d insp ec t i ons ...h a ve disc r e p a n c i e s r e p a i r e d a s p r e s c rib e d in p a rt 43 of th i s ch a pt e r" )

.

An e x e mp t ion f

r om t h e se r e g ulations is n ee d e d b eca u s e P a rt 43 a nd these se c t i ons on l y a p p l y to ai r c r a ft with

an a i r wo r th i n e ss c e rtifi c a te, whi c h the UAS t o be op e r a ted und e r this g r a nt of e x e mp t ion wi l l not h a v e

.

Eq u ival e n t Le v e l of Sa

f e ty

An e quival e nt l e v e l of s a f e t y will be ac hie v e d b ec a use m a in t e n a n c e a nd in s p ec t i ons will be p e r f o rm e d

in a c c o r d a n c e with t he Man u f ac tu r e r ' s Manu a l a nd a n y r e q u ir e d manu f a c tur e r S a f

e t y o r Se r vi c e B ul l e t i ns.

F u r the r

, a s r e qui r e d b y Company’s O p e r a t i ons Man ua l s, the P I C will c ondu c t a p r e

- fl i g ht i nspe c t i on of the

UAS and a ll a ssoci a ted e quip m e nt t o acc ount f o r a ll disc re p a n c ies a nd/or ino p e r a ble c omponents.

Ma i nten a n c e will be p e r f o rm e d a nd v e r i fi e d to a ddr e ss a n y c ondi t ions po t e nt i a l l y a f f e c t i n g s a fe o p e r a t i on of

the UAS and no fli g hts will o cc ur unless, a nd unt il

, a ll f l i g h t c r i t ic a l compon e nts of t he UAS h a ve b ee n

fo u nd to be a irwo r t h y a nd in a c ondi t ion sa f e f o r o p e r a t i on. A f

u n c t i on a l t e st fl i g ht wi l l be c ondu c t e d

f ol l owing the

r e pla c e ment of a n y fli g h t

- c ritic a l compon e nts. As r e quir e d b y Company’s O p e r a t i ons Manu a l s, the P I C who

c ond u c ts t he f

u n c t i on a l t e st fl i g ht wi l l m a ke a n e nt r y in t he UAS a ir c r a ft r e c o r ds of the fli g ht.

Company’s O p e r a t i ons M a nu a l also in c ludes re qu i r e ments to follow the m a n u fac tu r e r ’ s UAS

a ir c r a ft/compon e nt, mainten a n ce , o v e rh a ul, r e pla ce m e nt, i nspe c t i on, a nd l i fe l i m i t r e quir e ments f o r the

f ol l owing a ppl ic a ble c omp o n e nts: pow e rt ra in s y stem ( pow e rpl a nt), p r op e l l e rs, a vion i c s a nd c ontrol sur fa c e s

(in c lud i n g a i le rons/ e levons ) , str u c tur e s & a ir f r a me, ca me r a s y s t e m, el ec tr i ca l s y stems (in c lud i n g b a t te ri e s),

g round c on t rol station, ha z a rd ac c e ssori e s, and s p a re p a rts. F u r the r

, Company’s O p e r a t i ons Manu a l s a lso

i n c ludes p r o c e dur e s to do c ument a nd maintain a rec o r d o f the UAS main t e n a n c e , pr e v e ntative m a i nten a n ce

,

a l t e r a t i ons, status of re pla c e ment /o v e rh a ul compon e nt p a rts, a nd the total t i me in s e rv i c e of the UAS s us e d

und e r this G ra nt of E x e mp t ion. As a whol e

, the m a in t e n a n c e a nd insp ec t i o n pr oce du r e s r e qu i r e d in

Company’s Op e r a t i ons Man ua l s e nsure t h a t an e quival e nt or hi g h e r l e v e l of s a f e t y will be ac hiev e d.U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

Aug 18 th , 2015

P a g e 16 P I L O T

- I N

- C O MM AND O F T H E UAS

E

. 14 C. F

. R. § 61.113: P r i vate P i l ot P r iv i leg e s a n d Li m ita t io n s

Company s e e ks e x e mp t ion f r om 14 C F R § 61.113, w h ich re stricts priv a t e pi l ot c e rtifi ca te holde r s

f r om f l y i n g a i r c r a ft f

or c om p e nsation or h ir e

, a nd would a lso r e quire a s e c ond c lass medi ca l c e rtifi ca te. T h e

purp o se of P a rt 61 is t o e nsure that the skill and c ompet e n c y of a n y P I C mat c h e s the a irs p ac e in whi c h the

P I C will be o p e r a t i n g

, a s w e ll a s r e quir i ng c e rtifi c a t i ons if the p r ivate pi l ot i s c a r r y i n g p a sse n g e rs o r c ar g o for

hi re

. I n th i s c a s e

, while the UAS s will be op e r a ted a s pa r t of a c o m me rc ial op e r a t i on, it ca r r i e s neither

p a s s e n g e rs n o r ca r g o. I n t h e G r a nt of E x e mp t ion t o Astr ae us A e ri a l 12 , the F AA d e t e r m ined th a t t he unique

c h ar ac te r is t ics of UAS op e r a t i on outside of c on t roll e d a irsp a c e did not w a rra nt t he a ddi t ion cost a nd

r e strictions a t t e nd a nt wi t h r e quiri n g a the P I C to ha v e a Co m me rc ial P i l ot C e rtifi ca te a nd C l a ss II Me d i c a l

C e rtifi ca te. T he ful f

i l l m e nt of the a ddi t ional re q u ir e ments for a p riv a te pi l ot t o b ec ome qu a l i fi e d a s a

c om m e r c ial pi l ot would not le a d to a n y a ddi t ional s a f e t y b e n e fits wh e n UAS op e r a t i ons a r e invo l v e d.

Eq u ivale n t Le v e l of Sa

f e ty

The re strictions Company h a s pl ace d on i t s UAS o p e r a t i ons m ee t or e x cee d t he re strictions si m i l a r l y

i m posed on Astr ae us A e ri a l. Company w i ll op e r a te on p r iva t e pro p e r t y a w a y f r om p e rsons a nd p r o p e r t y not

invo l v e d in t he op e r a t i o n

. Company will a lso obta i n a n A T O issued COA prior to condu c t i n g a n y o p e r a t i ons

und e r this G ra nt of E x e mp t ion. All op e r a t i ons will be c ondu c ted in a cc o r d a n c e with ai r spa c e r e qui r e me n ts i n

the A TO issu e d COA in c lud i ng c l a ss of a irsp a c e

, a l t i t ude lev e l a n d pote n t i a l t r a nspond e r r e quir e ments. A

N O T A M will also be is s u e d a s r e quir e d b y the a ppl i ca b l e CO A

.

I n a ddi t ion t o these f

l i g ht re strictions, Company will f u r ther e ns u re s a fe o p e rat i on b y r e quiri n g that

a n y P I C be thorou g h l y v e rs e d not o n l y in ai r sp a c e a nd c o m mun i ca t i on is s u e s p e rt a in i ng to a ll a ir c r a ft

o p e r a tors but also in the u nique a spe c ts of UAS f l i g ht. As set f

o rth in the O p e r a t i ons Man u a l s, pi l ots will

h a ve e x p e ri e n c e not on l y in UAS ope r a t i ons g e n e r a l l y but h a ve l o g g e d fl i g ht t i m e in t he spe c ific m a k e a nd

model us e d for the op e r a t ions b e fo r e th e y a re p e rmit t e d to pa r t i c ipate i n c om m e r c ial fl i g hts on b e h a lf of

Company

. T h e p i l ot qualifi ca t i on, tr a in i n g

, a nd c u r r e n c y requir e ments in the O p e r a t i ons Manu a ls ensu r e t h a t

Company’s pilo t s a r e c ompet e nt and p r o fi c ient in t he UAS th e y a re o p e r a t i n g

. Company’s tr a in i n g a nd

qu a l i fi ca t i on r e quir e ments a re c onsistent with those c ontain e d in prior F AA Se c t i on 333 G ra nts of

E x e mp t io n

, a nd will pro v ide a h i g h e r lev e l of c ompet e n c y a nd pro f ici e n c y for i t s pilo t s and w i ll e nsure a t

le a st an e quival e nt l e v e l of sa fe t y

.

_____________________

1 2 E x e mp t ion No. 11062 ( F AA D o c k e t No. F AA

- 2 014

- 0352 )

.U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

Aug 18 th , 2015

P a g e 17

O P E RAT I NG P ARA METE RS O F T H E UAS

F

. 14 C. F

. R. § 91.7 ( a ) : Civil Ai rcr a f t A ir w o r thi n e ss

Although t

h e re will be no a irwo r th i n e ss c e rtifi c a te issued f or the UAS s, Company s e e ks a n

e x e mp t ion f

r om 14 C

. F .R. § 91.7 (a ), whi c h r e q uir e s that a c iv i l aircr a ft be in ai r wo r t h y c ondi t ion t o be

op e r a ted. The F A A h a s s t a ted th a t no e x e mp t ion i s r e quir e d for 14 C. F .R. § 91.7 (a ) to the e x tent that the

re quir e m e nts of P a rt 21 a re w a ived or f ound inapplic a ble

. 13 A cc o r di n g l y

, P e t i t i on e r r e qu e sts that the

re qui r e m e nts for § 91.7 ( a ) be t r ea t e d in a cc o rd a n c e with S ec t i on V ( A )

, supra.

G

. 14 C. F

. R. § 91.9 ( b ) ( 2 ) : Civil Ai rcr a f t F l i g h t Ma nu al i n t h e Ai rcr a f t and 14

C. F

. R. § 91.203 ( a) a n d (b ): Ca rr yi n g Civil Ai r c r a f t Cer ti f ic a tion a n d R e gist r a t ion

Tit l e 14 C. F .R. § 91.9 ( b ) (2) a nd § 91.203 ( a ) a nd ( b) re quire t h e op e r a tor to ca rr y a irwo r th i n e ss

docum e nts a nd other a i r c raft m a nu a l s onbo a rd the a i r c raft. Pursu a nt t o 14 C. F .R. § 91.9 ( b ) (2 ) :

(b) No p e rson m a y op e r a te a U.S

. - r e g is t e r e d c iv i l air c r a ft

–

(2) F o r w hich a n Airpl a ne or Rotor c r a ft F l i g ht M a nu a l i s r e quir e d b y § 21

. 5 of th i s ch a pte r , unless

the r e is av a i l a ble in the a ir c r a ft a c u rr e nt app r o v e d Ai rp l a ne or Rotor c r a ft F l i g ht M a n u a l, app r ov e d

man u a l ma te r ial, ma r ki n g s, a nd pl a c a rds, or a n y c omb i n a t i on the re o f

.

P u r suant to 14 C

. F .R. § 91.203 (a ) a nd (b ) :

( a ) E x ce pt a s p r ovided in § 91.715, no p e rson m a y op e r a te a c iv i l a ir c r a ft u n less it h a s within i t t he

f ol l owin g :

(1) An a p p rop r iate a nd c u rr e nt ai r w o rthin e ss c e rtifi c a te...

(b) No p e rson m a y o p e r a te a c iv i l a ir c r a ft unl e ss the a irwo r th i n e ss ce r t ific a te r e quir e d b y p a rag ra ph

(a ) of th i s s ec t i on or a sp e c ial fli g ht a uth o ri z a t i on i ssued und e r § 91.715 is disp l a y e d a t t h e c a bin or

c o c kpit e ntr a n c e so that it is l e g ib l e to p a sse n g e rs o r c r e w.

1 3 S e e id. a t 13

- 14, 22U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

Aug 18 th , 2015

P a g e 18

Giv e n the small s iz e a nd c onfi g u r a t i on of the UAS s, it would be i m poss i ble to ke e p a irwo r th i n e ss

docum e nts a nd other a i r c raft m a nu a l s on bo a rd the UAS b e c a use th e re is s i m p l y no room a nd the UAS has

n o ca bin or c o c kpi t

.

Eq u ival e n t Le v e l of S a

f e ty

I n a n F AA O f

fi c e of Ch i e f Couns e l ' s Opinion d a ted A u g ust 8, 2014, a nd p r e p a r e d b y D ea n E.

G ri f fith, Atto r n e y

, A G C

- 220, it w a s a c k n owl e dg e d that the intent of 14 C. F .R. 91.9 ( b) a nd 91.203 (a ) a nd

( b ) is met if the pi l ot of the u nmann e d a ir c r a ft h a s ac c e ss t o the UAS fli g ht manu a l, r e g is t r a t i on c e rtifi ca te,

a nd ot h e r r e quir e d do c uments f r om t he g r o und c ontrol s t a t i on f r om which he o r she is o p e r a t i n g the

a i r c raft

. 1 4 As th i s F AA O f f i c e of Chief Couns e l Opin i on c la r ifies, the in t e nt of the r ule is to e nsure the

pilot h a s a c c e ss t o these k e y d o c uments during fli g ht. Th e r e fo r e

, a n e q u ival e nt l e v e l of s a f e t y will be

ac hie v e d b y e nsuri n g that the pilot h a s ac c e ss t o the do c uments a t t he gro u nd c ontrol s t a t ion f r om which he

or s h e is p i lo t ing the UAS

.

H. 14 C. F

. R. § 91.103: P ref l i g h t Ac tion

Company s e e ks an e x e mp t ion f r om 14 C

. F .R. § 91.103, whi c h r e qui r e s a P I C to be c ome f a m i l i a r

w i t h sp ec ific in f

o r mation be f

o r e e a c h fl i ght, i n c lud i ng info r mation c ontain e d in t he F A A

- a ppro ve d F l i g ht

Manu a l on board the a ir c raft. W hi l e the P I C will be fa m i l i a r w i t h a ll info r mation ne ce s s a r y to s a f e l y

c ond u c t t he f

l i g ht, a n e x e mp t ion i s r e qu e sted to the e x tent that a n F A A

- a ppro ve d F l i g ht Manu a l i s r e quir e d.

Eq u ival e n t Le v e l of Sa

f e ty

An e quival e nt l e v e l of s a f e t y w i ll be pro v ided b y f

ol l owing the Company’s O p e r a t i ons Man ua ls a nd

the Man u fa c tur e r ' s Man u a l . The P IC will p e r f o r m a s e r i e s of c h ec kl i sts d e s i g n e d to identi f y a n y d e f ec ts or

i n op e r a ble c omponents in acc o r d a n c e with t he Company’s Op e r a t i ons Man ua ls, including c h e c kl i sts

c ov e ring P r e

- F l i g h t

, L a u n c h, L a ndi n g

, a nd P os t

- F l i g ht pr o ce du r e s. The P I C will a lso be r e q uir e d to r e view

w ea t h e r, fli g ht r e qui r e ments, b a t ter y c h a r g e , landi n g a nd tak e o f f distan c e , UA p e r f

o r man c e d a ta, a nd

c ont i n g e n c y landi n g a r ea s

— b e f o r e i n i t iation of fli g ht. Company’s Op e r a t i ons Man ua ls a nd the

M a nuf a c tu r e r ' s Man u a l will be k e pt at the g round c ontrol s t a t i on a nd will be a c ce ss i ble to the P I C a t a ll

t i mes w hi l e op e r a t i ng the UAS

.

I. 14 C. F

. R. § 91.109 ( a ) : F l i g h t Inst r u c tion

14 M emo ra ndum f

r om M ar k B u r y

, F AA Assistant C hief Couns e l for I nt e rn a t i on a l L a w, L e g is l a t i on a nd

R e g u l a t i o n, to J ohn Dun ca n, F A A F l i g ht S tand a rds Se r v i c e ( A u g . 8, 201 4 ); s e e also Do c k e t No. F A A

2 0 1 4

- 0352 a t 16

- 18.U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

Aug 18 th , 2015

P a g e 19

Company s e e ks an e x e mp t ion f r om 14 C

. F .R. § 91.109 (a ), w hich p rovid e s in p e rtine n t pa r t that

" [ no ] p e rson m a y o p e r a te a c iv i l aircr a ft ( e x c e pt a m a nn e d f r e e b a l l oon) that is b e ing used for f l i g ht

i nstru c t i on unl e ss t h a t air c raft h a s ful l y f un c t i oning du a l cont r ols

. " UAS s and r e mo t e l y pi l oted a ir c raft, b y

t h e ir d e si g n, do not ha v e f un c t ional du a l cont r ols. I nst e a d, fli g ht con t rol is acc omp l ished thro u g h t h e use o f

a d e vice t h a t c o m m unic a tes w i t h the a ir c r a ft via r a dio c om m unic a t i ons. A cc o r din g l y

, a n e x e mp t ion wi l l be

r e quir e d for the f

l i g h t i nstru c t i on r e quir e ments of 14 C

. F .R. § 91.109 (a ).

Eq u ival e n t Le v e l of Sa

f e ty

Giv e n the si z e a nd sp ee d of the UAS s that Company in t e nds to us e

, a n e quiv a lent lev e l of s a fe

tr a in i n g c a n sti l l be p e r f

o r med without du a l c ontrols be ca u s e no pi l ot or p a sse n g e rs a r e a bo a rd the UAS , and

a s r e quir e d b y the Company’ s Op e r a t i ons Man u a l s, a ll p e rsons w i l l be a s a fe dis t a n c e a w a y in t he e v e nt t h a t

t he UAS e x p e ri e n ce s a n y dif f i c ul t ies du r ing f

l i g ht i nstru c t i on. Mor e ov e r, a s r e qui r e d b y the Company’ s

O p e r a t i ons Man ua ls, a ll f l i g ht tr a in i ng will be c ond u c ted in cont r ol l e d a nd st e rile environme n t. As a whol e

,

the s a f e t y pr o ce du r e s p r ovided f or in Company’ s O p e r a t i ons M a nu a l s e nsure that the p r o posed UAS

op e r a t i ons p r ovide a n e quival e nt or hi g h e r l e v e l of s a f e t y th a n that p r ovided b y t h e f l i g ht i nstru c t i on

re g ulatio n s.

J. 14 C. F

. R. § 91.119(c): M i n i m u m S a f e Alti t ud e s

Company r e qu e sts a n e x e mp t ion f r om t he m i ni m u m sa f

e a l t i t ude re qu i r e m e nts of 14 C. F .R. §

91.119( c )

. 15 S ec t i on 91.119 p re s c rib e s t h e m i ni m um sa f e a l t i t ud e s und e r whi c h a ir c r a ft m a y not ope ra te,

in c lud i n g 5 0 0 f

e e t abo v e the su r f

a c e a nd a w a y f

rom a n y p e rson, v e ssel, v e hicl e , or stru c ture in non

- c o n g e st e d

a r e a s. S e e 14 C

. F .R. § 91.119 (c ). S ec t i on 91.1 1 9 ( d) a l l ows f or a h e l i c opter to op e r a te a t le ss t h a n those

m i ni m um a l t i tudes w h e n it ca n be o p e r a ted " without h a z a rd to p e rsons or pro p e r t y on t h e sur f ace

, " p ro v ided

th a t " e ac h p e rson o p e r a t i n g the h e l i c opt e r c omp l ies w i t h a n y rout e s or a l t i t ud e s spe c ifi c a l l y p re s c rib e d for

h e l i c op t e rs b y the F A A

. "

An e x e mp t ion i s r e quir e d b eca use t h e pro p osed UAS ope ra t i ons will norm a l l y n e e d to o cc ur b e low

4 00 fe e t A G L

. I n c ir c ums t a n ce s wh e re the UAS i s used to insp ec t a stru c tu r e whose h e i g ht e x c e e ds 400 f e e t

A G L , the UAS wi l l not be op e r a t e d more t h a n 100 fee t abo v e the h i g h e st point on the stru c tur e

, a n d with i n

50 fee t hori z ontal l y of the str u c tur e

. A d di t ional l y , d u e the n a ture of the p ropos e d o p e r a t i ons, the P i l ot and/or

Obs e rvers ( s) m a y n ee d t o be less than 500 f e e t a w a y f

rom the UAS

.

____________________

15 R e l i e f f rom § 91.119 ( a ) will not be n ece ssa r y b e c a use Petitioner will be a b le to p e r f o r m an e me r g e n c y

landi n g without undue h a z a rd to p e rs o ns or p r op e r t y on the g r o und in t he e v e nt of a f a i l u re

. P e t i t i on e r ' s

pro p osed UAS op e r a t i ons wi l l not o cc ur ov e r c o n g e st e d a r e a s, a nd the r e fo r e a n e x e mp t ion f r om § 91.119(b)

will not be n e c e ssa r y

. S e e e .g ., G r a nt of Ex e mp t ion No. 11157 to S lu g w e a r, I n c ., d b a L i k e on a tr e e A e ri a l

(FA A

- 2 014

- 0534 a t 15)U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

Aug 18 th , 2015

P a g e 20

Eq u ival e n t Le v e l of Sa

f e ty

Compa re d to fli g ht op e rat i ons with roto rc r a ft w e i ghing f a r mo r e than t h e ma x i m um w e i g hts propo s e d

h e r e in, a nd g i v e n the l ac k o f f l a m m a ble f

u e l wi t h the UAS s, a n y r isk a ssoci a ted w i t h these o p e r a t i ons is f a r

l e ss t h a n t h ose th a t pr e s e nt l y e x ist with conv e nt i on a l a ir c r a ft. A n e quiva l e nt l e v e l of s a f e t y will be ac h iev e d

g iven the si z e , w e i g ht, and s p ee d of the UAS s, a s w e ll the c ontr o l l e d loc a t i on wh e re t h e o p e r a t i ons will

oc c u r

. I n o r d e r to a void a n y risk to m a nn e d a ir c r a ft, f l i g ht op e r a t i ons will be re stri c ted to 400 fee t A G L o r

b e lo w , or w h e n inspe c t i ng a str u c ture w h ose he i g ht e x cee ds 400 f ee t A G L , with i n 100 f

e e t a bove the h i g h e st

point on that stru c ture a n d 50 fee t hori z ontal l y of t he stru c tur e

.

As s e t fo r th i n the Op e r a t ions Man ua ls, the UAS s will be op e r a ted in a r e st r ict e d a re a

, a nd a ll f l i g hts

will be op e r a ted a t a l a te ra l d i sta n c e of a t l ea st 500 f e e t f r om a n y non p a rticip a t i n g p e rsons, unl e ss t h a t pe r s o n

is i n a posit i on wh e re he or she is s hield e d f rom the UAS and a n y poss i ble d e b r is r e sul t ing f r om UAS f

a i l u re

.

As r e quir e d b y t h e Op e r a t i ons Man ua ls, f l i g hts will be te r m i n a ted if a nonp a r t i c ipating p e rson with i n 500 fee t

of the UAS le a v e s a shi e lded position. F u r the r

, UAS op e r a t i ons will oc c ur a t l ea st 500 fe e t a w a y f rom

v e hicl e s o r stru c tur e s unl e ss t he p r op e r t y own e r/ c ontroll e r h a s g r a nted p e rmission and the P I C h a s made a

s a f e t y a ssess m e nt of the r isk of op e r a t i ng c loser to t hose obje c ts and, o p e r a t i ons n e a r the P I C o r Obs e rver

w i l l not p re s e nt an und u e h a z a rd p e r § 9 1 .119 ( a ). Adh e ren c e to these r e strictions in the e lev a t i on of the

d e p a r ture a irpo r t or b a rom e tr i c pr e ssur e

. An e x e mp t ion i s r e quir e d to t he e x tent that the UAS s do not have a

b a rom e tr i c a l t i m e te r , but r a th e r a GPS a l t i t ude rea d out. Company’s O p e r a t i ons Man ua ls will e nsure

op er a t i ons ca n be c ond u c ted without c ompromising s a f e t y

. 16

K

. 14 C. F

. R. § 91.121: Al t i m e ter S e t t i n gs

Company s e e ks an e x e mp t ion f r om 14 C

. F .R. § 91.121, whi c h r e qui r e s a pe r s on op e r a t i n g a n a ir c r a ft to

m a in t a in c r uis i ng a l t i t ude or f l i g ht le v e l b y r e f

e r e n c e to an a l t i m e ter that is set to the e lev a t i on of the

d e p a r ture a irpo r t or b a rom e tr i c pr e ssur e An e x e mp t ion i s r e quir e d to t he e x tent that the UAS s do not have a

b a rom e tr i c a l t i m e te r , but r a th e r a GPS a l t i t ude rea d out.

____________________________

16 S e e e .g.

, G r a nt of E x e mp t ion No. 11138 to Dougl a s Tr u d ea u ( F A A

- 201 4

- 0481 a t 19 ) :

" I f b a rr i e rs or stru c tur e s a re p re s e nt that ca n suf f i c ient l y p r ot e c t nonp a rtic i p a t i ng p e rsons f r om the UA or

d e b r is in the e v e nt o f a n a c c ident, then the UA m a y op e r a te c loser than 500 f e e t to p e rsons a f

fo r d e d s u c h

p r o te c t i on. The op e r a tor m u st a lso e nsure t h a t nonp a rtici p a t i ng p e rsons r e main un d e r such p rot ec t i on. I f a

s i tuation a ris e s w h e re nonp a rtici p a t i ng p e rsons le a v e such p rot e c t i on a nd a r e with i n 5 00 f e e t of the U A

, fli g ht

o p e r a t i ons must cea s e i m medi a te l y

. W h e n c onsid e ri n g how to i m medi a te l y c e a se op e r a t i ons, the p rima r y

c on ce rn is the s a f

e t y o f those nonp a rticip a t i ng p e rson s

. I n a ddi t ion, the F AA finds that op e r a t i ons m a y b e

c ondu c ted c los e r than 500 f e e t to v e ssels, v e hicl e s a nd stru c tur e s w h e n the own e r/ c ontroll e r o f a n y s u c h

v e ssels, v e hicl e s or stru c tur e s g r a nts p e rmi ssio n f o r th e op e r a t i on a nd the P I C mak e s a s a f e t y a ssessment of

the risk of op e r a t i ng c loser to those obj ec ts and d e t e rmin e s that it does not pr e s e nt an undue h a z a rd .”U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

Aug 18 th , 2015

P a g e 21

Eq u ival

e n t Le v e l of Sa

f e ty

The F A A h a s s t a ted th a t a n e quival e nt l e v e l o f s a f e t y to t he r e quir e m e nts of 14 C. F .R. §

91.121 ca n be ac hie v e d in ci rc ums t a n c e s wh e r e : ( 1) the UAS s will be op e r a ted b e low 400 f ee t A G L or

b e lo w 17

, ( 2) with i n V L OS, (3) wh e re GPS b a s e d a l t i t ude info r mati o n is r e l a y e d in r e a l t i me to the op e r a tor

a t a g roun d

- b a s e d o n

- s c r ee n disp la y a nd, (4) w h e re p r ior to eac h fl i g ht, a z e ro a l t i t ude in i t i a t i on p o int is

establish e d for the P I C to co n fi r m a cc u r a c y of the onbo a rd G PS

. 18

The UAS s that Company i ntends to use f or the p r o p osed op e r a t i ons will m e e t all t h e se op e r a t i on a l

c h a ra c te r is t i c s. Mor e ov e r, a s r e qui r e d b y Company’s O p e r a t i ons Man ua ls, t he P I C will be re qui r e d to

c a l i b ra t e the a ir c r a f

t ' s GPS c ompa s s prior to e ac h fli g ht op e r a t i on. L ike p rior F A A S ec t i on 333 G ra nts of

E x e mp t ion, t he UAS s Company in t e nds to us e

, a nd the sa fe t y m i t i g a t i on p r o ce du r e s co n tain e d in t he

Op e r a t i ons Manu a l s

, both ensu r e that a n e quival e nt l e v e l of s a f e t y will be ac hiev e d, a nd a G r a nt of

E x e mp t ion t o the re quir e ments of § 191.1 2 1 is t h e r e fo r e a ppro p ri a te.

L

. 14 C. F

. R. § 91.151 ( a ) : F u e l R e qu ir e m e n ts f or F l i g h t in V F R Con d itio n s

Company r e qu e sts a n e x e mp t ion f r om 14 C

. F .R. § 91.151 (a ) ' s f u e l r e qui r e ments f

o r f l i g ht in V F R

c ondi t ions. S ec t i on 91.151 st a tes:

(a) No p e rson m a y b e g i n a fl i g ht in a n a irpl a ne und e r V F R c ondi t ions unless ( c onsid e ri n g wind a nd

fo r eca st w ea t h e r c ondi t ions) the r e is e nou g h fu e l to fly to the fi r st po i nt of int e nd e d la n ding a nd,

a ssu m ing nor m a l c r uis i ng s p ee d

–

(1) Du r i n g the d a y , to fly a ft e r th a t f o r a t l ea st 30 m i nutes;

or

(2) At ni g ht, t o f

l y a ft e r t h a t for a t le a st 45 m i nutes.

H e r e , the t ec hnol o g ic a l l i m i tations on UAS b a t t e ry po w e r m ea ns t h a t no m ea ni n g ful fli g ht ope r a t i ons

ca n be c ondu c ted w hi l e st i ll maintaining a 3 0

- m i nute b a t ter y r e s e rv e . An e x e mp t ion f r om t he f u e l

r e quir e ments of 14 C

. F .R. § 91.151 (a ) is the r e fo r e r e quir e d.

__________________________________

1 7 I f t h e h e i g ht o f the str u c t u r e b e i n g inspe c ted e x ce e ds 400 fe e t A G L

, the UAS will not be op e r a ted more

than 100 f

e e t a bove the hi g h e st po i nt on t he stru c tur e

.

1 8 S e e G r a nt of E x e mp t ion No. 11062 to Astr a e us A e ri a l ( F A A

- 201 4

- 0352 a t 2 1 )

.U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

Aug 18 th , 2015

P a g e 22

Equivalent Level of Safety

In the Grant of Exemption to VDOS (Exemption No. 11112), the FAA determined that an

equivalent level of safety to the fuel requirements for flight in VFR conditions could be achieved by

prohibiting the PIC from beginning a LI

- UAS flight unless (considering wind and forecast weather

conditions) there was enough power to fly to the first intended point of landing and, assuming normal

cruising speed, to fly after that for at least 10 minutes. In reaching this conclusion, the FAA considered that

the UAS batteri es for the LI

- UAS provided provide approximately 2 0 minutes of powered flight (with

payload) and provided battery level and battery time remaining in minutes and seconds to the PIC. 19 The

FAA also considered the fact that the LI

- UAS operating manual states: “start every flight with a fully

charged battery in the aerial vehicle”, and that in the event that the UAS should run low on power, the PIC

will be alerted and can land the LI

- UAS as soon as possible. Like the VDOS Grant of Exemp tion,

Company use of the LI

- UAS , combined with the requirements of Petitioner's Operations Manuals, ensure

that an equivalent level of safety can be achieved.

Similarly, in the Grant of Exemption to Alan Purwin (Exemption No. 11161), the FAA determined

t hat an equivalent level of safety to the fuel requirements for flight in VFR conditions could be achieved by

prohibiting the PIC from beginning a flight with the LI

- UAS unless (considering wind and forecast weather

conditions), there was enough power to fl y at normal cruising speed to the intended landing point and land

the UA with 25% battery power remaining. Company will adhere to this limitation for LI

- UAS flights.

The LI

- UAS includes a low battery warning system and the amount of battery reserve power

remaining is transmitted to the PIC via telemetric data feed, which downlinks from the UAS to a ground

based

- on

- screen display. 20 As required by Company’s Operations Manuals, the PIC will promptly fly the

UAS back to the home launch location or pre

- determ ined abort location where the UAS may safely land,

while still maintaining a minimum of 25 % reserve battery power. Company submits that the procedures

requiring flights to be safely terminated once the batteries fall below 25% capacity, combined with the

r equirement that flights only be conducted within a secure, isolated area, using a UAS weighting less than

55 pounds, and within VLOS of the PIC and Observer(s), ensure that the proposed operation will provide

an equivalent or higher level of safety to that provided by the regulations from which exemption is sought.

______________________________ 19 Grant of Exemption No. 11112 to VDOS Global, LLC (FAA

- 2014

- 0382 at 10).

20 The LI

- UAS ground control station displays, the UAS s position, navigation route, tail number, altitude,

heading, north seeking arrow, range to targets, calculated target position, date/time, and sensor heading and

orientation relative to the UAS

.U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

Aug 18 th , 2015

P a g e 23

VI. DRUG AND ALCOHOL PROGRAM

Company will have policies in place to ensure that no person may participate in UAS flight

operations if they are under the influence of alcohol or any drug.

VII. PUBLIC INTEREST

The public interest will be served by granting Company’ s Petitio n for Exemption. Congress has

established a national policy that favors early integration of UAS into the NAS in controlled, safe working

environments such as those proposed in this Petition. Granting this Petition for Exemption helps fulfill

Congress' goa l in passing Section 333(a) through (c) of the Reform Act

— the FAA Administrator's

assessment of whether certain UAS may operate safely in the NAS before completion of the statutorily

required rulemaking.

The proposed UAS operations in this Petition for Ex emption significantly improve s safety and

reduce s risk

, harm or serious injury to farmers, employees, maned pilots, crews and other participants

. New

methods of aerial research , agriculture and e ducation for flight training, maintenance and industry

application s use is extremely important for the national education of UAS and for the growth and

exp ansion of the UAS industry, t he hundreds of a pplications and the thousands on jobs . The growth of the

small UAS industry will ultimately reduce uncalled for r isk, physical h a rm, se r ious i nju r y and death

associated with the manned aircraft that currently perform and number of aerial tasks

. Further, the use of

traditional aircraft e x poses participants and pedestrians a r isk of d a n g e rous low level aircraft engine failure

making recovery or emergency landings as one of the extremes

. The use o f s m a ll UAS s m i t i g a tes th e se

h a z a rds a nd is ul t i m a te l y a much s a f e r m e thod of p e r f

o rming the s e and most all applications where the

need for ae ri a l operations are require d

.

The use of small UAS s also enhances safety and reduces risk because, unlike manned aircraft

weighing thousands of pounds, carrying crew in addition to flammable fuel, the UAS s carry no passengers

or crew. Further, in the unlikely event of an accident, Company small battery powered UAS s presents

significantly less danger to persons on the ground when compared to operations by conventional manned

aircraft. 21 As Petitioner's UAS s are battery powered, the public will also benefit from a reduction in

harmfu l emissions associated with conventional aircraft performing in the same functions proposed herein.

Lastly, as recognized by the FAA in prior Section 333 Grants of Exemption to filmmakers, UAS s provide

an additional tool for the aerial filming industry, ad ding a greater degree of flexibility, which supplements

the current capabilities offered by manned aircraft. 22

21 See Grant of Exemption No. 11158 to Team 5, LLC (FAA

- 2014

- 0783 at 12):

"Manned helicopters conducting aerial filming can weigh 6,000 pounds or more and are operated by an

onboard pilot, in addition to other onboard crewmembers, as necessary. The petitioner’s UAS will weigh

less than 55 pounds with no onboard pilot or crew. Th e pilot and crew will be remotely located from the

aircraft. The limited weight significantly reduces the potentia l for harm to participating and

nonparticipating individuals or property in the event of an incident or accident. The risk to an onboard pilot

and crew during an incident or accident is eliminated with the use of a UA for the aerial filming operation."

22 See e.g ., Grant of Exemption No. 11178 to Picture Factory, Inc. (FAA

- 2014

- 0794 at 18).U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

Aug 18 th , 2015

P a g e 24

VIII. PRIVACY

All Company UAS operations will be conducted in accordance with applicable federal, state, or

local laws regarding privacy. All operations shall be conducted over private or controlled

- access property

with permission from the land owner/controller or authorized represent ative. Permission from land

owner/controller or authorized representative will be obtained for each flight to be conducted.

IX. FEDERAL REGISTER SUMMARY

Pursuant to 14 C.F.R. Part 11, the following summary is provided for publication in the FEDERAL

REGISTER, should it be determined that publication is needed:

Petitioner seeks an exemption from the following rules in Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations:

Part 21, Subpart H; Part 27; 45.23(b); 45.27(a); 61.113; 91.7(a); 91.9(b)(2); 91.9(c); 91.103; 91.109(a);

91.119(c); 91.121; 91.151(a); 91.203 (a) & (b); 91.405(a); 91.407(a)(1); 91.409(a)(1) & (2); 91.417 (a) &

(b).

The exemption will enhance safety by reducing risk to the general public and property owners from

the substantial hazards ass ociated with performing equivalent controlled flights for aerial sensor research,

precision agriculture research, UAS flight training and maintenance. Additionally will provide hospitality

and 14

- 21 young adult education such as aerial robotic applications , gamificatio n programs and sharing

services with conventional fixed

- wing aircraft, rotorcraft, or other methods.

X. CONCLUSION

Company Petition for Exemption satisfies the criteria articulated in Section 333 of the Reform Act

of 2012 including weight, speed, operating capabilities, proximity to airports and populated areas, operation

within VLOS and national security. The proposed UAS op erations will benefit the public as a whole by

improving safety and reducing risk by alleviating human exposure to danger. In consideration of the

foregoing, this Petition for Exemption provides the FAA with more than adequate justification for granting

th e requested exemptions allowing Company to use small UAS s for controlled flights for aerial sensor

research, precision agriculture research, UAS flight training and maintenance. Additionally will provide for

14

- 21 young adult education in the fields of aer ial robotic applications, gamification programs and sharing

services.U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

Aug 18 th , 2015

P a g e 25

We thank you for your prompt consideration of our requested exemptions.

Respectfully submitted,

Michael R. Limotta

Michael R. Limotta & Co., Inc. DBA "LIMOTTAIT.com"

320 Alisal Road, #101

Solvang , CA 93463

Should you have any questions, or if you need any additional information to support the requested

exemptions, please contact the undersigned at:

Michael R. Limotta & Co., Inc. DBA "LIMOTTAIT.com"

Phone: 888

- 884

- 6278

Email: mlimotta@limottait.com

(The following attached items contain proprietary and commercial information exempt from disclosure

under the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. § 522 et seq. , and should be held in a separate file pursuant

to 14 C.F.R. § 11.35(b)).

Attachments:

1. General Operations Manual

2. PIC Operating Manual

3. Company Protocols

4. Location Protocols

5. Flight Communications Protocols

6. Departing Location Protocols

7. Transmitter Protocols

8. Preflight Checklist

9. Post Flight Checklist

10. Equipment Checklist

11. UAS Manufacturer’s Manuals

a. User Manuals

b. UAS Maintenance Manuals