SF DOC 01

- 302

**Starfighters Aerospace**

– **FAA Petition For Exemption Page 1**  

# SF DOC 01

-

**302**

**FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION**

**PETITION FOR EXEMPTION** TMSF DOC 01

- 302

**Starfighters Aerospace**

– **FAA Petition For Exemption Page 2**  

# !

UNCLASSIFIED

THIS DOCUMENT IS CONFIDENTIAL AND © COPYRIGHT PROPE RTY OF STARFIGHTERS AEROSPACE

ANY UN-AUTHORIZED COPYING OR RE-DISTRIBUTION OF THI S DOCUMENT
WITHOUT EXPRESSED WRITTEN PERMISSION OF STARFIGHTER S AEROSPACE



### WILL RESULT IN CRIMINAL PROSECUTIONSF DOC 01

- 302

**Starfighters Aerospace**

– **FAA Petition For Exemption Page 3**  FAA PETITION FOR EXEMPTION

Revision 1 10 / 01 / 2010

By Order Of The Company President

___________________________________________________ ______________________________________________ 

# CONFIDENTIAL

___________________________________________________ ______________________________________________

FAA PETITION FOR EXEMPTION

MR. RICK SVETKOFF
PRESIDENT / CHIEF PILOT

RLB AVIATION, INC.
1608 N. JASMINE AVENUE
TARPON SPRINGS FLORIDA, 34689-5250

(727) 452 8817 (Phone) Rick.Svetkoff@Starfighters.net

**Mr. McGraw,**

**As President and Chief Pilot of RLB Aviation (DBA S tarfighters, Inc.), I am formally Petitioning for E**  **xemption from Title 14 CFR; FAR 91.319(a).** 

http://rgl.faa.gov/REGULATORY_AND_GUIDANCE_LIBRARY/ RGFAR.NSF/0/c71e4cb4b0e8d48186256ef4004b96d6 !OpenDocument

APPLICABLE AIRCRAFT

**The Petition for Exemption would be for the followi ng aircraft:** 

N-NUMBER MFR TYPE DESIGNATION

**N104RB LOCKHEED CF-104D STARFIGHTER**
**N104RD LOCKHEED CF-104G STARFIGHTER**
**N104RN LOCKHEED CF-104G STARFIGHTER**
**N990SF LOCKHEED TF-104G-M STARFIGHTER**
**N991SF LOCKHEED TF-104G-M STARFIGHTER**
**N992SF LOCKHEED TF-104G-M STARFIGHTER**
**N993SF LOCKHEED F-104S ASA-M STARFIGHTER**
**N994SF LOCKHEED F-104S ASA-M STARFIGHTER**SF DOC 01

- 302

**Starfighters Aerospace**

– **FAA Petition For Exemption Page 4**  REASONING

**I am seeking relief from the regulation in its enti rety to enable me to develop my business and contin**  **ue to advance commercial space industry within the United States.** 

**We have carried payloads and persons aboard my F-10 4 Starfighters as a “public use aircraft” which we**  **highly successful with many safety mechanisms and oversight developed**  **by my organization and personnel in conjunction wi th the United**  **States Air Force (USAF) and the National Aeronautic s and Space Administration (NASA). These flights h**  **elped advance technology development for both NASA (cameras, opti**  **cs and sensors, one of which is currently aboard th e International**  **Space Station) and Federal Aviation Administration (commercial space airspace proving “Pathfinder”) pr**  **ojects. I have been engaged by universities such as Embry Riddle A**  **eronautical University, Florida State University, F lorida Institute of**  **Technology and commercial businesses such as Boeing , Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, XCor Aerospace**  **, Virgin Galactic, Pratt & Whitney and L-3 who are aware of**  **our success of these flights and wish to conduct si milar flights.** 

**Due to our professionalism, safety record and aircr aft capability NASA added us to their highly covete**  **d “Flight Test Aircraft Catalog” in 2009.**  **http://airbornescience.nasa.gov/platforms/bpa/starf ighters.html** 

**The F-104 is such a capable, proven and recently, h ighly requested test platform our fleet will be exp**  **anding from four to nine aircraft. DARPA, Edwards Air Force Base Fligh**  **t Test Center, the United States Air Force Research Laboratory,**  **Untied States Air Force and Navy Test Pilot Schools , and NASA Ames Research Center have all inquired i**  **nto using my organization for various projects. We would like t**  **he same opportunities be available to education ins titutions and**  **commercial industry partners to keep America at the forefront of aerospace technology now and in the f**  **uture.**

**As the Space Shuttle program draws to a close KSC w ill lose critical personnel. As the only private a**  **viation organization ever permitted to permanently re-locate and operate**  **from the historic Shuttle Landing Facility, allowi ng me to “carry**  **persons or property for compensation or hire,” I ca n not only ensure that these personnel remain at wo**  **rk but vastly increase my workforce in a climate where almost 13,**  **000 people face unemployment.**

**I would like to stress that our request is for airc raft that are in the same type and category discuss**  **ed in**
FAA-2001-11089-0073.1 **(Exemption Docket 6540K) Issued to Mr. Robert F. C ollings Jr. and The Collings Foundation**  **(** See Attachment 3 **).**SF DOC 01

- 302

**Starfighters Aerospace**

– **FAA Petition For Exemption Page 5**  SAFETY

**Safety is paramount to my organization, aircraft an d personnel based at the NASA Shuttle Landing Facil**  **ity (SLF) on the John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Cape Canavera**  **l, Florida. Our operations at this Federal Governm ent installation**  **are subject to oversight not only by the Federal Av iation Administration but are inclusive of the Nati**  **onal Aeronautics and Space Administration and United States Air Force.**  **Annual safety reviews of our flight operations, air craft maintenance,**  **administration, training, quality assurance and reg ulation compliance are conducted by both agencies i**  **n addition to our own internal safety audits, which I feel make us on**  **e of the safest and most regulated Part 91 flight o perations in the**  **country. My professional, full time personnel atte nd all NASA aviation safety working groups, trainin**  **g and planned exercises at KSC. By holding ourselves to a higher**  **standard it is my belief that our location and wor king airspace (**  See Attachment 8 - Appendix **) mitigates a vast majority of risk to the uniforme d.** 

**We have operated without incident since 1996, amass ing over 1,000 sorties at over 120 locations across**  **North America in support of commercial industry, United States Depar**  **tment of Defense and Federal Government contract wo rk.** 

**We depart a field located within restricted airspac e spanning from the surface to “unlimited” void of**  **commercial and general aviation aircraft before transitioning over**  **the Atlantic Ocean to our own ATCAA (Air Traffic C ontrol Assigned**  **Airspace) located within warning area W-497A. All f lights are with the coordination and approval of Mi**  **ami Center Military Airspace Chief, NASA Flight Operations and the Unit**  **ed States Air Force Cape Canaveral Airspace Manager , in addition**  **to having my own flight operations personnel in the SLF Control Tower during all flights.** 

**For these above reasons I sincerely believe grantin g this exemption would not adversely affect safety.**  **If granted an exemption all these safety mechanisms would remain**  **in place and continue to be overseen by both NASA a nd the USAF.**  **The NASA KSC Chief of Flight Operations recently wr ote a letter (**  See Attachment 1 **) to our governing Flight Standards District Office attesting to the professionalism an**  **d safety culture in place at my organization.**SF DOC 01

- 302

**Starfighters Aerospace**

– **FAA Petition For Exemption Page 6**  FEDERAL REGISTER SUMMARY

**RLB Aviation, Inc. (DBA Starfighters, Inc.) of Tarp on Springs, Florida is petitioning for exemption fr**  **om Title 14 CFR; FAR 91.319(a) to operate its NASA Kennedy Space Center**  **fleet of Lockheed F-104 Starfighter aircraft regist ered as; N104RB,**  **N104RD, N104RN, N990SF, N991SF, N992SF, N993SF, N99 4SF, to fly “persons or property for compensation o**  **r hire”.**SF DOC 01

- 302

**Starfighters Aerospace**

– **FAA Petition For Exemption Page 7**  **I thank you for your time to review my petition and look forward to your response.** 

**Sincerely**

Rick Svetkoff

President / Chief Pilot Starfighters, Inc.