October 20th, 2015 Forge Mountain Photography, LLC 1 45 W indsong Hills Drive Mills River, NC 28759 U.S. Dept. of T ransportation, Docket Operations W est Building Ground Floo r, Room w12
- 140 1200 New Jersey A

venue, SE., W ashington, DC 20590 VIA FEDERAL DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT

SYSTEM

Re: Exemption Request under Section 333 of the F AA Reform Act and Part 1 1 of the Federal A viation Regulations Dear Sir or Madam: Pursuant to Section 333 of the F AA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 (the “Reform Act”) and 14 C. F.R. Part 1 1, Forge Mountain Photography, LLC, seeks an exemption from Federal A viation Regulations (“ F

ARs”) detailed below for the following described Unmanned Aerial System called in th is application the ME System, which includes an Unmanned Aircraft (UA) and ground station
- based equipment and crew: THE UNMANNED AIRCRAFT (UA):

• A lightweight (20 lb gross weight with all on
- board equipment), manufactured by DJI, Inspire 1 and Phantom 3 that includes the following equipment in flight;

• An on
- board flight computer with GPS navigation and location ability that receives signals for flig ht controls from a ground
- based transmitter/controller;

• An on
- board camera capable of capturing imagery in the form of full colo r, high def inition still photos and video;

• An on - board telemetry system that delivers flight data from the on - board flight comp uter to the on - board radio transmitter including altitude AGL, horizontal and vertical speed, compass direction of flight and direction back to its launch site;

• A 2.4GHz on
- board radio transmitter that transmits live video from the on
- board camera plus all the flight data from the telemetry system described above; THE GROUD S TA

TION

– BASED P

A RT OF THE SYSTEM:

• A Pilot in Command (PIC) in operational control of a flight operation from beginning to end and who controls the UA while in the air;

• A 2.4GHz radio transmitter/controller operated by the PIC to control the UA while in flight;

• A radio receiver receiving live video and flight data from the on
- board camera and computer projects it all together onto a screen for the PIC to view during flight;• A V isual Observer (VO) is a person who provides a second pair of eyes to visually track the UA while in flight. The requested exemption would support an application for a commercial Certificate of Authorization to use the above described ME System to support Production of promotional materials (video and/or still images) for Real Estate sales, P roduction of promotional materials, (video and/or still images) for T ravel and T ourism industries, Production of promotional materials, (video and/or still images) for commercial businesses, Photography and videography of social events, such as weddings, n ever operating over persons not directly involved with the ME system. The UA, powered by batteries, is smalle r, lighter and more maneuverable than larger aircraft running on combustible fuel, it operates at lower altitudes with no people on board and will thereby reduce current risk levels and thereby enhance safety and diminish the likelihood of death or serious bodily injury. W ith a small payload and maximum flight time of only 18 minutes, this is o f

fers little or no risk to national securit y
. Low level oblique photos and video from several angles are far more e f fe ctive than ground
- based imagery for displaying the characteristics of large, complex properties with several buildings and large trees. The alternative could be to charter a full
- size d helicopter for this purpose, which has proven more costly than many potential clients are able to a f ford. The benefits of reduced cost and improved quality of presentation from the UA will be valuable to and benefit many buyers and sellers of real property and marine propert y
. Additionall y, we request that we be allowed to use our system to benefit first responders nearby who might require assistance, including fire fighters, the police, the sheri f f, et al., while remaining subject to all limitations cit ed in this application as we do so. The ME System will be operated in the field with both a PIC and a VO in accordance with F AA Policy N 8900.227 Section 14 "Operational Requirements for UAS" and with the following Restrictions: a) No flight will be made with a UA Gross weight exceeding 55 pounds; b) All operations must occur in F AA Class G airspace at no more than 400 ft AGL, at an airspeed of no more than 50 knots and no further than 3/4 NM from the PIC; c) All operations must utilize a visual observer (VO). The VO and PIC must be able to communicate by voice at all times during a flight operation; d) Operations will be restricted to flights over property with the permission of the property owner; e) The PIC must have accumulated and logged, in a manner consistent with 14 CFR § 61.51 (b), a minimum of 100 flight cycles and 25 hours of total time as a UA rotorcraft pilot and at least ten hours logged as a UA pilot with a similar UA type; f) All required permits will be obtained from state and local government prior to operation; g) The ME System will not be operated over densely populated areas; h) The ME System will not be operated at air shows; i) The ME System will not be operated over any open
- air assembly o f people; j) The ME System will not be operated over heavily trafficked roads; k) The ME System will not be operated within 5 NM of an airport or heliport;l) Operations will be restricted to day only and weather conditions equivalent to VFR;

m) The PIC wi ll brief the VO and property owner about the operation and risk before the fi rst flight at each new location; n) No flight may be made without a Pre
- Flight Inspection by the PIC before each operation to ascertain that the UA is in a condition safe for flight (see Appendix A).
The PIC and VO will meet the requirements outlined in F AA Policy N 8900.227 Section 16 personnel Qualifications. Additionall y, the PIC and VO will perform maintenance on the system and will complete a course of maintenance instruction as part of their initial training. W e submit that the combination of the UA's light weight, flight performance and abilit y, fully qualified fligh t crew and strict operation under the guidelines established in 8900.227, and under all of the Restrictions (a) through (n) listed above, the F AA can have full confidence that the operation will have an equivalent or greater level of safety than manned air craft performing the same mission. The name and contact information of the applicant are: dba Forge Mountain Photography, LLC : Wi ll Thomas Ph: 828
- 243
- 2755 Email: forgemountainphoto@gmail.com The regulations from wh ich the exemption is requested are listed belo w
. Beside each regulation number is the page of the attached Addendum upon which each may be found together with our proposed equivalent level of safety for each regulation:

- 14 CFR Part 21.................................Addendum Page 1

- 14 CFR 91.203.................................Addendum Page 1

- 14 CFR 45.23, 45.29..........................Addendum Page 2

- 14 CFR 91.9....................................Addendum Page 2

- 14 CFR 61. 1 13, 61.133.......................Addendum Page 2

- 14 CFR 91.109, 91. 1 19, 91.121..............Addendum Page 3

- 14 CFR 91.151.................................Addendum Page 3

- 14 CFR Subpart E (91.401
- 91.417) ......Addendum Page 3

- F AA Pol icy 8900.227 Paragraph 16(c)(4) and Paragraph 16(e)(1) ...Addendum 1 W e are prepared to modify or amend any part of this request to satisfy the need for an equivalent level of safety. Please contact us at any time if you require additional information or clarification. W e look forward to working with your office. Sincerel y,

Forge Mountain Photography, LLC,Addendum containing Exemption Requests and Equivalent Level of Safety Appendix A

– Flight

Manual ’ s Appendix B

– Owne r ’ s Manual for UA ADDENDUM EXEMPTION REQUESTS AND EQUI V ALENT LEVEL OF SAFETY Forge Mountain Photography, LLC requests an exemption from the following regulations as we ll as any additional regulations that may technically apply to the operation of the ME System: 14 CFR Part 21, Subpart H: Airworthiness Certificates This part establishes the procedures for the issuance of an airworthiness certificate. W hile the F AA continues to work to develop airworthiness standards for Unmanned Aerial Systems, we request an exper imental certificate be issued for the ME System under either or both of the following provisions: 21.191 Experimental certificates. Experimental certificates are issued for the following purposes: (a) Research and development. T esting new aircraft design concepts, new aircraft equipment, new aircraft installations, new aircraft operating techniques, or new uses for aircraft. (b) Showing compliance with regulations. Conducting flight tests and other operations to show compliance with the airworthiness regu lations including flights to show compliance for issuance of type and supplemental type certificates, flights to substantiate major design changes, and flights to show compliance with the function and reliability requirements of the regulations. Since the experimental certificate can be used for commercial purposes such as market surveys, sales demonstrations, and customer crew training, we would expect that an experimental certificate would permit our commercial purpose as well. The aircraft will not carry persons or propert y, will not carry fuel, and will only fly under strict operational requirements. Combined with the U A ’ s light weight, being constructed primarily of carbon fiber and plastic, we propose that the UA will be at least as safe, if not safe r, than a conventionally certificated aircraft performing the same mission. If an experimental airworthiness certificate is not appropriate for this application, then we request an exemption of 14 CFR Part 21, Subpart H, and the requirement for an airworthiness certificate in general, citing the equivalent level of safety outlined in the previous paragraph. 14 CFR 91.203(a) & (b) Civil aircraft: Certifications required. The regulation provides that an airworthiness certificate, with the registration number assigned to the aircraft and a registration certificate must be aboard the aircraft. Additionall y, subparagraph (b) provides that the airworthiness certificate be "displayed at the cabin or cockpit entrance so that i t is legible to passengers or cre w ."At a maximum gross weight of 6.5 pounds, the UA is too small to carry documentation, does

not have an entrance, and is not capable of carrying passengers or cre w
. T o obtain an equivalent level of safety and meet the int ent of 91.203, we propose that documents deemed appropriate for this aircraft by the F AA will be co
- located with the crew at the ground control station and available for inspection upon request. In order to identify the aircraft, we propose that the inform ation found on airworthiness and registration certificates be permanently affixed to the aircraft via placard containing the following information plus the word “EXPERIMEN T AL” to satisfy the requirement of 14 CFR 45.23, which follows immediately after the proposed placard description below: Appendix A EXPERIMENTAL Manufacturer: DJI Innovations, Inc. 950 E Baseline A ve. Ste. 210 Apache Junction AZ 85 1 19 Models: Inspire 1 and Phantom 3
14 CFR 45.23 Display of marks; general and 45.29 Size of marks. These regulations provide that each aircraft must display "N" and the aircraft's registration number in letters at least 3 inches high. Additionall y, the aircraft must display the word "EXPERIMEN T

AL" in letters at least 2 inches high near the entrance to the cabin, cockpit, or pilot station. The UA does not have an entrance in which the word "EXPERIMEN T AL" can be placed, and may not have a registratio n number assigned to it by the F AA. W e propose to achieve an equivalent level of safety by including the word "EXPERIMEN T AL" in the placard on the top of the aircraft, as shown above, where the PIC, VO and others in the vicinity of the aircraft while it is preparing for launch will be able to see the designation. Additionall y, we feel that the permanent placard discussed in the previous paragraph will provide the aircraft's registration information at the ground station. Finall y, we will display at the ground station a high contrast flag or banner that contains the words "Unmanned Aircraft Ground Station" in letters 3 inches high or greate r. Since the aircraft will operate within 3/4 NM of the ground station, the banner should be visible to anyone that observes the aircraft and chooses to investigate its point of origin. 14 CFR 91.9 Civil aircraft flight manual, marking, and placard requirements. This regulation provides that no person may operate an aircraft unless a current, approved flight manual is in the aircraft. W e assume that the intent of this requirement is to ensure that flight manual information is available to the aircrew while operating the aircraft. W e request an exemption to this requirement since the aircraft is not only too small to carry documentation, the documentation would not be available to the crew during flight operations. T o obtain an equivalent leve l of safety and meet the intent of 91.9, we propose that a current, approved UA Flight Manual (Appendix A) must be available to the crew at the ground station anytime the aircraft is in, or preparing fo r, flight. 14 CFR 61. 1 13 Private pilot privileges and limitations: Pilot in Command and 61.133 Commercial pilot privileges and limitations. The regulation provides that no person that holds a private pilot certificate may act as pilot in command of an aircraft for compensation or hire. Subparagraph (b) allows a private pilot toact as pilot in command of an aircraft in connection with any business or employment if: (1)

The flight is only incidental to that business or employment; and (2) The aircraft does not carry passengers or property for compensation or hire. Our proposed operations require that the PIC must either 1. Hold a Sport Pilot Certificate issued by the F AA, and have logged 25 hours of flight experience in this type of UA, or 2. Meet the requirements of 8900.227 para 16(c)(2)(c) "Operations without a pilot certificate" in which the PIC is required to complete " F AA private pilot ground instruction" and p ass "the F

AA Private Pilot written examination." Since there are currently no means available for the pilot of a UAS to gain the experience in an equivalent category and class in order to apply for a commercial pilot's license, we propose to generate an eq uivalent level of safety by requiring our pilots to complete, at a minimum, F AA commercial pilot ground instruction and pass the F AA Commercial Pilot written examination in addition Appendix A to completing the private pilot requirements. Since the aircra ft cannot carry passengers or propert y, we feel we meet the intent of 61. 1 13 Subparagraph (b) even though the intent of this application is to conduct a business. 14 CFR 91.109 Flight Instruction; Simulated instrument flight and certain flight tests The regulation states that "No person may operate a civil aircraft that is being used for flight instruction unless that aircraft has fully functioning dual controls.” The ME System ground
- based control station consists of a small hand
- held radio transmitter and while it does not o f fer a second set of "controls", both the student and instructor can, and will, operate the single set of controls simultaneousl y. W ith both student and instructor having "hands
- on" the controls during flight, we feel that this t echnique meets the intent 91.109 and provides an equivalent level of safet y
. 14 CFR 91. 1 19 Minimum safe altitudes: General. The regulation states that over sparsely populated areas the aircraft cannot be operated closer than 500 feet to any person, vessel, vehicle, or structure. Since the aircraft will be operating at a maximum of 400 feet AGL, we cannot comply with this requirement. In order to provide an equivalent level of safety we will only fly over private property with a size of at least two acres with the permission of the owner of the property flown ove r
. The aircraft will not be operated over congested areas or over a ny open air assembly of persons. The property owner will be briefed on the expected route of flight and the associated risks to persons and property on the ground. The aircraft will be operated at a low altitude allowing, if a power unit fails, an emergency landing without undue hazard to persons or property on the surface.Therefore we maintain that due to the small size of the UA, the hazard to persons, vehicles

and structures is minimal compared to manned aircraft, which should be considered in granting the exemption. 14 CFR 91.121 Altimeter settings. The regulation requires that aircraft shall maintain cruising altitudes by reference to an altimeter setting available within 100 NM of the aircraft. The UA will always fly below 400 feet AGL and will not need to maintain cruising altitudes in order to prevent conflict with other aircraft. An Above Ground Level altimeter measurement above the takeo f f point is transmitted via radio from the UA on - board computer to the display screen held by the PIC, providing a constantly updated AGL readout. 14 CFR 91.151 Fuel requirements for flight in VFR conditions. The regulation provides that no person may begin a flight in an airplane under day
- VFR conditions unless there is enough fuel to fly to the firs t point of intended landing and to fly after that for at least 30 minutes. W e feel the intention of this paragraph is to provide an energy reserve as a safety bu f fer for delays to landing. The UA is battery operated and the maximum duration of flight from a single battery charge is 18 minutes with a 20% reserve. Since the aircraft will never fly more than 3 ⁄4 NM from the point of intended landing, a full battery charge at launch will ensure that we meet the reserve energy requirement of this paragraph. W e request an exemption to the word "fuel" and ask for an equivalent interpretation with the word "energy". 14 CFR Subpart E (91.401
- 91.417)
- Maintenance, Preventive Maintenance, Alterations The regulation provides that the operator is primarily responsible for maintaining the aircraft in an airworthy condition, including compliance with part 39 and 43. Paragraphs 91.407 and 91.409 require that the aircraft be "approved for return to service b y a person authorized under 43.7" after maintenance and inspection. It is our intention that the PIC perform maintenance and inspection of the aircraft and "be authorized to approve the aircraft for return to service." As provided in the Pre
- Flight Checkl ist in Appendix A, the PIC will ensure that the aircraft is in an airworthy condition prior to every flight and in addition conduct detailed inspections after every two hours of flight. Maintenance performed by the PIC is limited to repairing small cracks, replacing a propelle r, checking electrical connections and updating software and firmware for the on
- board compute r
. All other maintenance will be performed by the manufacturer or their designated repair facilit y
. The PIC will document work performed in accordance with 91.417. W e feel that due to the size, construction, and simplicity of the aircraft, the PIC can ensure an equivalent level of safety
. 8900.227 Paragraph 16(c)(4) PIC Medical. and Paragraph 16(e)(1) O bserver Medical. This policy provides that both the PIC and VO must have a valid F AA second
- class medical certificate issued under part 67 in order to perform as a pilot or observe r
. The UA maximum gross weight is 6.5 pounds, it is constructed of carbon fi ber and plastic and the PIC is not on board. Both the PIC and the VO are required to be in VLOS. Given the unlikely event that both the PIC and VO become medically incapacitated while the aircraft is in flight, the UA will return autonomously to the site o f launching and land without crew intervention.Therefore, requiring the PIC and VO to meet the same medical requirements as a

commercial pilot carrying passengers in a large aircraft is an unnecessary burden. W e propose that the minimum medical requirem ents for the PIC and VO be vision corrected to 20/20 and a valid, state issued driver's license. The 20/20 vision requirement will ensure that the PIC and VO can see and avoid air traffic; a licensed driver is medically qualified to operate a much larger v ehicle. APPENDIX A

– FLIGHT MANUAL FLIGHT RESTRICTIONS a) No flight will be made with a UA Gross weight exceeding 55 pounds; b) All operations must occur in F AA Class G airspace at no more than 400' AGL, at an airspeed of no more than 50 knots and no further than 3/4 NM from the PIC; c) All operations must utilize a visual observer (VO). The VO and PIC must be able to communicate verbally at all times during a flight operation; d) Operations will be restricted to flights over property with the permission of the property owner; e) The PIC must have accumulated and logged, in a manner consistent with 14 CFR § 61.51 (b), a minimum of 100 flight cycles and 25 hours of total time as a UA rotorcraft pilot an d at least ten hours logged as a UA pilot with a similar UA type; f) All required permits will be obtained from state and local government prior to operation; g) The ME System will not be operated over densely populated areas; h) The ME System will not be operated at air shows; i) The ME System will not be operated over any open
- air assembly of people; j) The ME System will not be operated over heavily trafficked roads; k) The ME System will not be operated within 5 NM of an airport or heliport; l) Operations will be restricted to day only and weather conditions equivalent to VFR; m) The PIC will brief the VO and property owner about the operation and risk before the fi rst flight at each new location; n) No flight may be made without a successful Pre
- Flight Inspection by the PIC before each operation to ascertain that the UA is in a condition safe for flight. PREFLIGHT CHECKLIST 1. Remote controlle r, aircraft battery, and mobile device are fully charged. 2. Propellers are mounted correctly and firml y
. 3. Micro
- SD card has been inserted if necessary
. 4. Gimbal is functioning as normal. 5. Motors can start and are functioning as normal. 6. DJI Pilot app connected to the aircraft. T O REGAIN CONTROL AFTER LOST RADIO CON T ACT If radio contact is lost and not restored within 3 seconds, an automatic Return to Home feature is activated and will bring the U A V back to the PIC.