Epic View Productions

Operations Manual

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Epic View Productions Operations Manual

Revision: Original, June 25th, 2015
Table of Contents

1. Introduction

2. Mission Statement

3. Privacy

4. Administration

5. Safety

6. Training

7. Equipment

8. Flight Preparation

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Epic View Productions Operations Manual

Revision: Original, June 25th, 2015
1. Introduction

This manual outlines the flight operations and procedures to be followed by all 

employees of Epic View Productions. It has been tailored to fall within the scope of the 

Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs) pertaining to Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS). 

With this being an abbreviated outline of how the FARs regulate the flight operations of 

Epic View Productions, it is important to be familiar with all regulations.

It is important that commercial UAS flights performed by Epic View Productions meet 

FAR requirements, but most importantly, the safety of the customer and general public 

will remain the top priority.

This manual will be review monthly and updated as necessary to keep current with the 

ever changing landscape of UAS operation within the National Airspace System (NAS).

2. Mission Statement

It is Epic View Production’s goal to provide our customers with a breath-taking aerial 

perspective and to provide them with useful and accurate data from an elevated view. This must 

all be achieved while keeping the safety of the customer, general public and employees of Epic 

View a top priority. 

3. Privacy

The production of aerial photography and collection of data from an elevated viewpoint 

poses inherent privacy concerns. As an operator for Epic View Productions, protecting 

the privacy of non-participating members of the public is just as important as our services 

provided to the customer. 

The Pilot in Command (PIC) and observers will hold the public’s reasonable expectations 

of privacy as a key component of any decision made while filming with the Unmanned 

Aerial System (UAS) on public property. 

Any persons within 500ft range of a low level filming (Below 100 feet above ground 

level) in a public setting must give written consent to be photographed. 

Any complaint of privacy during flight is cause for a safe flight termination. The PIC 

will address the concerns with the parties involved. If a solution can’t be agreed upon by 

all parties, the assignment will be rescheduled and a privacy conflict report will be filed.

4. Administration

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Epic View Productions Operations Manual

Revision: Original, June 25th, 2015
The policies and procedures contained in this manual are issued and reviewed by the 

owner, David Baxter Jr. It is not intended to be all-inclusive, but as a supplement to FAA 

regulations, the UAS Manufacturer’s Operator’s Manual and other applicable laws and

regulations.

There are three main personnel components that Epic View Production crew will be 

comprised of.

Owner – The owner, David Baxter Jr., will communicate with the customer, schedule 

flights and produce a pre-flight report with expectations of data and/or photography to be 

collected. A summary of the assignment will be produced, outlining any evident 

obstacles or dangers. He will be responsible for all actions carried out by Epic View 

Productions and its associates. All media requests and inquiries will be forwarded to Mr. 

Baxter.

Pilot in Command (PIC) – The Pilot in Command is responsible for surveying the flight 

area for any possible problems not noted in the pre-flight report. Maintaining positive 

control of the UAS during filming is the top priority. The PIC will operate the UAS 

within the limits and guidelines set by the FARs and UAS Operator’s Manual. In 

addition, the PIC must hold either an airline transport, commercial, private, recreational, 

or sport pilot certificate. The PIC must also hold a current FAA airman medical 

certificate or a valid U.S. driver’s license issued by a state, the District of Columbia, 

Puerto Rico, a territory, a possession, or the Federal government. The PIC must also meet 

the flight review requirements specified in 14 CFR § 61.56 in an aircraft in which the PIC 

is rated on his or her pilot certificate.

Observer – Observers must have been provided with sufficient training to communicate 

clearly to the PIC. Observers will receive training on rules and responsibilities described 

in 14 CFR 91.111, Operating Near Other Aircraft, 14 CFR 91.13, Right-of-Way Rules, 

cloud clearance, in-flight visibility and the pilot controller glossary including standard 

ATC phraseology and communication. Observers will assist the PIC in surveying the 

flight area for any dangers. They will give inputs on privacy and flight path concerns. 

The observer will keep the UAS within visual sight and communicate with the PIC on 

location, obstacles and any other concerns that may arise. Use of electronic devices not 

directly related to the UAS flight operations are prohibited during flights.

All members of Epic View Productions are to strictly comply with 14 CFR 91.17, 

Alcohol and Drug Policy.

5. Safety

Epic View Productions is committed to having a safe and healthy workplace. This 

involves:

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Epic View Productions Operations Manual

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 The ongoing pursuit of an accident free workplace, including no harm to 

people, no damage to equipment, the environment or property. 

 Support for safety training and awareness program.

 Conducting regular audits of safety policies, procedures and practices. 

 Monitoring the UAS community to ensure the best safety practices are 

incorporated into the organization.

It is the duty of every member of Epic View Productions to contribute to the goal of 

continued safe operations. This contribution may come in many forms and includes 

always operating in the safest manner practicable and never taking unnecessary risks. 

Any safety hazard, whether procedural, operational or maintenance related should be 

identified as soon as possible after, if not before the incident occurs. Any suggestions in 

the interest of safety should be made to a PIC or Mr. Baxter.

Safety Training

All members shall receive training in the following subjects prior to operating the UAS:

 Company Commitment to Safety

 Company UAS Flight policies

 Member’s role in safety

 Emergency safety procedures

All members of Epic View Productions shall review the company safety policy on a 

semi-annual basis and that review shall be noted in their training history.

Medical Factors

PIC and observers shall only perform UAS operations when rested and emotionally 

prepared for the task at hand.

Physical illness, exhaustion, emotional problems, etc., can seriously impair judgement, 

memory and alertness. The safest rule is to decline assignment as PIC or observer when 

suffering from any of the above. Members are expected to report these problems when it 

will impair their ability to perform operations safely. 

A self-assessment of physical and emotional condition shall be made by all members 

during pre-flight activities. 

Performance can seriously be hampered by prescription and over the counter drugs. The 

owner will be advised anytime such drugs are being taken. If it is determined that the 

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Epic View Productions Operations Manual

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medication being taken could hamper an operator or observer, that member shall be 

prohibited from the deployment or exercise.

No member shall act as an operator or observer within twelve hours after consumption of 

any alcohol beverage, while under the influence of alcohol or while having an alcohol 

concentration of 0.04 or higher, as per FAR 91.17. 

6. Training

Objective

The key to continued safe operations is by maintaining a professional level of 

competency. The first step in this process is establishing minimum qualifications for 

selecting members. The second step involves training those members.

Instructors

If any members of Epic View Productions are FAA certified flight instructors, they will 

be given instructor duties. Such duties can include developing training courses, 

providing training and evaluation and documentation.

Duties of instructing new members shall fall upon those who have the most flight time 

and knowledge of UAS operations. Instructors will be designated by the owner.

Training Plans

All members will have a training plan on file that outlines training objectives for the 

upcoming year. 

The approved training plan will be developed jointly by the Mr. Baxter and Epic View 

Production Pilots in Command. 

All completed assignments and training exercises will be documented and count towards 

members training. 

It is the member’s responsibility to verify their training file contains all pertinent 

information. 

Initial Training

Prior to becoming a member of the Epic View Productions team, every member must 

hold either a valid driver’s license or a Class 2 (or higher) airmen medical certificate.

Observers must have completed sufficient training to communicate to the PIC any 

instructions required to remain clear of conflicting traffic, persons or structures. This 

training, at a minimum, shall include knowledge of the rules and responsibilities 

described in the 14 CFR 91.111, Operating Near Other Aircraft; 14 CFR 91.113, Rightof-way Rules; and 14 CFR 91.155, Basic VFR Weather Minimums. In addition, observers 

will have knowledge of air traffic and radio communications, including the use of 

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Epic View Productions Operations Manual

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ATC/pilot phraseology and knowledge of appropriate sections of the Aeronautical 

Information Manual.

Operators or PICs will enroll in appropriate training in order to obtain their commercial, 

private or sport pilot’s license/certificate if not already qualified. No Pilot in Command 

will operate a UAS without at least a Sport Pilot Certification. All pilots will observe at 

least 2 hours of DJI Phantom 3 flights by a qualified pilot before flight training begins. 

In conjunction with fulfilling all FAA requirements for operator and observer duties, the 

new member will also become familiar with the UAS used for our operations, the DJI 

Phantom 3 Professional.

Before a member can fly as a PIC, they must complete at least 8 hours of flight training 

with the UAS instructor to show proficiency of the flight training exercises and the 

airframe. 

Recurrent Training

All members within the unit shall maintain proficiency in their operator/observer 

abilities. Members who do not have any documented training or flight time within a span 

of 90 days will have to show proficiency before being an operator/observer during any 

assignment.

Recurrent training is not limited to actual operator/observer skills, but includes 

knowledge of all pertinent UAS/aviation matters.

Failure to display proficiency can result in a removal of pilot or observer status.

7. Equipment

The current UAS used for Epic View Productions assignments is the DJI Phantom 3 

Professional. The basic statistics of this aircraft are listed in the operator’s manual, which 

will remain readily available in the UAS field kit. The digital version is installed on the 

iPad. 

The UAS Field Kit includes:

 The DJI Phantom 3 Aircraft

 DJI Phantom 3 remote controller

 Three aircraft batteries

 Two spare sets of propellers

 iPad Mini 2

 iPad mini sunshade

 Two mini 64GB SD cards

 Controller to iPad cable

 Battery Charger

 UAS Toolkit

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Epic View Productions Operations Manual

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 Current FAR Regulations

 Pre-flight/Post-flight Checklist

 Field Kit Logbook

 Local authority and airport contact listing

This kit will be inventoried daily and prior to departure for assignment. Batteries will be 

fully charged before departure and re-charged upon completion of assignment. Any 

damage to equipment will be noted in the field kit logbook.

8. Flight Preparation

Before operations, the PIC and Observer will perform a pre-flight briefing. This briefing 

will focus on:

 Current weather conditions

 Obstacles and other stationary hazards

 Proposed takeoff and landing site

 Evaluations of risk to surrounding public

 Local flight traffic

 Planned maneuvers for filming

 Any other factors that could affect public safety

An inventory of the UAS field kit and an aircraft pre-flight inspection will be performed. 

A pre-flight inspection consists of the following:

 Aircraft, remote and iPad batteries are fully charged

 All exterior aircraft fasteners are secure

 Propellers are secure and spin freely

 Landing gear is secure

 Camera gimbal guard is removed

 General security of aircraft exterior components (cracks, corrosion, etc.)

 Mini SD card is inserted into camera gimbal

 iPad is properly connected to controller

 Controller antennas aligned properly

 iPad sunshade is installed (if necessary)

 Controller sticks move freely

 Controller switches for proper configuration (this may vary, consult 

manual)

Following the flight, pertinent flight data will be logged into the aircraft logbook and a 

post-flight inspection will be performed. All pilot and observer flight time will be 

properly logged. 

If any damage to aircraft occurred during the fight, an aircraft maintenance report will be 

filed. If any damage occurred to surrounding property or persons, a UAS flight incident 

report will be filed and the proper authorities will be contacted if necessary. All reports 

will be forwarded immediately to Mr. Baxter.

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Epic View Productions Operations Manual

Revision: Original, June 25th, 2015
Acknowledgement

I have reviewed this Operations Manual for Epic View Productions and find that it is 

sufficient for safe operation of our UAS. If at any time it is brought to my attention that 

improvements to this manual can be made that would result in a safer flight operating 

environment, it will be revised and the preceding revision will be replaced.

David Baxter Jr.

Owner,

Epic View Productions

Dated June 25th, 2015

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Epic View Productions Operations Manual

Revision: Original, June 25th, 2015
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Epic View Productions Operations Manual

Revision: Original, June 25th, 2015