Sept 9

, 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 Aerial Drone Support 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, Aerial Drone Support (" AD S " ) 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

( UAS ) for the pu r

pose o f c ondu c t i n g aerial recreational and emergency services entities UAS training

, flight

education and maintenance

. Advanced educational courses on UAS application uses are also provided.

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 ADS documents ;

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

2. UA S Air c raft F l i g ht Manu a l

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

re d to as " ADS Op e r a t i ons Man ua ls" )

3. UAS Us e r G uide and;

4. UAS 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 ADS submi t s these as well as other ADS 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 ADS 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

Sept 9 , 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. UAS Ae rial Education, Maintenance and Industry Application Training

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

IV. ADS’ 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

Sept 9 , 2015

P a g e 3

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

Aerial Drone Support, a jointly owned subsidiary of CT Hobb y Corp and SKS Noel Inc, providing training

and advises on product selection and support for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to recreational users and

emergency services entities. The company is based in Fairfield, Connecticut with offi ces in Orland Park,

Illinois. The principals of the co mpany are Steve Noel, 31 years of radio control flying experience, and Marc

Rosenblum, 8 years of radio control flying experience. Steve and Marc have been operating UAVs for

recreation for more than 3 years. Both Steve and Marc own and operate Hobby Town Retail stores that sell

and service UAVs to retail consumers and commercial buyers. Steve and Marc will be the primary advisors

and trainers and will be supplemented with additional staff as warranted.

Aerial Drone Support's main priority is to promote sa fety in the national airspace. We will assist our clients

to select the right UAVs for their needs. We will train recreational users and emergency services personnel

about how to obey the FAA regulations, how to join the UAVSA, and how to fully understand how to fly

UAVs, the laws that effect UAV pilots and how to be sure that all safety standards are being met. Aerial

Drone Support will work with recreational users and public entities to ensure they follow FAA regulations to

obtain permissions to utilize DJI Phantom and similar quadcopters, during the course of their operations and

then to also provide them with training and support to ensure safe use while mitigating risk to per sons and

property. Currently there are few options for local training and supp ort. We need the 333 Exemption so that

we can continue to educate drone pilots on how to be safe. We will abide by or teach any FAA rules and can

add to the content of our classes if the FAA has particular additional topics that they would like covered.

Ae rial Drone Support’s 333 exemption is for conducting UAS aerial recreational and emergency services

entities training , flight education and maintenance . Advanced educational courses on UAS application uses

are also provided.

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:

Marc A. Rosenblum

Aerial Drone Support

847 Post Rd

Fairfield, CT 92072

203

- 610

- 3664

htuads@gmail.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

Aerial Drone Support 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 , Phantom III, Inspire 1

, ( also known as ADS

- 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 education, research and training 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 Aerial Drone Support 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 that is more

than five miles from any airport o r other a uthori z e d r e p re s e ntativ e s

. Upon completion of Auburn

University's Program, students will be provided with a Certificate of Completion. This "Certificate of

Completion" does 

### no t permit the student to engage in commercial UAS activities that are not in accordance

with the FARs, but U.S. Department of Transportation December 3, 2014 Page 4 rather, is intended to be an

acknowledgement that the student has successfully demonstrated a complete understanding of UAS

operations from a NAS perspective.U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

Sept 9 , 2015

P a g e 4

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 ADS’ Op e r a t i ons Man u a ls. As d e tailed in ADS’ 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 V is ual O bservers (VO)

, in controlled or 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, ADS’ 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

.

A. UAS Aerial Education, Maintenance and Industry Application Training

ADS s e e ks to use sm a ll UAS s for the pu rpose of c ondu c t i n g aerial education and training for UAS

flight training, maintenance and industry application study.

ADS h a s t a i l o re d his 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 education and training for UAS flight training,

maintenance and industry application uses includi n g :

 Auburn University Aviation Center, ( Exemption No. 11304 )

 Troy Built Models, ( Exemption No. 11493 )

 DART D rones, LLC

, ( Exemption No. 11625 )

 Flight Ventures Ltd ( Exemption No. 12284 )

Aerial UAS education and training for UAS flight training, maintenance and industry application

uses will be conducted on 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 and will only be c ondu c ted du r i n g d a y l i g h t hours

, in 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

. ADS op e r a t i ons will pro v ide a sup e rior l e v e l of sa fe t y and quality

.

ADS s e e ks to use sm a ll UAS for the pu rpose of c ondu c t i n g aerial education and training for UAS

flight training, maintenance and industry application uses

. The growth of the small UAS industry will

ultimately reduce the potential r isk, physical h a rm, se r ious i nju r y and death associated with manned aircraft

that currently perform such tasks. Further, the use of traditional aircraft e x poses participants and the public to

the r isk of d a n g e rous low level aircraft operations. 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 education and 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 s in these types of operations 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 will be 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

Sept 9 , 2015

P a g e 5

S mall UAS aerial education, UAS flight training, maintenance and industry application uses are more

r e l i a ble, a nd a l l ow s 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. Additionally, UAS s are ca p a ble o f a c ce ss i n g a nd inspe c t ing a re a s not

accessible to full size aircraft and completing many potential high risk 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 using 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 Airspace System (" 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 t he 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. ADS’ 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 ADS 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 ADS

- UAS s or other qualified

small UAS

, based on previously granted FAA 333 granted exemption s listed in one of, if not multiples of

the same categories having like 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 ies

. For the purposes of this

application the ADS

- UAS being used are a representation of small UAS ’s that may be used

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

Sept 9 , 2015

P a g e 6

This application is intended for the commercial training and operation of any and all small qualifying

small UAS ’s that predate this application and have been listed in other FAA 333 Exemption Grants

. All

ADS

- UAS used also must have an integrated GPS system that calculates the UAS's position and height and

relays that information via a secure connection to the operato r. Additionally, all ADS

- UAS must contain a

failsafe mode if the flight connection to the remote control is lo st, and this system permits all ADS

- UAS to

return to a predetermined location and land without injury or damage. The use of the ADS

- UAS

throughout this application is considered as a generic

- specific UAS that meet and exceed all safety, weight

and flight performance requirements of the DJI Phantom II, Phantom III and Inspire 1 identified as ( ADS

UAS ) herein. I n no way are the ADS

- UAS t o be exclusively limited to one manufacture or model of UAS

other than in their approved flight and operations specifications to further include:

 T he UAS h a ve 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 UAS or previously approved UAS with w ei g hs l e ss t h a n 5 5 pounds, in c lud i ng p a y load.

 The 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 UAS 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 ADS

- UAS is 2.4 GHz frequency band.

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 ADS

- 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 )

, BizUAS 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

Sept 9 , 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 ADS’ O p er a t io n s

M a nu a l s

ADS’ 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 ADS’ 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 ADS 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 rr 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

, air traffic control o r a ut h o r i z e d r e p re s e ntative. P e rmission f r om the l a nd own e r

, air traffic control o r

a uthori z e d r e p r e s e ntative w i l l be obtain e d prior to 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

4. 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.

5. Prior to each flight operation ADS will obtain approval from the air traffic facility in which the operation is

to be conducted. The request for approval will include the date, time, location, duration of flight, altitude,

and a means to immediately contact the designated PIC. The request for approval can be by telephone, fax,

email, or US Postal Service. A telephone call to the approving ATC facility will be made prior to the

beginning of the operation and at the conclusion if requested by the controlling ATC facility.

6. Mini m um c re w f

or e ac h commercial fli g ht op e r a t i on will c onsist of a pi l ot who will be the physical

operator of the UAS and a Visual Observer (VO) who is responsible for maintaining visual contact with the

UAS and overseeing its safe operation. A VO is a required crew member when the UAS pilot is a principal

videographer. The UAS pilot and VO will determine, before flight, who is Pilot in Command (PIC) of the

operation.

7. P I C shall poss e ss at le a s t a Priv a te P i lo t ' s C e rtifi c a te a nd c u rre nt C lass I I I Medi ca l C e rtifi ca t e

. 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.

8. The UAS shall be o p e r a t e d with i n V L OS of the P IC or VO 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 rr 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.

9. The P I

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

Sept 9 , 2015

P a g e 8

10. Ele c tronic mess a g i n g

, t e x t i ng , or personal telephone calls will not be p e rmit t e d du r ing fli g ht o p e r a t i o ns.

11. 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 ADS’ O p e r a t i o ns

Man ua l s. 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

ADS’ 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, ADS 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.

12. ADS 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 t he

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

. ADS 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 he 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, ADS will se e k a n a m e ndment to

i ts Gr a nt of Ex e mp t ion. ADS 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.

13. The 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 t he 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

.

14. UAS operation is prohib i ted f r o m be g inn i n g a UAS flight 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

.

15. 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 ADS

- 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

.

16. 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 not e n t e r n a v i g a ble c o ntroll e d

a irsp a c e without prior 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

.

17. 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, 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 UAS 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 UAS

,

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

Sept 9 , 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

, 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 ).

18. The ADS

- UAS 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. These weather minimums apply to fixed

wing aircraft ADS

- UAS and have been identified in other sections herein

. However rotor wing type ADS

UAS will comply with weather minimums. See FAR 91.155 (b) (1).

19. The UA m a y not op e r a te with i n 5 nautical 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 without prior permission of the controlling agency.

20. 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 ADS’ Op e r a t i ons Man ua l s

.

21. ADS students will learn to will c a r r y out pre

- flights, 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 p e rson re turni n g the UAS to se r vic e

.

22. 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 ADS 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 ADS’ O p e r a t i ons Man ua l s

.

23. 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.

24. 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 ADS’

Op e r a t i ons Manu a ls.U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

Sept 9 , 2015

P a g e 10

25. ADS 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.

26. All r e quir e d p e rmissions and p e rmits will be obtain e d f r om t e rritori 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.

27. 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

.

28. 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

.

29. 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

.

30. The designated P I C will h a ve a t le a st a c u r r e nt Class I I Me d i ca l C e rtifi c a te or valid state drive r ’s license

.

31. A student P I C learning to perform aerial motion picture and television filming will p rior to condu c t i ng

commercial film flight o p e rat i ons, will h a ve a c c umu l a ted a nd log g e d in a m a nn e r c on s is t e nt wi t h 14 C F R §

61.51 ( b ) , a m i ni m um of 200 f l i g ht c y c les a nd 25 ho u rs total t i me performed a s a non

- aerial motion picture

and television filming PIC.

32. 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 Sp ec i a l V i sual F l i g h t

Rul e s ( " S V F R") sh a ll n o t be c ondu c ted.

33. The UAS 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. )

.

34. 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.

35. 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

.

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

Sept 9 , 2015

P a g e 11

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

ADS 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

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

ADS’ use o f the ADS

- UAS or any qualifying small ADS

- 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), qualifying ADS

- UAS ’s 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. The ADS

- UAS is 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

. 67 Addit i on a l l y , the UAS s c a rr y n e i t h e r pilots nor p a sseng e rs, c a r r 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 ADS’s Op e r a t i ons

Man u a ls.

______________________________________

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.

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

Sept 9 , 2015

P a g e 12

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. ADS 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 where

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

. In a ll ca s e s, the op e r a t i on of small UAS’s 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 VO

, 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 designated P I C

. 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 ADS’s sm a ll UASs 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

.

_________________________

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 ADS

- UAS standard aircraft and ADS

- UAS s 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 ADS

- 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, ADS

- UAS standard

aircraft and ADS

- UAS s with upgrades comes with pre

- programmed no f l y z on e s so the UAS c a nnot e n t e r a r ea s d ee med

uns a fe or un n ec e ssa r y to f l y o v e r. 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

ADS

- 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. a irwo r th i n e ss s t a nd a rds f or the s a me r ea sons i d e n t ified in t he re qu e st f o r e x e mp t ion f

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

supra

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

Sept 9 , 2015

P a g e 13

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

ADS 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 UAS f

lown b y ADS 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

______________________________

10 F AA D o c k e t No. F AA

- 2 014

- 0352.

11 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

Sept 9 , 2015

P a g e 14

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

ADS 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 ADS’ 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 ADS’ 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.

ADS’ 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

, ADS’ 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 ADS’

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

Sept 9 , 2015

P a g e 15

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

ADS 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 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 ADS 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. ADS 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

. ADS 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, ADS 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 ADS

. 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 ADS’ 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

. ADS’ 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

.

__________________

12 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

Sept 9 , 2015

P a g e 16

O P E RAT I NG P ARA METE ADS 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

, ADS 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.

____________________

13 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

Sept 9 , 2015

P a g e 17

Giv e n the popularity, small s iz e a nd c onfi g u r a t i on of 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 PIC 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 operating the UAS

.

H. 14 C. F

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

ADS 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 ADS’ 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 ADS’ 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

, the UAS 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. ADS’ 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

Sept 9 , 2015

P a g e 18

ADS 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 ADS 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 ADS’ 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 ADS’ 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 ADS’ 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

ADS 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 )

. 1 5

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

Sept 9 , 2015

P a g e 19

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 VO 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. ADS’ 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

ADS 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 r r 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

Sept 9 , 2015

P a g e 20

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 ADS 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 ADS’ 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 ADS 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

ADS 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.

_______________________

17 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

.

18 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

Sept 9 , 2015

P a g e 21

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 ADS

- UAS flight unless (considerin g 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 batteries for the ADS

- 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 ADS

- 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 ADS

- UAS as soon

as possible. Like the VDOS Grant of Exemption, ADS use of the ADS

- 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

that an equiv alent 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 ADS

- UAS unless (considering wind and forecast

weather conditions), there was enough power to fly at normal cruising speed to the intended landing point

and land the UA with 25% battery power remaining. ADS will adhere to this limitation for ADS

- UAS

flights.

The ADS

- 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 ADS’ Operations Manuals, the PIC will promptly fly the UAS

back to the home launch location or pre

- determined abort locatio n where the UAS may safely land, while

still maintaining a minimum of 25 % reserve battery power. ADS submits that the procedures requiring

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

that flight s only be conducted within a secure, isolated area, using a UAS weighting less than 25 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 regul ations from which exemption is sought.

_____________________

19 G rant of Exemption No. 11112 to VDOS Global, LLC (FAA

- 2014

- 0382 at 10).

20 T he ADS

- 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

Sept 9 , 2015

P a g e 22

VI. DRUG AND ALCOHOL PROGRAM

ADS 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 ADS’ s Petition for Exemption. Con gress has

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

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

Congress' goal in passing Sectio n 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 statutoril y

required rulemaking.

The proposed UAS operations in this Petition for Exemption significant ly improve s safety and

reduce s risk harm or seriou s injury to educators, students, and the public . Traditional methods of aerial

research, education, maintenance and industry flight training applications exposes educators, students, and

the public to the dangers of extreme low levels of flight with standard full size aircraft. Further the

unknowing public seems to immediately collect in a group to see low flying aircraft curiously hoping to see

stunts or tricks

. This can be very dangerous in the event of a n aircraft mechanical failure or pilot

- student

error can put a gathering of curious people and the unknowing public at risk. The use of small UAS s can

eliminate these hazards and is ultimately a much safer method of performing these types of flight

operati ons education

. 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, ADS 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 harmful emissions associated with conventional aircraft performing in the same functions proposed

herein. Lastly, as recognized by the FAA in prior Se ction 333 Grants of Exemption for educators and

researchers

, UAS s provide an additional tool for the Flig ht Instruction Program , adding a greater degree of

flexibility, which supplements the current capabilities offered by manned aircraft. 22

__________________

21 S ee 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 additio n to other onboard crewmembers, as necessary. The petitioner’s UAS will weigh less than 55 pounds with no onboard pilot or

crew

, an d contain no flammable fuel

. The 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 UAS for

the aerial filming operation."

22 See Grant of Exemption No. 11304 to Auburn University Aviation Center, (FAA−2014−1014 at 2)

The FAA has issued grants of exemption in circumstances similar in all material respects to those presented in your petition. In

Grants of Exemption Nos. 11062 to Astraeus Aerial ( see Docket No.FAA−2014−0352), 11109 to Clayco, Inc. ( see Docket No.

FAA−2014−0507), 11112 to VDOS Global, LLC ( see Docket No. FAA−2014−0382), and 11213 to Aeryon Labs, Inc. ( see Docket No. FAA−2014−0642), the FAA found that the enhanced safety achieved using an unmanned aircraft (UA) with the

specifications described by the petitioner and carrying no passengers or crew, rather than a manned aircraft of significantly

greater proportions, carrying crew in addition to flammable fuel, gives the FAA good cause to find that the UAS operation

enabled by this exemption is in the public interest.U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

Sept 9 , 2015

P a g e 23

VIII. PRIVACY

All ADS 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 , air traffic control, or authorize d representative. Permission from land

owner , air traffic control

, or authorized representative will be obtained prior to commencing flight

operations

.

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

th e substantial hazards associated with performing equivalent Aerial Research in Education (ARIE) for

UAS flight training, maintenance and industry applications with conventional fixed

- wing aircraft,

rotorcraft, or other methods.

X. CONCLUSION

ADS Petitio n 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 operations will benefit the public as a whole by improving

safety and reducing risk through education and training and 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 the requested exemptions allowing ADS to use small UAS s for controlled flights

for Aerial Drone Support (ADS ) for UAS flight training, maintenan ce and industry applications

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

Sept 9 , 2015

P a g e 24

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

Respectfully submitted,

Marc A. Rosenblum

Aerial Drone Support

847 Post Rd

Fairfield, CT 92072

203

- 610

- 3664

htuads@gmail.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