Date: 6/18/2015

Request: Section 333 exemption for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Flight

Submitted by: Cody Sheehy, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Communication and 

Cyber Technologies, University of Arizona (520)252-1292 csheehy@email.arizona.edu

Location of Flight: Roosevelt Dam, AZ

Submitted to: http://www.regulations.gov/#!submitComment;D=FAA-2007-0001-0001

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Regarding the Unmanned Aircraft System 

1. Conduction of flight to minimize risk to the NAS or to persons and property on the ground

a. This flight will occur in a remote location with no public access to the area and there will 

be no people in the flight area that are not part of the flight team. The team will be 

briefed on all safety hazards associated with the flight and located in a safe area during 

the flight. The drone will be in visual line of site (VLOS) at all times.

2. Design and operational characteristics for the UAS 

a. The UAS is a DJI Inspire 1 system. It is less than 55 lbs and carries a small 3-axis gimbal

camera. It employs GPS positioning as well as ground pattern recognition. There are two 

operators (pilot, cameraman). It can fly for 18 minutes.

b. Before the flight, a maximum altitude of 200 ft will be programmed. Also, a no fly 

boundary will be drawn on the map that will prevent the UAS from flying in any 

dangerous areas as identified by the flight team before the flight occurs.

c. No additional loading will be needed.

d. A home point will be set for safe return, should there be a loss of control of the UAS

e. Manual was too large to attach, so for complete manual download at 

http://www.dji.com/product/inspire-1/download

f. Key specifications : Model T600, Weight (Battery Included) 2935 g, Hovering Accuracy 

(GPS mode) Vertical: 0.5 m Horizontal: 2.5 m Max Angular Velocity Pitch: 300°/s

Yaw: 150°/s Max Tilt Angle 35° Max Ascent Speed 5 m/s Max Descent Speed 4 m/s Max 

Speed 22 m/s ATTI mode, no wind) Max Flight Altitude 4500 m Max Wind Speed 

Resistance 10 m/s Max Flight Time Approximately 18 minutes Motor Model DJI 3510

Propeller Model DJI 1345 Indoor Hovering Enabled by default Operating Temperature 

Range -10° to 0° C Diagonal Distance 559 to 581 mm Dimensions 438x451x301 mm

Regarding the Unmanned Aircraft PIC 

3. PIC(s) who will be directly responsible for the operation of the UAS

a. Name: Cody Sheehy

b. No airman certificate is held

c. Total UAS operation hours 100+ and with this model (Inspire 1) +/- 20 hours

d. Visual observers will be located at the location of the pilot. A cameraman will be located 

with the pilot and a visual observer will be placed near any hazards near the flight path 

and in communication with the pilot by cell phone and radio. 
e. The pilot is in good health and has regular medical checkups.

 

Regarding the Operation of the Unmanned Aircraft 

4. Description of intended UAS operation(s). 

a. The intended VLOS flight will take place at the Salt River Project Roosevelt Dam Facility. 

Our flight plan will be based on the premise that there will be no safety risk to any 

facilities or personnel or involved in the flight. After a survey of the site, the best takeoff 

and landing location will be determined. Off limits areas will be entered into the flight 

app. The team will be briefed on the flight. Observers will be positioned. The aircraft will 

be prepared for takeoff, including a home point being setup. Once the aircraft is 

airborne, the pilot will conduct a series of planned maneuvers and the cameraman will 

execute a series of planned camera maneuvers in coordination with the flight path. No 

personnel will be in flight path of the UAS should it experience any adverse situations. 

The facility itself (Large Masonry Dam covered in concrete) is likely impervious to a 

lightweight plastic UAS like the Inspire 1. However, should a situation develop, the pilot 

will avoid the structure if possible. After the duration of the flight, the pilot will begin 

the return flight with more than 50% battery life. The UAS will be landed before the low 

battery warning at 35%. Should a situation develop and the flight is still underway, the 

system will automatically request to return home at 16% battery life. Any time, if the 

pilot loses situational awareness or VFR of the drone, the pilot will initiate automatic 

home point return if it is safe to do so. If communication is lost with the UAS, it will 

automatically initiate home point return.

b. Defined operational borders and procedures to ensure public safety

i. Staff from the Salt River Project (SRP) will be present and part of the flight team. 

They will work with the pilot to determine the off-limits areas and to determine 

the flight plan to minimize all safety to the facility and the personnel involved. 

These off limit areas will be entered into the flight app.

ii. Reference the attached manual to see the procedures for entering the safety 

boundary.

c. Maximum operating speed and altitude, and minimum flight visibility and distance from 

clouds for intended operation(s). 

i. Maximum operating speed will be 30 miles per hour, maximum altitude will be 

200 ft above the Dam structure, and good visibility absent any fog or clouds will 

be required.

d. Potential hazards and safety mitigations associated with these proposed conditions

i. High voltage power lines coming from the Dam structure are a known cause of 

interference and physical hazard to flying aircraft. 

1. These structures will be avoided by several hundred feet in the 

proposed flight path. 

2. The UAS will return to the home point, should interference occur.

3. VLOS flight will be maintained at all times

e. Proximity of any airports

i. No airports will be in the vicinity of this flight
f. VLOS

i. VLOS will be maintained at all times. If lost, the pilot will activate the automatic 

home point return until VLOS is re-established.

g. Preflight safety risk assessment 

i. A meeting with the SRP staff will identify any risks in the area, the intended 

flight path, and other elements germane to the operation

ii. A map of no fly and safe fly zones will be determined

iii. Observation and takeoff/landing sites will be determined for best VLOS and 

personnel safety

iv. Pre-flight inspection of the aircraft including the body, camera, rotor blades, and 

battery will take place

v. Internal diagnostics including compass calibration, GPS fix, battery check, 

transmission strength and status and video uplink will be conducted

vi. The no fly and safel fly areas will be entered into the UAS

vii. The maximum flight altitude of 200 ft will be entered into the UAS

viii. A home point will be set

h. Operations which have existing requirements to notify Flight Standards District Offices 

(FSDOs) 

i. The intended purpose of this flight is for a documentary production

1. Jeff Campbell, Director of Flight Services for the SRP has been 

notified on the intention to file this request and of the intention 

to conduct this flight.

2. Jeff Campbell will be in close contact with the flight team 

throughout this process.

i. FAA intends to requires entities who obtain an exemption under this process to also 

obtain a Certificate of Waiver or Authorization (COA) from the FAA Air Traffic 

Organization prior to conducting operation(s) in the NAS

i. The pilot understands this requirement and will obtain a COA from the 

FAA Air traffic controller

Request for Exemptions from FAA Regulations;

1. Airworthiness Certificates Part Certification

2. 91.103(b) Preflight action 

3. 91.105 Flight crewmembers at stations 

4. 91.109 Flight instruction 

5. 91.119 Minimum safe altitudes 

6. 91.121 Altimeter settings 

7. 91.151 Fuel requirements for flights in VFR conditions 

8. 91.405 Maintenance required 

9. 91.407 Operation after maintenance 

10. 91.409 Inspections 

11. 91.417 Maintenance records