Sept 14 t h

, 2015

U. S . Depar t m ent of Transpor t a t i on

Docket M a n age m ent System

1200 New Je r sey Ave., SE

W ash i ngton, DC 20590

Re: Petit i on of Stewart C McCas l an d

, dba, Craig Mac Vi s uals for an Exemption Pursuant to

Sect i on 333 of the FAA Mode r niza t i o n and Re f o rm Act of 2 0 12

To W h o m it May Concern:

Pursuant to Sect i on 333 of the F A A Mode r niza t i o n and Re f o rm Act of 2 0 12 ( " Re f

orm Act") and

14 C.F.R

. P a rt 1 1

, S t ewa r t C McCas l a nd

, dba, Craig Mac Vi s u als (Cr a igMac) h e reby a ppl i es for an

exe m pt i on f

r om the Fe d er a l Av iati o n Regula t ions ("FA R s" ) iden t ified be l ow to al l ow com m er c ial

operation of s m all u n m a nned aerial vehi c les ( i.e., "s m all un m anned airc r a ft" or " UAS”) for provi d ing

ae r ial photography and videog r aphy for the r e a l es t a te indus t ry as well as proper t y m apping, i nsp e ct i ons

and 3D c o m posit i ng.

This peti t ion for exe mpt i on addresses pertinent F AA F A R ’s and CF R ’s as well as, b u t not

l i m i t ed to, these a cco m panying Cr a igM a c’s do c u m ent s

.

1. Flight Oper a t i ons Man ua l and;

2. Opera t ions Manuals

(collectiv e ly referred to as Operatio n s Manuals")

3. User Guide and;

4. User Manual

(collectiv e ly referred to as " Manufa c tu r er's Man u al " ). 1

Craig M ac s u b m i t s th e s e as well as o ther Cr a igMac supporti n g m at e r i a ls as confidenti a l

docu m ents pursuant to 1 4 C.F. R . § 1 1.35 (b ) , as t h e m at e r i als cont a in confidential co mm er c ial and/or

prop r iet a ry in f

o r m at i on t hat t he C r aigMac has n o t and will n o t sh a re w i th othe r s. Add i t i on a l l y, the s e

docu m ents cont a in oper a t i ng con d i t i o ns and p r oc e dures that a re not gener a l l y av a i l a b le to the pu b lic and

are prote c ted f

r o m release under t h e Freedom o f I nfor m at i on Act, 5 U.S. C . §552 et s e q.

1 The te r m "Manufactu r e r ' s Manual" al s o i n cludes all relevant m an u facturer pub licat io n s

, i n c l ud i n g

, but

not l i m i t ed t o : operatio n s and f li g h t m a n u als

, user gu i d e s

, c o mpo n e n t m a i n t e n a n c e m anu als

, pi l ot

t r a in i ng m anua l s, service infor m at i on letters and, safety / s e rv i c e bul l e t i n s ).U. S . Depar t m ent of Transpor t a t i on Sept 14, 2015

Page 2

This Pe t iti o n is orga n ized as follows:

I. Pet i tioner

II. Descr i ption of Proposed Opera t i o ns

A

. Real Es t a te A er i al Ph o t o graphy, Vi d eograph y

, M apping and Inspection Serv i ce

III. Relevant S t atutory A u t h ori t y

IV. CraigMac Proposed UAS O perations Meet the Require m ents of Section 333 of the

Reform Act

A. Approval is W arr ant e d Based on the UAS ' s Size, W eigh t , Speed, a nd

Opera t io n al C apab i lity

B. Approval is W arr ant e d Based on the O peratio n al Restri c t i o ns Set Forth in t he Operations

Manuals

V. Regulat i ons From Which E xemption is Requested

A

. 14 C. F .R. Pa r t 21, Sub p art H

– Air w or t hi n ess C e r t ifi c at e s a n d 14 C. F .R. §

91.203(a) ( 1 ) B

. 14 C. F .R. Part 27 Ai r worth i ness Standards: No r m al Ca t egory Roto r cr a ft C.14

C .F. R

. §§ 91.9(c), 45

. 23(b) and 45.27(a): A i rc r aft M arki n g and Iden t ification Require m ents

D. 14 C .F. R . § 91.405(a ) , 91.407(a)(1 ) , 91.40 9 (a)(1) and (2); 91.417(a) a nd (b): Ma i n t ena n c e

Inspe c t i o n s

E. 14 C. F .R. Pa r t 61, 14 C

. F. R . § 61.3, 14 C. F .R. § 61.113: Pri v ate P i lot P r i v i l eg e s and Li m i t at i ons

F. 14 C. F .R. § 91.7(a): C ivil Air c ra f t Airwor t hiness

G. 14 C. F .R. § 91.9(b ) (2): Civil Aircr a ft Flight M a nual i n the A i r cr a ft and 14 C. F .R. § 91.203( a )

and (b): C a rrying Civil Aircraft Certification a n d Regis t ra t i o n

H. 14 C. F .R. § 91.103: Preflight A c t i on

I. 14 C. F .R. § 91.109(a): F l i ght Instruction

J. 14 C. F .R. § 91.119(c): Min i m u m S afe Alt i tudes

K. 14 C. F .R. § 91.121: Al t i m et e r Set t i n gs

L. 14 C. F .R. § 91.151(a): F uel Requ i r em ents for F l ight in VFR Condit i ons

VI. Drug a n d A l cohol Pro g ram

VII. Pu b l i c Interest

VIII. Privacy

IX. Federal R e gis t er Su m mary

X. ConclusionU. S . Depar t m ent of Transpor t a t i on Sept 14, 2015

Page 3

I. D E SCRIPTION OF PE T ITIONER

Craig Mac is based in H elo t e s, Tex a s and has b e en prov i d ing re a l es t a te photography and videography

se r vices for m ore than ten yea r s. The C o m pa n y s p eciali z e s in, and will c on ti nu e to f o c u s on, the

v i d e og r a p h y of p r o p ert y a nd re a l e sta t e for sale s p u r p o s e s as w e ll as p r o p er

t y m a pp i n g

, i n s p ecti o n s

, a nd

3D c o m po si t i n g

. The C o m

p a n y ’ s P r i n ci p a l Stew a rt C McCas l and has b ee n bu il d i n g and flying sU A V

Q u a d c o p ter s as a hob b y for m o r e than five y ear s with o u t i n ci d e n t

, s p e n d i n g t h o u s a nd s o f hours f l y i ng . The

work g e n er a te d p r o v i d e s a m a j o r s o u r c e o f all of the co m pan y ’s i n c o m e an d w il l s o o n b ec o m e th e o n l y

re v e nu e st rea m

. Upon the gr a nt of t h e 333 Exemption t h e Co m pany’s bus i ness wi l l specialize in r e al

es t a t e photography and videography f or re s ident i al, c o m m er c ial and industrial for the pro m ot i on of

properties f

o r sale and a d di t io n al l y w i ll of f er se r v ices f

or p r o p er t y m apping, i nspections and 3D

co mposit i ng.

The conta c t infor m at i on f o r Pe t itioner is as follo w s:

Stewart C McCasland

Craig Mac Visuals.

9823 Cochem Path

Helotes, TX 78023

Phone: 210

- 650

- 2688

Email: craig@craigmac.tv

I I. D E SCRIPTION OF P R OPOS E D OPERATION

Craig Mac s eeks a n ex em pt i on pursuant to Se c tion 333 of the Refo r m A c t t o op e rate the DJI Ph a ntom 2

vison and a DJI Phantom III al s o known ( UAS ) for the proposed operations disc u ssed b e low. UAS

o perations w i ll occ u r un d er tightly c o nt r o l led co n di t ions on private p roper t y where Cr a igM a c has

r e c eiv e d per m is s ion t o oper a te f r o m the l an d owner, con t roll e r or a u t h or i zed repr e sen t a t i ves. T he proposed

UAS operat i ons w i ll b e conduc t ed in a c c o rdan c e with the c o ndi t ions and l i m i t at i ons of this Pet i tion f or

E xe m pt i on and Craig M a c’s Oper a t i o ns Manual s

. As det a iled in Craig M a c ’s Opera t io n s Manuals, UAS

opera t ions will be li m i t ed to dayti m e VFR cond i t i on s

, with i n v i s u al lin e

- o f

- s i g ht ( " V L O S ") of the

oper a t o r, i n unco n troll e d a i r s p a c e, and wi l l o ccur a t l e a st 5 nm away f r om an a i rpo r t. Moreove r

, C ra i gM a c’s O perations M anua l s incorpora t e redu n dant s afegu a rds to assure that the a ir c raft does not

t ravel out s ide the con t roll e d area of UAS operat i ons, inc l u ding GPS "ge o

- fencing" te c hnologie s

.

A

. Real Esta t e Aerial Pho t ography, Videography, Mapping and Inspection Service

Craig M ac se eks t o use UAS for the pu r pose of conducti n g ae r ial photography, vi d eography and

in s pe c tion services f

or t he real e st a te indust r y.U. S . Depar t m ent of Transpor t a t i on Sept 14, 2015

Page 4

Co m pany has t ailored i t s operations to m eet the requi r e m ents est a b l i shed by the F A A in pr i o r g r a n ts of

exe m pt i ons au t horiz i ng t h e com m er c ial u s e of UAS in general pho t o g raphy and videography and the

sa m e for the production of video in the real esta t e indu s try i n clud i n g :

 Team 5, LL C (Exe m

pt i on No. 111 5 8)

 Alan D. Purwin (Exe m p t i on No. 11161)

 Helin e t Aviation S e rv i c es, L L C (E x e m pt i on No. 11160)

 Pic t ure F actory, Inc. (E x e m pt i on No. 11178)

 T r ud ea u, R e a l t o r® ( E x e m p t ion No. 11138)

 A lon S ich e rm a n ( E x e mp t i on N o. 1172 8 )

 S okol e r M e d l e y ( E xe m p t i on N o. 1134 1 )

U A S real e s tate photogr a phy and videography o p er a tions will be conduc t e d on pr i v a te property in

a con t rolled ar e a, away f

rom spectators and per s ons not involved in the v i d e o product i on. U A S v i deo

photog r aphy will be co n duct e d du r i n g dayl i g h t h ours, VFR condi t ions, at alti t udes b elow 400' AGL. As

set forth be l ow, C o mp an y’s oper a t i o ns provide a super i o r l e v el of safety and qua l ity co m pared to

perfor m ing t he sa m e videog r aphy work using c o nvent i on a l f i xe d

- wing ai r cr a ft or h eli c opte r s.

Trad i tional m ethods of r eal e s tate video product i on and in s p e ct i on of str u ctu r es, exp o se

videog r ap he r

- inspect o rs to h i gh e r r i s ks of ser i ous in j uries, o r dea t h. Vide o graphe r

- inspecto r s n eed to

cl i m b roof tops or othe r wise perfo r m el e vat e d work, which exposes t h e m to t he risk of dangerous falls,

el e c t r oc u t i o n or o t her w ork r elated e xt r e m es. I n addition, depending on the nature of the v i deo n e eded

and in s pe c tion, proxi m i t y to equ i p m ent, a nd other m echan i cal hazards associated with industrial si t es

and cons t ru c t i on fac i l i ti e s often invo l ves a risk of exposu r e to hazardou s

. The use of UAS m i ti gat e s

these haz a rds and is u l t i m at e ly a m uch safer m ethod of perfo r m ing t he s e a n d m ost other

types of insp e ct i o n s.

UAS re a l esta t e v i d eo producti o n and in s pe c t i on of st r u ctures i s m uch safer than traditional

m anned a i rc r aft perfor m ing t he s a m e funct i on. Convention a l operations u sing r ot o rcr a ft and fixed

- wing

ai r c raft i n l o w level op e rations present very h igh r i sks with v e hic l e s weig h ing t housa n ds of pound s

,

ca r rying pa s sengers and la r ge a m ou n ts of f uel. I t is i m por t ant to note that t h e use of s m all UAS in th i s

a rea w i ll not only b e safer and m ore cost ef f ec t ive, but t h e qua l ity of col l e ct e d d a ta and information is

far sup e rior.

UAS re a l esta t e v i d eo producti o n and in s pe c t i on of st r u ctures i s m ore reliable, a n d al l ows for the

c o l lection, dis s e m ina t ion, and st o rage of vis u al c on t ent a n d other se ns ory data wi t h greater pr e ci s ion and

duratio n

. UAS are a lso c a p able of acc e ss i ng finish and stru c tural quali t y through the use of video a nd

inspecting areas that wou l d otherwise be in a c c essible to hu m ans and would be i mposs i ble to be

co m ple t ed with c on v ent i on a l aircraft or o t h er inspection m ethod s

.U. S . Depar t m ent of Transpor t a t i on Sept 14, 2015

Page 5

III. R E LE V A N T S TATU T ORY AU T H O RI T Y

This Pe t iti o n for Ex e m

p t i on is sub m i t ted pursuant to Section 333(a) t h rough (c) of t h e F A A

Mode r niza t i o n and Re f

o rm Act of 2012 ( "Reform Act"). Congress has d i r e c ted t h e FAA " t o safely

acc e ler a te t h e in t e g ration of civil u n m anned a i rc r aft sys t e m s in t o t h e nat i onal a irspa c e sys t e m ."

Pursuant t o Sect i on 333 of the Re f orm A ct, t he FAA Ad m in i st r a tor is t o per m it u n m anned aircra f t

sys t e m s to operate in the Nation a l A i r Space ("N A S") where it is sa f e to do so based o n the following

cons i dera t i o ns:

● The UA S ' s s iz e , weig h t, speed a nd o perational c a pabili t y;

● Opera t ion of the UAS in c l ose p r o x i m i t y to a i rports and po p ula t ed ar e a s; and

● Opera t ion of the UAS with i n t h e vi s u al line of si g ht of the op e ra t or.

Addit i on a l l y , the FAA A d m in i strator has general authori t y to grant exe m p t i ons from the agency's

safety r eg u lations and mini m u m st a ndards when t he A d m in i strator d ec i de s a r equest e d exe m pt i on is in

the public i n te r e s t. See 4 9 U.S. C . § 1 06(f) (defining the auth o r i ty of the A d m in i strator); 49 U. S .C. §

44701(f) (p e r m i t t i ng ex em pt i ons from §§ 44701(a), ( b) and § § 44702

– 44716, et s eq

. ). A party

requesting a n exe m pt i on m ust e xplain the reaso n s why the exe m pt i on: ( 1) w ould benefit t he public as a

whole, and (2) would not adversely af f ect safety (or how it would prov i d e a l e v e l of safety at le a s t

equal to the existing r u les). See 14 C .F. R . § 11. 8 1 (petitio n s for exe m pt i on).

IV. R E AL ES T A T E SHOWC A SES’ P R OPOS E D UAS OPER A TIONS MEET THE

R E Q UI R EME N TS OF SECTION 333 OF THE R EFORM ACT

The s m all UAS o perations prop o sed by Craig M ac i n th i s Pe t i t i o n for Ex e m pt i on quali f y for

exped i ted approv a l pursuant to Sect i on 333 of the Re f orm Act as each of t h e st a t u to r y criteria and

relevant factors a re s at i sfied.

A

. A p proval i s Warran t ed Based on the UAS Si z e, W eigh t , Spe e d, and Opera t ional

Capa b i l i t y

A G rant of Exe m pt i on is appropriate f or operat i ons conducted us i ng the UAS d ue to its si z e

weight, s pe e d, and ope r a t i on a l capab i l i ty.U. S . Depar t m ent of Transpor t a t i on Sept 14, 2015

Page 6

 The UAS have be e n approved for use i n p rior Section 3 33 Grants of Exe m pt i on fr o m the FAA. 2

 The UAS weigh less th a n 55 p ounds, including payload.

 The UAS will not be flown at a g r ound sp e ed in e xc e ss of 50 knots.

 Alt i tu d e infor m at i on will be ge n era t ed by equ i p m ent onbo a rd t he UA as spec i fied u s i n g G P S

t r iangul a t i o n , dig i tally e n coded ba r o m e t r i c a l ti m et e r, radio alti m et e r, or a ny co m bina t ion thereof.

This i nfor m at i on w i ll be t r ans m i t ted to the p i l ot v ia t e le m et r ic data feed.

 The UAS will have sys t em redundanc i es a n d independ e nt funct i on a lity to ensu r e the overall safety

and p redictability of the sys t em . If connec t ion t o the r em ote c ont r o l or g r ound c ont r ol stati o n is l o s t,

fai l sa fe syste m s will p e r m it the UAS to r e tu r n to a pred e te r m ined l o c at i o n and safely land wi t ho u t

in j ury o r d a m age.

 The rad i o f

r equenc i e s used f

or operations a nd c o n t r ol of the UAS c o m ply wi t h the

Federal Co mm unic a t i ons Co mm is s ion ( " F C C") and other appropri a te govern m e nt

oversight a g ency r eq u i r e m ent s . The operating f requency f

or UAS a r e 2.4 G H z.

If the sa m e ope r ations were conducted us i ng a h el i co p te r

, t h e a i rcraft ' s take

- off weight would l i k ely ex c eed

6,000 pounds ca r rying a pi l ot, ca m era oper a tor a nd V O

- visu a l obs e rve r

- navig a t o r. T he dif f er e nce in

weight b e t w een UAS and a he l icop t e r sig n i f ic a nt l y red u ces the pot e nt i a l ha r m to t he partici p at i ng and non

parti c i p at i ng ind i v i duals or pr o perty in t he event of an acc i de n t or i n cid e nt. I n addi t ion, the risk t o the

onboard p i l o t and c a m era operator is e l i m ina t ed.

2 See e. g ., G r ant of Exemption to Sh o tover Ca m era Syste m s L .P. (Exe mpt i on No. 11159); G r ant of

Exe m pt i on to VDOS Global, L L C ( Exe m pt i on No. 11112); Grant of E xe m pt i on to Low C ount r y R C

, Corp.

(Exe m pt i on No. 11184); Grant of Exe m pt i on to Alan Purwin (Exe m pt i on No. 11161); Grant of Exe mpt i on

to Hel i n e t Aviation Ser v ic e s (E x e m p t i on No. 11160); Grant o f E x e mpt i on to Total

Safety U. S

., Inc. (Exe m pt i on No. 11156).U. S . Depar t m ent of Transpor t a t i on Sept 14, 2015

Page 7

B

. A p proval i s Warran t ed Based on the Operati o nal Restric t ions Set Fo r th in

CraigMac’s Operations Manuals

Craig M a c ’s Opera t ions Manuals a n d the M anufacturer's Manual for t he se l e c ted UAS will cont a in

all t h e proced u res and l i m i t at i ons n e ces s ary to s a f e ly and succes s fully pe r fo r m t h e op e rations spec i fied

in th i s Peti t ion for Ex e m

pt i on. To ass i st the FAA in m aking a sa f ety a ssess m e nt of Craig M ac ’ s proposed

o p er a tions, b e l o w is a su m m ary o f operational l i m i t ations and condit i ons t h at CraigMac will adhe r e to,

and w hich wi l l en s u re an equiv a lent o r h i gher level of sa f ety t o operations c onduct e d under current

regulat o ry guide l ine s :

1. The UAS weighs l ess t han 55 pounds, fully load e d.

2. All operati o ns shall b e c onduct e d o v er pr i v ate o r controlle d

- a cce s s pro p erty with permission from

the l and o w ner/contr o l l e r or author iz ed representative. P e r m is s ion from l and owner / c ont r o l ler or

authoriz e d represe n tati v e will be o b tained for e a ch flight op e ration.

3. All UAS operated u nder the Gr a nt of Ex e mp t i on will be identified by seri a l nu m ber,

registered in acco r da n ce with 14 CFR part 47, and have identification ( N

- Nu m ber) mark i ngs in

accorda n ce with

14 C F R part 45, Subpa r t C. Mark i n g s will be as large a s p ra c ticable.

4. Min i m u m crew f

or each flight opera t ion wi l l co n si s t of a p i l o t, who will b e Pi l o t

- in C o m m and

( " PIC") of t he UAS , and one or m ore Visual Observers ( " Observer") as ne c ess a ry to safely

conduct t h e m is s ion.

5. PICs sha l l p osse s s a t least a Sport P ilot ' s Certifi c ate and c u rrent Class I I I Med i c a l Certi f ic a te

or a v a l i d state d r i v e r ’ s licens e

. The PIC will a lso m eet the f l ight review require m ents spec i f i ed in

14 C. F .R 61.56 in an a i r cr a ft in which the P I C is r at e d on h is or her p i lot ce r ti f ic a te.

6. The UA sha l l be op e rat e d with i n V L OS of the PIC and Observer at all ti m es. The PIC must use

h u m an vi s i o n unaid e d b y any dev i ce other than corre c t i ve lenses, as sp e ci f ied on t he P I C ' s FAA

is s ued m edi c al c e r t if

i cate.

7. The PIC and Observer d e sign a ted f or any oper a t i o n will be a b le to com m u nic a te verb a l l y a t all

t i m es.

8. Electron i c m ess a ging or texting will not be p e r m i t ted du r i n g flight op e rations.

9. The additio n al r eq u i r e m ents identifi e d in t he Gr a nt of Ex e mp t i on sh a ll be added t o t h e Craig M a c ’s

Opera t ions Manuals.U. S . Depar t m ent of Transpor t a t i on Sept 14, 2015

Page 8

The Opera t i o ns Manuals w i l l be m ain t ain e d and m ade av a i l able to the A d m in i strator upon requ e s t. If

a di s crepan c y exi s ts be t ween the c o ndi t ions and l i m i t at i ons in the Grant of Ex e m pt i on and

Craig M a c ’s Opera t ions Manuals, t h e cond i tions and l i m i t ati o ns in the Grant of E xemption shall t a ke

precedence and m ust be followed. Otherwi s e, Cr a igM a c sh a ll follow the p rocedures o ut l i n ed in t h eir

Opera t ions Manu a ls.

10. Craig M ac m ay upda t e o r revise it s Op erat i o n s M anua l s. R e v i si o n s w il l be trac k e d and a revis e d

copy of the Ma n u a l w i l l be provided to the A d m i n istra t o r up o n re q u es t

. C r aig M ac w il l als o present an

updat e d and re v i s e d Op e r ati o n s Manuals if i t p etit i on s f o r ext e n sion or a m e n d m ent to its G ra n t of

Ex e m p t i o n

. I f an upda t e or r evision would af f ect the b a s is upon w hich t h e FAA grants t he exe m pt i on,

Craig M ac w i l l seek an a m en d m ent t o i t s Gra n t o f E x e mpt i on. Craig M ac will co n ta c t the FAA’s RE

U A S Integr a t i on O f

fice ( A FS

- 80) i f questions ari s e reg a rd i ng updat e s or revisions to the operat i ng

docu m ent s

.

11. C r a i g M ac ’ s O p erat i o n s Manuals and its Grant of Exe mpt i on w il l be a v ai l a b l e to the PI C at the

g r o u n d c on tr o l s t ati o n a n y t i m e the UAS is operating.

12. The PIC is p r ohibited fr o m beginn i ng a UAS flight unle s s (cons i d ering wind and forecast

weather co n di t ions) the r e is enough power to fly to the fi r st intended point of land i n g , and assu m ing

nor m al c ru i s ing speed, to fly a f ter that f or at least 10 m inute s

.

13. Max i m u m t otal flig h t t i m e for each ope r ational f l i ght using the UAS will be l i m i t ed to 40

m inu t es or t he a m ount o f ti m e the UAS can be flown and s t ill m ain t ain a reserve bat t e ry power of

no le s s than 25%, wh i chever o c c u rs firs t

.

14. Flights w i ll be ope r a ted at an altitu d e of no m ore than 400 feet A G L and will nev e r e nter

navig a b l e c o nt r o l led air s pace witho u t p r i o r writt e n authoriz a t i on and approval from t h e FA A . In the

event t h e st r uctu r e b eing inspected e xceeds 400 f eet A G L, the UAS will not b e o perated m ore than

100 fe e t above t h e highe s t p o i n t on t he s t r u ctu r e, and n o m ore than 50 f eet hor i z ontally from the

st r u c tu r e.

15. Flight oper a t i ons m ust be conduc t ed at l e ast 500 feet from all nonpartici p at i ng p e rso n s. (persons

other than t h e PIC, V O

, operator t rainees or e s s e nt i a l pe r so n nel ) , ve s se l s , vehi c les, a nd st r u c tu r es

unle s s:

a) Barriers or s t r u c tu r es are present th a t suf f ic i ent l y pro t e c t nonparticipating persons fr o m the

UA and/or debris in the event of an acc i de n t. T h e ope r a tor m ust e nsure t h at nonp a rticipat i ng

persons re m ain und e r s u ch protection. If a s i tuat i on arises where nonparticipating per s ons

le a ve s u ch p ro t e c t i on a n d are within 500 f eet of the U A , flight oper a t i ons m ust cease

im m edi a te l y and/o r ;U. S . Depar t m ent of Transpor t a t i on Sept 14, 2015

Page 9

b) The aircraft is oper a ted near ve s s el s

, vehi c l es or s t r u c tu r es w h ere t h e owner / co n t r o l ler of such

vessel s

, v ehicles or st r u ctures has g ranted pe r m ission and t he PIC has m a d e a safety

ass e ss m ent of the r isk of operat i ng c los e r to t ho s e obj e c ts a n d det e r m ined t hat it does not

present an u ndue haz a rd, and;

c) Opera t ions nearer to t h e PIC, V O

, o perator t ra i n ees or e s sential p e rsons d o not p r esent an

undue hazard to those pe rsons per § 91.119(a).

16. The UA m a y not be op e ra t ed le s s t h an 500 feet below or less than 2,000 f eet hor i zo n tally

fr o m a c l oud or when vi s ib i lity is l e ss than t h ree s ta t u te m i l es fr o m the PIC.

17. The UA m a y not opera t e with i n 5 n m of an airport ref e rence point as d e n oted on a current

F A A

- publ i shed aerona u t i c a l chart unless a letter of agree m e nt wi t h t h at a i rport’s m anage m ent is

obta i ned, a n d the op e rat i on is condu c ted i n a ccordance wi t h a N O T A M as required by the

Craig M ac C O A . The le t ter of agree m ent wi t h the airport m anage m ent wi l l be m ade av a i l a b le to

the Ad m in i st r a tor upon r eques t

.

18. Prior to each f

l i ght t he P IC sha l l i n s p ect t h e UAS to con f i r m that it is in a conditi o n safe f or

flight. The p r e

- flight insp e c tion will account f or all dis c repanc ie s, e.g. inoperable co m ponent s

,

i t e m s, or equip m ent, not al r e ady co v er e d in the releva n t sect i ons of the ope r ating docu m ent s

. The

PIC shall not o p era t e the UAS i f the inspect i on rev e als a con d it i on that af f ec t s the s afe operation of

the UAS unt i l the nece s s ary m ain t enance has been perfor m ed a n d the UAS is found to be in a

con d i t i on f

o r sa f e fligh t . The ground con t rol sta t ion shall be

inc l uded in t h e preflig h t insp e c t i on. All m ain t enance and a lternations m ust be properly docu m ent e d

in t he UAS re c ords as r equired by Craig M a c’s Oper a t i o ns Manuals.

19. Craig M ac w i l l carry out i t s m ain t en a nce, i nsp e ctions, and r e c ord keeping require m ents in

acco r da n ce with t he O p er a tions Manuals. Main t enanc e , i n s p ec t ion, and a l t e rations will be n o ted in

the UAS re c ords, i n clud i ng to t a l t i m e in s ervice, de s cr i p tion of work a c co m pl i shed, and the

sign a t u re of the auth o r i z ed pe r son r e tu r ning the UAS to se r vic e

.

20. Any UAS that has undergone m ain t enance or alter a t i o ns that af f ect t h e

UAS o peration or flight c h ar a c teristics ( e. g

., repla c e m ent of a flight cr i tical co mponent) m ust

undergo a function a l t e st f l i ght i n a c c ordance w i th Craig M a c ’s Opera t io n s Manua l s. T he PIC

who conducts the func t i o nal test flig h t m ust m ake an e n tr y in t h e UAS ai r c raft reco r ds of the

flight. The r equi r e m ents a n d p r o c e d u re s f o r a f u n cti o n a l te s t f

l i ght and UAS re c ord ent r y sha l l

be included in t he Craig M a c ’s Opera t ions Manuals.U. S . Depar t m ent of Transpor t a t i on Sept 14, 2015

Page 10

21. The UAS will be o perated and m ain t ain e d acco r d ing t o the M anuf a ctu r e r ' s Manu a ls and

any r e q ui r ed m anufac t urer Sa f ety/Service Bulletins.

22. Prior to the operation, a Miss i on P ac ket will be created in a cc ordance w i th the requ i re m ents

on Craig M a c’s Oper a t i o ns Manuals.

23. Craig M ac w i l l o b ta i n an Air Traf f ic Organi z a t i o n ( " A T O") issued Certif i ca t e of W ai v er or

Author i z a t i o n, otherwise known as a C O A, prior to condu c t i n g any ope r a tions under t h is Grant of

Exe m pt i on. A N OTAM will be is s u e d as r equir e d by the C O A. A ll oper a t i ons will be conduc t ed in

acco r da n ce with airspa c e require m ents in t h e ATO is s ued C O A includ i n g cl a ss of a i rspace, a l tit u de

lev e l and p o tential t r an s ponder req u ire m ent s

.

24. All r eq u i r ed per m is s ions a nd per m i t s will be o b tained fr o m terr i t o r i a l, state, county or c i t y

ju r isdi c t i on s , inc l u d ing local law en f orce m ent, fi r e or ot h er a pprop r iate g overn m ent a l agencies.

25. If the UAS los e s c omm unic a t i o n with t he p ilot, it will h a ve the ca p a b i l ity to re t u rn to a

pr e

- d ete r m ined l oca t i o n with i n t h e ope r a t i on a l a r e a and l a nd safely.

26. Contingency plans wi l l b e in p l a ce t o safely t e r m i nate flig h t i f there is a l o ss of

com m unic a t i on between the PIC and the Observer.

27. The UAS will have the c apa b il i ty t o safely abort flig h t in the c a s e of

unpredicted obsta c les or e m ergenc i e s

.

28. PICs and Observ e rs w i l l have at le a s t a cu r rent C l ass I II Me d ical Ce r t i fi ca te.

29. Prior to co n duct i ng op e rations for v i d eograph y

, t he PIC will have a c cu m ula t ed and logged,

in a m anner cons i stent w i t h 14 C F R § 61.51(b), a m in i m u m o f 200 flight cyc l es and 2 5 hours total

t i m e as a UAS ro t orcraft pilot a n d at l e ast 10 hours logged as a UAS pi l ot with a si m i l ar RE

- UAS

t y pe.

30. Prior to co n duct i ng op e rations for v i d eograph y

, t he PIC will have a c cu m ula t ed and

logged, i n a m anner cons i st e n t wi t h 1 4 C F R § 61.51(b ) , a m in i m u m of 54 C F R §61.51(b ) , a

m in i m u m of 10 logged h ours as UAS pi l ot operating t he m ake and m odel of UAS to be ut i lized

for operations u nder the ex em pt i on and thir t y tak e

- of f s and t hirty land i ng in t h e

prece d ing 90 days.U. S . Depar t m ent of Transpor t a t i on Sept 14, 2015

Page 11

31. Opera t ions s hall o c cur d ur i ng da y ti m e V F R M e teo r o log i c a l Condit i on s ; flights under

Speci a l V i s u al F l ig h t Ru l es ( "SVF R ") shall n o t be conduc t ed.

32. The UA sha l l r e m ain c lear and yield the right of w ay to a ll o t h er m anned operations a nd

ac t i v ities at all t i m es ( i n clud i ng, b u t not l i m i t ed to, ultral i g h t vehi c les, pa r achu t e a ct i v ities,

parasai l ing acti v i t ies, ha n g gl i d e rs, e tc.).

33. UAS Op e rations under Instru m ent F l ig h t Ru l es, at n igh t

, or beyond V L OS are prohibited.

34. The UAS will not be ope r a ted f r o m an e l eva t ed platfo r m or m oving device / vehi c le.

35. Be f

ore conduc t ing op e rations, t h e radio frequen c y spec t rum used for operation and c ont r ol

of the UA w i ll co m

ply w i th t h e Federal Co mm unic a t i o n s Co m m is s ion (F C C) or other appropriate

govern m ent ov e rsig h t agency requ i re m ent s

.

V. R E GULATI O NS F R OM W H ICH E X EMPTI O N IS R E QUE S TED

The Feder a l Aviat i on A c t exp r e s sly grants the FAA the au t hority to is s ue e xe m pt i ons. This

st a t u to r y a u t h or i ty, by its te r m s, inc l u des exe m pt i ng civil aircra f t, as the t e rm is defined under § 40101 of

the Ac t , i n cluding UAS , fr o m it s safety reg u lations and m in i m u m st a ndards wh e n the Ad m i n is t rat o r

dec i des a r e ques t ed e xem pt i on is in the public i n te r e s t

. 3

Craig M ac se eks an exe m pt i on from s eve r a l i n t errel a ted prov i sions of T i t le 14 of the Code of

Federal Re g ulations ( " 1 4 C. F .R") Pa r ts 21, 45, 61 and 91 for purposes o f conducting the req u es t e d

operations u sing a UAS . Lis t ed below a r e : (1) the speci f ic s e c t i ons o f 14 C .F

. R for which e x e mpt i on is

sought, and (2) the oper a t i ng pr o ced u res and saf e guards th a t Pet i tioner ha s establis h ed which will ensu r e a

lev e l of saf

e ty better th a n or equal to the r u les fr o m which exe m pt i on is s o ught. 4

3 49 U. S .C. § 44701(f) ( a utho r izing the grant of e xe m pt i ons fr o m requi r e m ents of re g ulations pre s cr i bed

pursuant to Sect i ons 4 4 701(a) and (b) and Sect i ons 44702

- 44716).

4 14 C. F .R § 11.81(e), w h ich r eq u i r e s a pe t ition f o r exe mpt i on to inc l ud e :

The re a sons why grant i n g the exe m pt i on would n ot adve r s e ly af f ect safety, or how the exe m pt i on would

prov i de a l e vel of safety at that p rovided by the ru l e fr o m wh i ch you seek exe m pt i on.U. S . Depar t m ent of Transpor t a t i on Sept 14, 2015

Page 12

U N MAN N ED A I R C RAFT S Y S TEM

A

. 14 C. F .R. Part 21, Subpart H

– A i r w orthiness Cer t ificat e s and 14 C

. F. R . § 91.2 0 3(a ) (1)

The F A A h a s s t ated th a t no exe m pt i on is needed f rom th i s se c tion if a f

inding is m ade under the

Re f o r m Act th a t the UAS se l ected prov i des an equ i v a lent lev e l of safety when c om pared to aircr a ft

nor m al l y used for the sa m e app l ic a tion. These crit e r i a a re m et, a nd therefore no exe m pt i on is n ee d ed

. 5 If,

however, t h e FAA det e r m ines that t here a re some characteristics of the c hosen UAS that fail to m eet the

r eq u i r e m ents of the R efo r m Act, an exe mpt i on is reque s ted.

Eq u iva l ent Level of Sa

f ety

Craig M a c ’s use of the UAS is s afe w hen t a king i nto account their s i ze, weigh t

, s peed, and

operational capabili t y. As set for t h in t he d e scr i pt i on of pro p osed opera t ions i n Se c tion IV (A), the RE

U A S weighs l ess t h an 55 pounds, in c lud i ng pa y l o ad and wi l l not be flo w n at a ground s peed i n e xc ess of

50 knots. UAS is a lso equipped with safety features that will a l l ow Petitioner to o perate the UAS safely

after expe r ience c er t a in i n

- fli g ht contingencies or fail u res. 67

5 See Grant o f E x e m

pt i on No. 11062 to Astraeus A er i al (FA A

- 2014

- 0352 at pg s . 13

- 1 4, 22).

6 See e. g ., G r ant of Exemption No. 11184 to Low C ount r y R C , Corp. (FA A

- 2014

- 0803 at pg. 3):

"The UAS have the capabil i ty to operate s afely after exp e r i en c ing c ertain i n

- flight cont i nge n cies or

failu r es and uses an auto

- pi l o t sys t e m to m ain t ain UAS st a b i lity and cont r o l. The UAS is al s o able to

re s p o nd to a loss o f global posit i oning sy s tem (GPS) or a lost

- l i nk e vent with a pr e

- co o rd i n a ted,

predictable, auto m at e d flight m aneuve r , and m anual flight c o nt r ol f uncti o nality as a b ackup. These safety

featur e s p rovide an equ i val e nt level of sa f ety c o m pared to a m anned a i rc r aft perfor m ing a si m i l ar

operation."

7 See e. g ., Grant of E x em pt i on No. 11184 to V D OS Global, L LC. (FA A

- 2014

- 0382 at pg s . 4

- 5 ):

The UAS ’s can be op e rated entirely by a t o uc h

- screen, m a p

- based i nte r face. Th i s m eans t he operator only

needs to com m and the s ystem where t o go, and the sys t em does all t he flying for the operator. The UAS

can be op e rat e d in bo t h se m i and fully autono m ous fli g ht m od e s, with t he o perator si m ply cl i c k ing on a

m ap to c re a te a p r e

- p lanned f l i ght path f

or a fli g ht. I n ad d i t i o n, the op e rator can cre a te no fly

zones or m axi m u m flight ranges and alti t udes so the system cannot enter areas

{foo t no t e cont i nued}U. S . Depar t m ent of Transpor t a t i on Sept 14, 2015

Page 13

Addit i on a l l y , the UAS ca rry neither p i l o t s n or passenge r s, ca rry no e xplosive m at e rials or

fla mm able liquid fuels, and operate e xclu s i v ely w i t hin the pa r a m et e rs st a ted in CraigMac’s

Opera t ions Manuals.

Opera t ions c onduct e d u n der t h is ex em pt i on will be c l os e ly controlled and m oni t ored by the

operator and will be co n duct e d in c om pl i ance with loc a l public safety require m ent s

, t o prov i de s e curity

for the area of o p er a t i on. Craig M ac will a lso p r o vide t he F A A w i t h advance notice o f all oper a t i o ns via

N O T A Ms a s required b y the a pp l icable CO A . In all c ase s

, o peration of t he UAS under t h e proposed

c o ndi t ions w i l l be at l east a s safe as, or sa f er than, convent i on a l ro t orcraft o p er a ting with an

ai r wort h iness ce r ti f

ic a te.

Last l y, the UAS do not n eed a m eans to c o m m unic a te with other ai r c raft o r A T C, becau s e those

c apabilities will b e posse s sed by the P IC and Observer, who a re not onbo a rd the UAS

. 8 In addition,

no sens e

- an d

- a void te c hn o l o gy is necessary for the UAS b ecau s e t h ey will be op e rated at all t i m es i n

VFR condi t i o ns and wi t h in VL O S of the P I C and Opera t or. 9

B

. 14 C. F .R. Part 27 Airworthiness S t andards: Normal Cat e gory Rotorcra f t

Tit l e 14 C.F

. R. P art 27 s e ts for t h t h e p rocedural r e qui r e m ents for ai r wo r thiness c ertifi c at i on of

nor m al c ategory rot o rcraft. To the extent that C o m pany ' s s m all UASs would other w ise require

ce r ti f ic a tion under Part 2 7, Pet i tioner seeks an e x e m pt i on fr o m Part 27 ' s

{continued f

rom prev i o u s page}

dee m ed un s afe or unne c ess a ry to fly over. The pet i tioner s tat e s further t h at the UAS has bui l t

- in in t e l l i g ent

fault handling which allows the Pha n t o m II and S1000+ to d e tect a system fault while in the a ir and

au t o m at i cally fly b a ck to its tak e off loc a t i on and l a nd. F a ul t s that c an be det e c ted includ e : loss of

com m unic a t i on; exceeding pr e

- s e t wind t hresho l ds; a nd low bat t e ry leve l s.

All flight o perations are global p o si t io n ing s y st e m (GPS) cont r o l led, m aking the sys t em easy to

navig a te. At any poi n t i f the operator is not e x pl i c i t ly co mm anding the system to m ove, the sys t em

auto m at i cal l y holds its G P S posit i on. The flig h t cont r o l sy s tem e mplo y s not only G PS posit i on i ng but a

variety of sensors incl u ding sona r , baro m et r ic pressure, te m peratu r e, wind speed and othe r s to ensu r e

st a b i lity so l o ng as wind th r esh o lds a re not exce e ded. Also a f l i ght te r m ination link

– to prevent a ' f l y away'

or o t her p o tentially dangerous situat i on

– is a v a ilable t o the o perator.

8 See Grant of E x e m

pt i on No. 11062 to Astrae u s Aeri a l (FA A

- 2014

- 0352 at pg. 13).

9 Id.U. S . Depar t m ent of Transpor t a t i on Sept 14, 2015

Page 14

C

. 14 C. F .R. §§ 91.9(c), 45

. 23(b) and 45.27(a): Ai r cra f t Ma r k i n g and Ide n t i fica t ion

Requirements

Craig M ac se eks an exe m pt i on from the a ircraft mark i ng and i d ent i fic a t i on require m ents contained in 14

C. F .R. §§ 91.9(c), 45.2 3 (b) and 45. 2 7(a).

● 14 C. F .R. § 91.9(c), Civ i l Ai r cra f t Fli g ht M a nu a l, Ma r king a n d Placard require m ent s

, prov i des

that:

No person m ay ope r ate a U.S.

- registered civil a i rc r aft u n le s s that a i r c raft is i de n t i fied in

acco r da n ce with Pa r t 45 of this cha p te r

.

● 14 C. F .R. § 45.23(b )

, M arkings of t h e Aircra f t, states:

W hen m arks in c lude on l y the Ro m an cap i tal l ett e r " N" and t h e registration nu m ber is displa y ed on

l i m i t ed, re s tric t ed o r light

- sport cate g ory aircraft or experi m e ntal o r p r ov i sion a lly c e rtifica t ed

ai r c raft, the operator m u st al s o disp l ay on that a i r cra f t near each entra n ce to the ca bin, cockpit,

or p i l o t station, in l e t t e rs not less than two inches nor m ore than s ix i n ch e s high, the words

" l i m i t ed," "restric t ed," " l igh t

- sp o r t

, " E xperi m ent a l," or "p r o v isional," a s appl i ca b le.

● 14 C. F .R. § 45.27(a), R o to r cra f t, s t a tes:

Each ope r a t o r of a ro t orcraft m ust d i spl a y on that ro t orcraft h or i zo n tally on both surf a ces of the

cab i n, fuse l age, boo m

, or tail the m arks requ i red by § 45

. 23.

In a pre v io u s Grant of E xe m pt i on, the F A A dete r m ined t hat e xe m pt i on f ro m the s e require m ents

was warranted provided that the a irc r aft "have i de nt i fic a t i on ( N

- Nu m ber) m arkings i n acco r da n ce

with 14 C.F.R P art 45, Subpart C if t he m arkings a re as la r g e as pra c t i ca b le." 10

Eq u iva l ent Level of Sa

f ety

All UA f lo w n by CraigMac will b ear N

- n u m ber m arkings t hat a re as l arge as practic a ble

in a c c o rdan c e with 14 C.F.R. Part 45, Subpa r t C. 11

_

10 F A A D oc k et No. F A A

- 2014

- 0352.

11 See, e.g., F AA Docket No. FAA

- 2014

- 0352, at 14.U. S . Depar t m ent of Transpor t a t i on Sept 14, 2015

Page 15

D. 14 C .F

. R. § 91.405(a), 91.407 ( a ) ( 1), 91.40 9 (a)(1) and ( 2 ); 91.417( a ) and (b): M a intenance

Inspec t ions

Craig M ac se eks an exe m pt i on from the m ain t enance inspection requ i re m ents co n ta i n ed in

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

. 409(a) ( 2 ); 91.417(a) a nd (b ) . The s e regulatio n s speci f y

m ain t enance and in s pe c tion standar d s in r efere n ce to 14 C.F.R. Pa r t 43. S e e, e.g., 14 C. F .R. § 91.4 0 5(a)

(stating that each owner or operator of an aircra f t " sh a ll ha v e the a irc r aft insp e c ted a s prescribed in subpa r t

E of th i s part and sh a ll b etween r eq u i r ed insp e c tions ...have dis c repanc ie s repaired as prescribed in part 43

of this chapter"). An ex em pt i on from the s e regul a t i ons is nee d ed bec a use Part 43 and t h ese s e c t i o n s only

apply t o a i r c raft wi t h an ai r wort h iness ce r ti f icate, which the UAS to b e ope r a ted under this grant of

exe m pt i on will not ha v e.

Eq u iva l ent Level of Sa

f ety

An equiva l e nt l ev e l of safety will be achieved be cause m ain t enance and i n spections will be

perfor m ed in acco r da nc e with t he M anufactu r e r ' s Manu a l and any requi r ed m an u factur e r Safety or Service

Bulletins. F ur t her, as r e qui r ed by C r aig M a c ’s Operations Manuals, the P IC will con d uct a pre

- fli g ht

insp e c t i on o f the UAS and a l l a s soc i a ted e q uip m ent t o accou n t for all dis c repan c ies and/or in o perable

co m ponent s . Ma i n t enance w i l l be pe r fo r m ed and ve r ified to address a ny c ondi t ions p o tentially af f ec t ing

safe oper a t i on of the UAS and no fligh t s w i ll occ u r un l e ss, and un t il, all flig h t cr i t i c a l co m p o nents of the

UAS have be e n found to be a i r worthy a n d in a c ond i tion safe f or operation. A f

unct i onal t est flig h t will be

con d uct e d follo w ing t he replace m ent of a ny fligh t

- c ri t ic a l co m po n ent s . As re q ui r ed by C ra igM a c’s

Opera t ions Manuals, t h e PIC who conducts the functional test flight w i ll m ake an e n t ry i n t h e UAS ai r c raft

r e c o rds of the fl i ght.

Craig M a c ’s Opera t ions Manual a lso includes require m ents to follow the m an u facture r ’s UAS

ai r c raft / co m ponent, m ain t enanc e , o v erhaul, repl a ce m ent, i nspect i on, and li f e l i m it re q ui r e m ents for the

following a p pl i ca b le c om ponent s : p owertrain s y st e m (powerplant), p r op e l l e rs, avion i cs and cont r ol

surfaces (in c lud i ng a i l e rons/elevons), structures & ai r fra m e, ca m era sys t em, electrical s yst e m s ( i ncluding

bat t e r i e s), ground cont r o l st a tion, ha z ard accessories, and s p a re parts. F u rther, CraigMac’s Operat i ons

Manuals al s o inc l ud e s p rocedures to docu m ent a nd m ain t ain a rec o rd of the UAS m ain t ena n ce,

preventati v e m ain t enance, alterations, and status of replace m ent / ov e r h a u l co m ponent p a r t s, and t h e to t al

t i m e in s ervice of the UAS used under t h is G rant of Exe m pt i on. As a whole, t he m ain t enance and

insp e c t i on p rocedures required in C r aig M a c ’s Operations Manuals ens u re that an eq u iva l e n t or h i g her

lev e l of saf

e ty wi l l b e a c hiev e d.U. S . Depar t m ent of Transpor t a t i on Sept 14, 2015

Page 16

PILOT

- IN

- COMMAND OF THE UAS

E

. 14 C. F .R. § 61.113: Pr i vate Pil o t P rivileg e s a n d Lim i tati o ns

C r a i g M a c s e e k s e x e m

ptio n f r o m 14 C F R § 6 1 .1 1 3

, w h i c h res tr i c t s p r i v a t e pi l o t c e rt

i fi c a t e h old e r s

f ro m f l y i n g a i r c ra f

t fo r c o m p e n s a t i o n or h ire

, a n d woul d als o re qu i r e a se co n d cl a s s me d i ca l ce r t i f i c a t e

. T h e

pu r po s e of Par

t 61 is to e n s u r e t h a t t

h e s k il l a n d c o m

p ete n c y of a n y P I C m atc h e s th e a i r s p a c e in wh ic h th e P I C

w i l l b e o pe r a

t i n g

, as w el l as r e q u ir

i n g c e r ti f i ca t i o n s if th e p ri v a t e p il o t is ca rry i n g p a s s e n g e r s or car g o f o r h ir e

.

In t h i s c a s e

, wh i l e th e UAS w il l be op e r a te d as p ar t of a c om mer c i a

l o p e r a t i o n

, it c a rr i e s ne i th e r p a s s e n g e r s no r

car g o

.

In th e G

r a n t of Ex e m

p ti o n to A s t

r a e u s A e ri a l.1 2

, t h e FAA det e r m ined t hat the unique c h ar a c teristics

of UAS operation o uts i de of c o nt r o l led air s pace d i d n o t warrant the addition co s t and restrictions at t en d ant

with req u i r ing a the PIC to have a Com m er c ial Pil o t Certi f ic a te and Class II Med i c a l Ce r ti f ic a te. The

ful f i l lment of the addi t io n al req u i r e m ents for a pr i v ate p i l o t to become qual i fied a s a c o m m er c ial p i lot

would not l e ad to a ny a d di t io n al s af e ty ben e fits when UAS operations a r e inv o l v ed.

Eq u iva l ent Level of Sa

f ety

The CraigMac restricti o ns have pla c ed on i t s UAS operat i ons m eet or exceed t h e re s tri c t i ons

si m i l ar l y i m posed on Astra e us A e r i a l. CraigMac will op e ra t e on pr i v a te proper t y away fr o m persons and

proper t y n o t invo l ved in the op e rati o n. Craig M ac will a lso obtain a n A T O issued C O A prior to co n duct in g

any ope r a t i o ns under t h is G rant of Exe mpt i on. All ope r ations will be con d uct e d in accordance w i th

ai r sp a ce re q ui r e m ents in the ATO issued C O A i n clud i ng c lass of ai r spac e , alti t ude level and poten t ial

t r ansponder require m ent s . A N OT A M will also be i s sued a s required by t he app l icab l e COA.

In add i t i on t o the s e flig h t r e s triction s

, Craig M ac will further ensu r e safe operation by requiring t h at

any PIC be thoroughly v er s ed not only in airsp ac e and com m unic a tion i ss ues pertai n i n g to all air c raft

operators b u t a lso in the unique asp e cts of UAS flight. As set for t h in t he Ope ra t i ons Man ua ls, pi l o ts will

have e x perience not only i n UAS operat i ons ge n erally but h ave logged fl i g h t t i m e in t he spec i fic m ake and

m odel u s ed for the op e rat i ons before they are p e r m i t ted t o participate in com m er c ial flights on beha l f of

Craig M a c . The pi l ot qualif i ca t ion, t r a ining, and currency r eq u i r e m ents in t he Operat i ons Manuals ensu r e

that Craig M ac p ilots are co m pet e nt and p rofic i e n t i n t he UAS they a re o p er a ting. Cr a igM a c’s t r a in i ng and

qual i fic a t i on require m ents are consistent with th o se con t a ined in pr i o r FAA S ec t ion 3 33

Grants of E xe mpt i on, and will p r o v i d e a h i gh e r level of co m pet e ncy and profic i ency for its pilots and will

ensu r e a t l ea st a n eq u ivalent l e v el o f s afety.

12 Exe m pt i on No. 11062 (F A A Docket No. F A A

- 2 014

- 0352).U. S . Depar t m ent of Transpor t a t i on Sept 14, 2015

Page 17

OPER A T I NG P A RAMET E RS OF THE UAS

F

. 14 C. F .R. § 91.7 ( a): Ci v il Air c raft Air w orthi n ess

A l t h o u g h t h ere wi l l be no airwor t h i n ess c ertifi c ate issued for the UAS , Craig M ac seeks an

exe m pt i on f

r om 14 C. F

. R. § 91.7(a), w hich r equires t h a t a ci v il a i r c raft be in airwort h y condition to be

operated. The F A A has st a ted that no exe mpt i on is requ i red for 14 C .F. R

. § 91.7(a) t o the e x t ent t h at t h e

require m ents of P art 21 are waived o r found inapp l ic a b le

. 1 3 Accord i n g ly, Pet i tioner requests t h at t he

require m ents for § 91.7(a) be tre a ted in accorda n ce wi t h Se c tion V (A), s upra.

G

. 14 C. F .R. § 91.9 ( b)(2): Civil Air cr aft F l ight Manual in t he Aircraft and 14

C .F

. R

. 03(a) and ( b): Carryi n g Civil Air c raft Certif i cation and Regis t rati o n

Tit l e 14 C.F

. R. § 91.9(b) ( 2) and § 91

. 203(a) and (b) require t h e ope r a tor to ca rry a i r wo r th i ness

docu m ents and oth e r aircraft m anua l s onboa r d the aircraft. P u rsuant to 14 C. F .R. § 91

. 9(b ) (2):

... (2) For which an Airp l ane o r Rotorc r aft Flight Man u al is req u i r e d by § 21.5 of th i s chapter, un l ess

the r e is a v ailable in t h e ai r c raft a c u r r ent appro v ed Airp l a n e or Rotorcraft Flig h t Ma n ual, appro ve d m anual

m at e r i al, m arkings, and pla c a rds, or any co m bi n at i on thereof.

Pursuant t o 14 C. F .R. § 91.203(a) a n d (b ) :

(a) Except as provided in § 91.715, no p er s on m ay operate a civil ai r cra f t unless it has w i t h in it the

following:

(1) An appropriate and cur r ent a ir w or t h ine s s certificate...

(b) No person m ay ope r ate a c i v i l aircra f t un l ess t h e ai r wo r th i n ess c ertifi c ate required b y

paragraph ( a ) of this sec t ion or a spe c ial flig h t author i z a t i on issued under § 91.715 is displayed at the ca b in

or cockpit e nt r an c e so t h at it i s leg i b le to passen g ers or c rew.

13 See id. at 13

- 14, 22U. S . Depar t m ent of Transpor t a t i on Sept 14, 2015

Page 18

Given the s m all si z e a n d configuration of the UAS , it would be imposs i ble to k eep

ai r wort h iness docu m ents and oth e r aircr a ft m anua l s on boa r d t h e UAS becau s e t h ere is si m ply no

room and the UAS has no cabin or cockpit.

Eq u i val e nt Level of Sa

f ety

In an FAA Of

f ice of C h ief Counsel's Opinion dated August 8 , 2014, and pr e pared by Dean E.

Grif f i t h, Attorney, A G C

- 220, it was acknowled g ed th a t the intent of 14 C. F .R. 91.9 ( b) and 91.2 0 3(a) and

(b) is m et i f the pi l ot of the u n m anned a i rcraft has access to the UAS flight m anua l

, registration ce r ti f ic a te,

a nd other re q ui r ed docu m ents from the g r ound c o nt r ol st a t i on fr o m which he or she is operating the

a irc r aft

. 1 4 As this FAA Of f ice of Chief C ou ns el Opin i on c larifies, t he i n tent of the ru l e is t o e ns ure the pi l ot

h as a c c ess t o t h ese key docu m e nts dur i ng f l igh t . The r efore, an eq u i v al e nt level of sa f ety wi l l be ach i eved

by ensu r ing that the p i l ot ha s ac c ess to the docu m e n ts a t the g r o und cont r o l st a tion f rom which he or she is

p iloting the UAS

.

H

. 14 C. F .R. § 91.103: Pr e f l ight Action

Craig M ac se eks an exe m pt i on from 1 4 C. F .R. § 91.103, which r e quires a PIC to beco m e fa m i l iar

with spe c ific i nfor m at i on before each f l i ght, i n c l u ding i nfo r m at i on cont a ined i n the F AA

- approved Flight

Manual on board the air c raft. W hi l e the PIC will be f a m i l iar with all infor m at i on nece s sa r y to sa f ely

conduct t h e flight, an e x e m pt i on is requested to the ext e n t t h a t an FA A

- approved Fl i g ht M a nu a l i s requ i red.

Eq u iva le nt Level of Sa

f ety

An equiva l e nt l ev e l of safety will be provided by f ol l owing the Craig M a c’s Oper a t i o ns Manuals

and the Ma n ufacturer's Manua l . T h e PIC will p erform a se r ies of checklists de s igned to identify a ny

defects or i n operable c om ponents in acco r da n ce with t he Cr a igM a c’ s Operations Manuals, inc l u d ing

checklis t s c overing Pre

- Flight, Lau n ch, Landing, and Pos t

- F l i g ht p r oced u res. The PIC w i l l also be required

to r e v iew weath e r, flight require m ent s , battery c h arge, landi n g and t a keo f f distance, U A perfo r m ance dat a

,

and con t in g ency l an d i n g area s

— b efore i n i t iati o n of f

l i ght. Craig M a c ’s Opera t ions Manuals a n d the

Manufacturer ' s Manu a l will be ke p t at t he g round cont r o l s t a t i on and w i ll be acc e s sible to the P IC at all

t i m es whi l e ope r ating the UAS

.

I. 14 C. F .R. § 91.109 ( a): F l i ght Instr u ct i on

1 4 Me m orand u m fr o m M ark Bury, FAA Assistant Chief C ounsel for Int e rnational L a w, Legislat i on and

Regula t ion, to John Duncan, F A A F l i ght Stan d ards Service ( A ug. 8, 20 1 4); see also Docket No. F A A

2014

- 0352 a t 16

- 18.U. S . Depar t m ent of Transpor t a t i on Sept 14, 2015

Page 19

Craig M ac se eks an exe m pt i on from 1 4 C. F .R. § 91.109(a), w h ich p r o v ides in pertine n t part that

"[n ] o person m ay ope r ate a civil aircraft (except a m anned f r ee balloon) t hat i s b eing used f or fli g ht

ins t ruc t ion unless t h at aircraft has ful l y fu n ct i oni n g dual c on t rols." UAS and r e m ote l y p i l o t ed aircr a ft, by

their design, do not have funct i o n al du a l controls. I n s te a d, flight contr o l i s a cco m pl i shed t hrou g h the use of

a device that com m u n ic a tes wi t h t h e a i rcraft via radio com m unic a t i on s . Accord i ng l y, an exe m p t i on wi l l be

required for the flig h t ins t ruc t ion requi r e m ents of 14 C. F

. R. § 91.109(a).

Eq u iva l ent Level of Sa

f ety

Given the s ize and speed of the UAS that Craig M ac in t e n ds to use, an equiv a lent level of safe

t r a in i ng can st i ll be p e rfor m ed without dual c o n t r o ls b e cause n o pi l ot o r passenge r s are aboa r d t h e RE

U A S, and as r equired by the CraigM a c’s Oper a t i o ns Manual s

, all p e rsons will be a safe distance a way in

the e ve n t t h a t t he UAS expe r ien c es any d i f f icul t ies duri n g flight inst r uct i on. M o reover, as required by the

CraigM a c’s Oper a t i o ns Manual s

, all flig h t training will b e conduc t ed in cont r o l l ed and sterile

envi r on m ent. As a whole, the safety p rocedures provided for i n Cra i gMac ’ s Opera t io n s Manua l s e n sure

that the p r o p osed UAS operat i ons provide an equivalent or h i gher level of safety than t h a t provided

by the flight instruc t ion regulations.

J. 14 C. F .R. § 91.119 ( c): Minimum S afe Altitud e s

Craig M ac requests an e x e m pt i on fr o m the m in i m u m safe alt i t u de requir e m ents of 14 C. F .R. §

91.119(c)

. 1 5 Sect i on 91. 1 19 prescrib e s the m in i m u m safe alt i t u des under which a i rcr a ft m ay not operate,

inc l u d ing 500 f

eet above the s urface and away fr o m any pe r son, vesse l

, v ehi c le, or s tructu r e in non

conges t ed areas. See 14 C. F .R. § 91.119(c). Section 91.119(d) allows f or a helicopter to operate a t le s s

than t ho s e mini m u m al t itudes when it can be operat e d "w i tho u t ha z a rd t o p er s ons or p roperty on t h e

surface," provided t h a t "e a ch p e rs o n operating the helicopter co mpl i es wi t h any ro u tes or alti t u d es

spec i fic a l l y prescribed f

or helicopte r s by the F A A."

An ex e mpt i on is req u i r e d becau s e t h e proposed UAS o perations w i ll nor m al l y need t o occ u r below

400 feet AG L . In ci r cu m st a n c es where t h e UAS is u s ed to i ns p ect a s t r u c t u re whose h e i g ht exce e ds 400 feet

A G L, the UAS will not be operated m ore than 100 f eet above the highe s t p oint on t h e st r u c tu r e, a n d with i n

50 feet horizon t al l y of the s tructure. Addit i o n al l y, d u e the n a tu r e of t h e proposed operations, the Pilot

and/or Observers( s ) m ay need t o be less than 500 f eet away f

r o m the UAS

.

15 Relief from § 91.119(a) wi l l not b e nec e s s ary becau s e P e tition e r wi l l b e ab l e to per f o r m an e m ergency

land i ng w i t h out undue h aza r d to per s ons or property on t h e ground in the event of a f ai l ure. Pe t i t i o ner ' s

proposed UAS operat i ons w i ll n ot oc c ur o ve r congested ar e as, and therefore an exe m pt i on f ro m §

91.119(b) will n o t be necess a ry. S ee e.g ., Grant o f E x e mpt i on No. 11157 to Slug w e ar, Inc., dba Like on a

t r ee A e r i a l (F A A

- 2014

- 0534 at 15).U. S . Depar t m ent of Transpor t a t i on

Sept 14

, 20 1 5

Page 20

Eq u iva l ent Level of Sa

f ety

Co mpared to fl i ght operations with r oto r cra f t weigh i ng far m ore than the m ax i m u m w e igh t s

proposed h e re i n, and g i v en the l ack o f f l a m m able fuel with t he UAS

, any risk as s oci a ted with the s e

op e rat i ons is far l es s th a n those that p re s e n tly exist w i th conven t io na l aircraft. A n equiv a lent lev e l

of saf e ty wi l l b e achieved g i ve n the s ize, w eigh t , and s p eed of the UAS , as well t h e cont r o l l ed

l o ca t ion wh e re the op e rat i ons will oc c ur. I n order to avoid any r i sk to m anned ai r c raft, flight

opera t ions will be re s tri c ted t o 400 f eet AGL or below, or when in s pec t ing a st r uctu r e whose height

e x ceeds 400 f

eet A G L, w i t hin 100 feet a b ove the highest poi n t on that s t r u c ture and 50 feet

hor i zo n tally of the st r u c t u re.

As set for t h in t he Ope ra t i ons Man ua ls, t he UAS will be operated in a restricted area, and all flights

will b e ope r a ted a t a l a ter a l d i s tan c e of at least 500 feet f r o m any n onparticipating persons, unle s s that

p e rson i s in a positi o n where he or she i s shielded from the UAS and any p o ss i ble deb r is re s u l t i ng fr o m

UAS failu r e. As requ i red by the Ope r at i ons Man u al s , flig h ts w i l l be ter m ina t ed if a nonparticipating person

with i n 500 f

eet of the UAS le a ves a shi e lded posit i on. F u r t her, UAS operations will occ u r at le a s t 500 feet

a way f rom vehi c les o r st r u ctures unle s s the p r operty own e r

/contro l ler h as g r anted p er m is s ion and the PIC h a s m ade a s af e ty a s s e ssment of the ri s k of operat i n g

clo s er to those objects and, operatio n s near t h e PIC or Obse r ver wi l l not p re s ent an u n due haz a rd per §

91.119(a). A dherence to the s e res t r i c tions in Cr a i g Mac ’ s Op e rations M a n uals wi l l ensure operati o ns can

be conducted w i t hout c om pr o m is i ng safety. 16

K. 14 C.F. R . § 91.121: Al t imeter Set t i n gs

Craig M ac se eks an exe m pt i on from 1 4 C. F .R. § 91.121, which r e quires a person operat i ng an a i r c raft

to m ain t ain cruising alti t ude or flight level by refer e nce to an alti m et e r t h a t i s set to the elevation of the

depa r t u re a irport or bar o m et r ic p r essure An ex em pt i on is r e qui r ed to t he ext e nt that t h e UAS do not have a

b a ro m et r ic a ltimete r , b u t r a t h er a GPS alt i tude r e ad ou t

.

16 See e.g

. , G rant of Ex empt i on No. 11138 to Douglas Trudeau (FAA

- 2014

- 0481 at 1 9):

" I f barriers or st r u ctures are present that c an suf f ic i e n t l y p rotect nonp a r t icipating persons f rom t h e UA or

debris in the event of an acc i de n t, then the UA m ay operate c loser than 500 feet to perso n s af f orded such

pro t e c t i on. The oper a t o r m ust a lso e nsure that n onparticipating persons re m ain und e r such protec t ion. I f a

si t u a t i on a rises where nonparticipating persons leave such p rotection and a re wit h in 500 feet of the U A

, flight opera t ions m ust c ease im m edi a te l y. W hen cons i dering h ow to im m e dia t e ly c e as e ope r a t i ons, the

pr i m ary conce r n is the s afety of those nonpa r tic i pat i ng p e rs o ns. In addition, the FAA finds that o perations

m ay be conduc t ed closer than 500 feet to vessels, vehi c les and st r u ctures when the owner/co n t r o l l e r of any

such vess e ls, vehi c les or s t r u c tu r es gr a nts p e r m is s ion f o r the o p er a tion and t h e PIC m akes a s afety

ass e ss m ent of the r isk of operat i ng c los e r to t ho s e obj e c ts a n d det e r m ines that it do e s not p r esent an undue

haza r d.U. S . Depar t m ent of Transpor t a t i on

Sept 14

, 20 1 5

Page 21

The F A A h a s s t ated th a t an equ i v a lent lev e l of safety to the r e qui r e m ents of 14 C. F

. R. § 91.121 can be

a c h ieved in circu m st a nces w here: (1) the UAS w i ll b e ope r a ted below 400 f eet A G L or below 17

, (2) with i n

V L O S , (3) where G P S based a l titude infor m at i on is relayed i n real t i m e to t he operator at a ground

- based

o n

- s c reen dis p lay and, (4) wh e re pr i o r t o e ach flight, a zero altitude initiation p o int is es t a b l i shed f or t he

PIC to con f

i r m a c curacy of t h e onboa r d G PS. 18

The UAS that Craig M ac i n tends to use for the proposed operations will m eet all the s e

operational characterist i cs. Moreov e r, as req u ir e d by CraigMac’s Oper a tions Manua l s , the P I C w ill be

required to cali b ra t e the air c raft ' s GPS c o m pass pr i or to each f

l i ght opera t ion. L

i ke pr i or FAA Sect i on

333 Grants of E x e mpt i on, the UAS Craig M ac to us e

, a n d the s afety m i t iga t ion procedures c o nta i ned in

t he Ope ra t i ons Man ua ls, both en s u re that an e q uiva l e n t l e v el of safety will be a chieved, and a Grant of

Exe m pt i on to t he req u i r e m ents of § 1 91.121 is t h er e fore ap p ropri a te.

L. 14 C. F .R. § 91.151 ( a): F uel Requirements f o r Fl i ght in VF R Con d i t ions

Craig M ac requests an e x e m pt i on fr o m 14 C. F

. R. § 91.151(a ) ' s fuel requi r e m ents for f l ight in V F R

conditions. Sect i on 91. 1 51 st a tes:

(a) No person m ay beg i n a flight in an airplane un d er V F R conditions u n less (con s i d ering wind

and forecast weather co n di t ions) the r e is enough fuel to fly to t h e first point of in t ended land i ng

and, as s u m ing no r m al c ru i sing s p e ed

–

(1) During t he d ay, to fly af t er that f or at le a s t 30 m i nute s ; or

(2) At nigh t , to fly a f

ter that for at l e a st 45 m inu t es.

Here, t he technologic a l l i m i t at i ons on UAS b at t e ry power m eans t hat no m ean i ngful flight

operations c an be cond u ct e d while s t i l l m ain t a ining a 3 0

- m inu t e batte r y reserve. An e xe m pt i on f ro m the

fuel require m ents of 14 C. F .R. § 91.151(a) is therefore required.

1 7 If the h e i g ht of the st r u ctu r e b eing i n spec t ed e xc eeds 400 feet A G L, the UAS will not be operated

m ore than 100 f

eet abo v e the highest point on the st r u c tu r e.

1 8 See Grant of E x e mpt i on No. 11062 to Astrae u s Aeri a l (FA A

- 2014

- 0352 at 2 1 ).U. S . Depar t m ent of Transpor t a t i on

Sept 14

, 20 1 5

Page 22

Eq u iva l

ent Level of S a

fety

In t he Gra n t of E x e mpt i on to VD O S ( Exe m pt i on No. 11112), the F A A dete r m ined t hat an

equiv a lent level of sa f

ety to the fuel require m ents for f l i ght in V FR con d i t ions could be ach i e v ed by

proh i b i t i ng t h e PIC f

r o m beginn i ng a UAS flight un l ess (cons i dering wind and forecast we a ther conditions)

t h e re was e n ough power to fly t o the f i r st i n tended point of l a nding and, a ssu m ing nor m al cruising speed, to

fly af t er that f or at le a s t 10 m i nute s . In re a ching t h is c o nclu s ion, the F AA cons i dered that the UAS batteries

for the UAS prov i ded provide ap p rox i m at e ly 2 0 m inu t es of po w er e d fl i ght (wi t h pa y load) and provided

ba t tery l evel and b a ttery ti m e r e m ain i ng in m i nutes and seconds to t h e PIC

. 19

The F A A also consid e red the fact t h at t he UAS operating m anual states: “start e very flight with a fully

cha r ged b a ttery i n the a e r i a l veh ic le”, and that in the e ve n t t h a t t he UAS should run l ow on po w er, the PIC

will be al e rted and c an l a nd the UAS as soon as po s sib l e. L ike the V D OS G r ant of Exe m pt i on, Craig M a c ’s

use of the UAS , combined wi t h the r eq u i r e m ents of Pe t i t io n er's Operations Ma n ual s , ensu r e that a n

equiv a lent lev e l of sa f

ety c an be a chi e ved.

Si m i l ar l y, in the Grant of Exe mpt i on to Alan Pu r win (Exe m p t i on No. 11161), the F A A det e r m ined

that an equivalent level of sa f ety t o t he fuel requ i re m ents for f l i ght i n V F R conditions could be achieved by

proh i b i t i ng t h e PIC f

r o m beginn i ng a flight with t h e UAS unle s s (considering w i nd and forecast weather

co n di t ions), the r e was enough power t o fly at n o r m al c ru i s ing sp e ed to t he intended l an d i n g point and l a nd

the UA with 25% battery p o wer re m ain i ng. Craig M a c will ad h ere to t h is li m i tation for UAS flights.

The UAS inc l udes a low battery w arning system and the a m ount of bat t e ry r e serve power

re m ain i ng is tran s m i t ted to the PIC v i a tele m et r ic data feed, which downlinks f r o m the UAS to a ground

based

- on

- s c re e n disp l ay. 2 0 As requ i red by Craig M a c ’s Opera t ions Manuals, t h e PIC will p ro m pt l y fly the

UAS back t o the ho m e l a unch lo c a t i o n or p r e

- d eter m ined a bort location w here the UAS m ay s a fely l and,

while s till m ain t a ining a m in i m u m of 2 5 % r ese r ve b a t t e ry p o wer. Craig M ac su b m i t s that the p r o c edures

requ i r i ng flights to be safely t e r m i nat e d once t h e ba t ter i es fall be l ow 2 5% capacity, co m bined w i t h t h e

req u ire m ent t hat fl i ghts o n ly b e conduc t ed with i n a s e c ure, isolated area, using a RE

- U A S weighting less

than 55 pounds, and with i n V L OS o f the PIC and Observer(s )

, e nsure that t h e proposed o p er a tion wi l l

prov i de an e quiva l e n t or higher lev e l of sa f ety t o t hat p r o v ided by the regu l at i ons fr o m which exe m pt i on

is sought.

19 Grant of E xe mpt i on No. 11112 t o V D OS Global, LLC (FA A

- 2014

- 0382 at 10).

20 The UAS ground cont r o l s t a tion disp l ays, the UAS position, n avig a tion r o ute, t a il nu m ber, alti t ude,

h ea ding, no r th seeking a r r o w, range t o t arget s

, calc u la t ed ta r g et position, date/ti m e, and sensor head i ng

and or i e n tation relative to t h e UAS

.U. S . Depar t m ent of Transpor t a t i on

Sept 14

, 20 1 5

Page 23

VI. D R UG A N D A LCOH O L P R O G R A M

Craig M ac w i l l h ave pol i ci e s in p l a c e to en s ure t h at no p e rson m ay pa r t i c i p ate in UAS

flight opera t ions i f they are und e r t h e influen c e of alcohol or any drug.

VII. P U B L I C I N T ER E S T

The publ i c i n te r e s t will be served by gran t ing C r aig M a c ’s P e t i tion f or Exe m pt i on. Congress has

es t a b l i shed a na t io n al policy that f a vors early i n teg r a t i on of UAS in t o the NAS in controlled, safe working

environ m ents such as tho s e proposed in this Petitio n . Granting t h is Pe t ition f o r Exe m pt i on helps ful f

i l l

Cong r ess' goal in passing Se c tion 333(a) t h rough ( c) o f the Re f o r m Ac t

— the F AA Ad m in i st r a to r ' s

assess m ent of whether c er t a in UAS m ay o p er a te sa f ely in the N A S be f

ore co mp l et i on of the s ta t u to r ily

required rul e m aking.

The proposed UAS operations in this Pe t iti o n for Ex e mp t i on sig n ifi c ant l y i m pr o ve safety a n d

reduce r i sk harm or serious in j ury to insp e c t i ng e ngine e rs. T radi t ional m ethods of real estate video

production a nd inspe c t i o n of structures, expose v ideog r ap h e r

- insp e c to r s to higher risks of se r ious i n ju r ies,

or death. Videographe r

- i n spec t ors n e ed to c li m b roof tops or othe r wise p er f o r m el e v a ted w ork, which

exposes them to t he risk of dangerous fal l s, e le c t r ocut i on o r other work r e lated e x t r e m es. I n addit i o n,

depend i ng o n the n a t u re of the v i deo needed a nd i nspection, p rox i m i t y to equip m ent, a nd other m echan i c al

haza r ds associated with indust r ial s ites and construction f ac i lities o f

ten i n volves a risk of exposure to

haza r dous. The use of UAS m i t iga t e s th e s e haza r ds and is u l ti m at e ly a m uch safer m ethod o f perfor m ing

t hese a nd m o st o t h e r t y p es of insp e ctions.

The use of s m all UAS al s o enhanc e s safety and reduces r i sk becaus e , unl i ke m anned aircr a ft

weighing t h ousands of p o unds, ca rrying crew in addition t o fla m m able fuel, t he UAS ca r ry no passengers

o r crew. Further, i n the unlikely eve n t of an acc i d ent, Craig M ac s m all battery powered UAS p r esen t s

s ign i f ic a n t ly l e ss danger to pe rsons on the ground when co m pared to op e ratio n s by conven t io na l m anned

a i rc r aft

. 2 1 As P etit i on e r ' s UAS are bat t e ry powered, the p u bl i c w i ll a lso benefit fr o m a reduc t ion i n h arm f ul

e m is s ions asso c iated with conve n t i on a l aircra f t pe r for m i n g in t he sa m e functions pro p osed here i n. Lastly,

as re c ogn i zed by the F A A in pr i o r Section 333 Gr a nts of Exemption to operators

, UAS p r ovide a n

ad d i t io n al t o o l for real estate ae r ial vi d e o graphy, adding a gre a ter degree of f lex i bi l it y , which supp l e m ents

the curre n t c a p a bi l iti e s of f er e d by m ann e d ai r c raft

. 22

21 See Gra n t of E x e mpt i on No. 11158 to Team 5, LLC (FA A

- 2014

- 0783 a t 12 ) : Man n ed hel i co p ters

conduc t ing ae r ial vi d e o graphy can weigh 6,000 pounds or m ore and are operated b y an onboard pilot, in

addition t o o ther onbo a rd crew m e m b er s , as nece s sa r y. The p e t i tione r ’s U As w i l l weigh less t h an 5 5 pounds

with no on b oard p i lot or crew. The p i l ot and c r e w w i l l be r em ote l y loca t ed fr o m the a i r c raft. The l i m i t ed

weight s ig n i f

ic a nt l y red u ces the pot e nt i a l for harm to pa r tici p at i ng and n o nparticipating individ u als or

proper t y in the event of an in c i d ent or accident. The r i sk to an onboard pilot and c rew dur i ng an i n cid e nt o r

acc i de n t is eli m ina t ed w i th t he u s e of a UA for the aerial v ideography op e ration."U. S . Depar t m ent of Transpor t a t i on

Sept 14

, 20 1 5

Page 24

UAS p r ovide a n ad d i t io n al t o o l for the a erial videog r aphy indust r y, a d ding a grea t er degree of

flexib i lity, which supple m ents the c ur r ent capa b i l iti e s of

f er e d by m anned ai r cra f

t

. 22

VIII. P R IVACY

All CraigM a c’s UAS operations will be con d uct e d in accordance w i th appl i c able federa l , st a te, or

l o c a l l aws rega r ding p r i v ac y . All operat i ons shall b e conduc t ed o ver pr i v ate o r contro l le d

- access proper t y

w i th per m is s ion fr o m the l and owner / c o nt r o l ler o r authoriz e d represe n tati v e. Per m is s ion fr o m land

owne r /contr o l l e r or authorized represe n tati v e will be o b tained for e a ch flight to be conduc t e d.

IX. FE D ERAL R E GISTER S UMMARY

Pursuant t o 14 C. F .R. Pa

r t 11, the fol l owing su mm ary is p r ovided for publ i c a t i on in t h e FE D ERAL

RE G IST E R, should it be det e r m ined t hat publica t ion i s n e ed e d:

Pet i tioner s e eks an exe m pt i on from the fol l owing ru l es in Tit l e 14 of the Code of Federal

Regula t io n s:

Part 21, Su b part H; Part 27; 45.23 ( b); 45.27(a); 6 1.113; 91.7 ( a); 91.9( b ) ( 2 ); 91.9(c); 91.103; 91.1 0 9(a);

91.119(c); 9 1.121; 91.151 ( a); 91.203 (a) & (b); 9 1.405(a); 9 1 .407(a) ( 1 ); 9 1.409(a) ( 1 ) & ( 2); 91.4 1 7 (a)

& (b )

.

The exe m pt i on will enh a nce s a fety b y reducing r i sk to the ge n er a l public a nd proper t y owners

fr o m the s ubstantial haz a rds asso c iat e d with perfor m ing equ i val e nt real estat e a eria l ph o t o g ra p h y a n d

i n s p ect i o n w i th conv e n tional fixe d

- w ing aircraft, ro t orcraft, or other m ethod s

.

X. CON C LUSI O N

Craig M a c ’s Pet i tion f

or E xe m pt i on sa t isfies the c r i ter i a artic u la t ed in Section 333 of the Refo r m Act

of 2 0 12 incl u ding weight, speed, op e rating c a pa b i l iti e s, prox i m i t y to a i rports and po p ula t ed ar e a s, operation

with i n V L OS and na t io n al s ec u rity. The proposed UAS operations will benef i t the publ i c as a whole by

i m prov i ng safety and reducing risk by al l e v iati n g h u m an exposu r e to danger. I n co n sid e ration of the

foregoing, this Pe t ition f

or Exe m pt i on prov i des t h e FAA with m ore than adequate justification for grant i ng

the r eq u es t e d exe m pt i ons a l lowing C ra i gM a c use s m all UAS for providing a e r i a l photog r ap h y and

videog r aphy for the r e a l es t a te i ndu s try, as well a s property mapping, ins p ec t io n s, and 3D c o mposit i ng.

2 2 See e. g

., Grant of E xe mpt i on No. 11178 t o P i ctu r e F a ctory, Inc. (FA A

- 2014

- 0794 at 18).U. S . Depar t m ent of Transpor t a t i on

Sept 14

, 20 1 5

Page 25

W e th a nk you f

or your pro m pt con s i d er a tion of our r equested e xe mpt i ons.

Respec t fully Sub m i t ted,

Stewart C M cCasl a nd

Stewart C M cCasl a n d

, d ba, Craig M ac Visu a ls

9823 Cochem Path

Helot e s, TX 78023

Should you have any q u es t ions, o r i f you need a n y additional infor m at i on to support t h e reque s ted

exe m pt i ons, please contact t he un d ersigned at:

Stewart C M cCasl a nd

, d ba, Craig M ac Visu a ls

Phone: 210

- 650

- 2688

E m ai l : crai g @craig m ac. t v

(The following att a ched ite m s con t ain and com m e rc i a l i nfor m at i on e x e m p t from dis c losu r e und e r t h e

Freedom o f I nfor m at i on Act, 5 U.S. C . § 522 et s eq. , and sh o uld be held i n a separate file pu r sua n t to

14 C. F .R. § 11.35(b )

.

Attachments:

1. General Op e rations Ma n ual

2. PIC Operati n g Manual

3. Co mpany P r otoco l s

4. Location P r otoco l s

5. Flight Co mm unic a t i ons Protocols

6. Depar t ing L oca t ion Pr o t o cols

7. Trans m i t ter Protocols

8. Preflight C h eck l ist

9. Post Flight Checkl i s t

10. Equip m ent Checkl i s t

11. U A S Manufac t urer’s Manuals

a. User M a nu a ls

b. Ma i n t enance Manuals