Zachary J. Wisneski 7/18/2015

428 Uschak Road

Derry, PA 15627

(724) 532 – 0166

Z.Wisneski@gmail.com

Federal Aviation Administration,

Zachary Wisneski is petitioning for Exemption under Section 333 from the 

requirements of 14 C.F.R., so that Zachary Wisneski can be relieved from the 

procedures and commercially fly his unmanned aircraft system (‘UAS”) in a safe 

and legal location regulated by the Federal Aviation Administration (“FAA”) for 

the use of taking still photos and videos of property.

With the exemption, Zachary Wisneski will accomplish aerial photography 

and videography with the use of an unmanned aircraft system. These media files 

will include (with proper permission) various aspects of the area around him in a 

professional manner. By taking precautions and inspections beforehand, Zachary 

will be able to do this in a safe and reliable way.

The UAS being operated to accomplish this will be the DJI Phantom 3 

Professional. Weighing just under 3 lbs, the Phantom 3 is considered a small 

quadcopter. Zachary Wisneski chose this UAS for its proven reliability and 

stability while in the air. With built in global positioning system (“GPS”), 

gyroscope capability, compass, and ground detection, the Phantom offers excellent 

resources to manage safety of the UAS and the objects around it. The Phantom also 

is equipped with emergency shut off procedures in case of accidental movements 

or problems that would otherwise cause damage.

Regulations to seek of relief:

14 C.F.R. 91.7: Civil Aircraft Airworthiness

Relief to allow Zachary Wisneski to determine the airworthiness to operate 

the UAS. Both inspection of air condition and the UAS itself will be complete to 

ensure complete protection of all surrounding areas.

14 C.F.R. 91.119 (d) Minimum Safe Altitudes: General
For the specific UAS being used, that uses the ability to vertical takeoff and 

land, all properties will further be inspected before flight as well as before landing. 

All flights will be completed only after approval of property owner and anyone 

directly affected by the flight. During flight, a maximum altitude of 400 feet above 

ground level (“AGL”) will be ensured as to regulations of the FAA Modernization 

and Reform Act of 2012.

14 C.F.R. 91.151 Fuel Requirements for Flights in VFR Conditions

As a result of the regulation of maintaining fuel levels in order to land the 

UAS, Zachary Wisneskis believes that exemption from 91.151(b) keeps safety 

because the UAS being used includes a battery operated for 23 minutes of flight 

time. Careful and precise cautions will be taken when operating to make sure 

battery levels do not reach low enough capacities. In doing so, Zachary Wisneski 

will manage to get photographs and videos in clear amounts of time and return the 

UAS to the desired landing area with at least 40% of battery left (more than 5 

minutes). This will ensure (after checking air conditions) that the UAS will retain 

enough battery to safely land. 

14 C.F.R 91.405 Maintenance Required

Inspect every element of UAS before take-off to keep a safe flight. If 

Zachary Wisneski finds any malfunctioning or damaged parts, he shall delay flight 

until the UAS is safe to fly. By following DJI’s pre-flight inspection and 

maintenance procedures, the UAS will be kept at proper flying conditions through 

each and every flight.

14 C.F.R 91.407 Operation After Maintenance, Preventive Maintenance, 

Rebuilding, or Alteration.

Relief for the operation of the UAS after maintenance to allow flights to be 

done correctly and safely. As of 14 C.F.R 91.405, as stated above, maintenance 

before and after each flight will be completed. Alterations will not be taken part of 

as in DJI’s Phantom 3 Professional, as the UAS is more than capable of completing 

the jobs. If rebuilding is necessary, Zachary Wisneski will perform everything 

possibly to maintain safety regulations and not alter the initial UAS to change it in 

any way.

 14 C.F.R 91.409 Inspections
Zachary Wisneski, in accordance to part 43 of Title 14, Chapter 1 will 

properly inspect the UAS so that with each flight the Phantom is ready to fly.

14 C.F.R 91.417 Maintenance Records

Asking for relief to keep maintenance records of each and every work 

session. Due to the size and complexity of the UAS, there will be small amounts (if 

not any) of major maintenance on the UAS itself. If major repair is needed and 

completely, a record will be kept to keep informed and updated with the current 

UAS. 

Public Interest:

With the rise in the amount of want and need for aerial photography, it is 

much more cost effective as well as time effective to use an unmanned aircraft 

system, rather than a manned, fixed propeller, helicopter. The amount of creativity 

and passion that is able to be used can be endless. With the size of the UAS 

Zachary Wisneski will be using, on top of the precautions he will be taking, this 

method will be a safe way to create immersive still photographs and creative

videos. 

Summary

Zachary Wisneski is seeking an exemption from the following regulations

that are apart of Section 333:

 14 C.F.R. 91.7: Civil Aircraft Airworthiness

 14 C.F.R. 91.119 (d) Minimum Safe Altitudes: General

 14 C.F.R. 91.151 Fuel Requirements for Flights in VFR Conditions

 14 C.F.R 91.405 Maintenance Required

 14 C.F.R 91.407 Operation After Maintenance, Preventive 

Maintenance, Rebuilding, or Alteration.

 14 C.F.R 91.409 Inspections

 14 C.F.R 91.417 Maintenance Records

On top of doing everything to keep Zachary Wisneski’s flying safe, he will 

also continue to practice his flights on his private property to make sure he 

can gain more experience in more situations, and how to handle those 

situations if they arise. By doing this, flights will be more productive by 
managing time and battery better, as well as doing more visual inspections 

of the UAS.

To ensure safe flight, these will be followed:

 Review the current forecast and determine airworthiness of surrounding 

areas.

 Make sure area is safe to fly with minimal amount of people.

 Inspect the UAS to make sure there is no damage and it is in working 

condition.

 Fly below an altitude of 400 feet.

 Gain permission before flying on someone else’s property.

 Do not fly over moving vehicles or people without proper permission.

 Keep UAS in line of site at all times.

 Do not fly within 5 miles of an airport without contacting the airport.

 Respect other people when flying.

Thank you for your time,

Zachary Wisneski