August 6, 2015

U.S. Department of Transportation 

Docket Management System 

1200 New Jersey Ave., SE 

Washington, DC 20590

Re: Exemption Request Under Section 333 of the FAA Reform Act and Part 11 of the Federal 

Aviation Regulations

Dear Madam, Sir,

Pursuant to Section 333 of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 (the “Reform Act”) 

and 14 C.F.R. Part 11, Vaughan Engineering, Inc. (“VAUGHAN”), an operator of the eBee 

Unmanned Aircraft System (“eBee”) seeks an exemption from the Federal Aviation Regulations 

(“FARs”) listed below:

• 14 C.F.R. 21

• 14 C.F.R. 45.23

• 14 C.F.R 45.29

• 14 C.F.R. 61.133(a)

• 14 C.F.R. 91.7(b)

• 14 C.F.R. 91.9(b)(2)

• 14 C.F.R. 91.109(a)

• 14 C.F.R. 91.119

• 14 C.F.R. 91.151(a)

• 14 C.F.R. 91.203(a) & (b)

• 14 CFR Subpart E (91.401 - 91.417)

The requested exemption would authorize commercial operations using the eBee for mapping and 

survey applications. These operations will be subject to strict operating requirements defined in the 

eBee user manual (VAUGHAN requests the FAA treat the eBee training program as proprietary 

under 14 C.F.R. 11.35(b) and does not include this document in the public docket) and conditions 

defined by the Safety Code of the Academy of Model Aeronautics (see Annex B), in order to ensure 

at least an equivalent level of safety to currently authorized operations using manned aircrafts. 

The eBee will be operated by an individual who fulfills the following requirements:

• Has successfully passed a manufacturer’s training program for the eBee; VAUGHAN 

requests the FAA treat the eBee training program as proprietary under 14 C.F.R. 11.35(b) 

and does not include this document in the public docket.
1. CHARACTERISTICS OF THE AIRCRAFT 

The eBee is a small (37.8 inches wingspan) and ultra-light (maximum take-off weight of 1.7 

pounds) platform made of flexible foam that performs pre-programmed precision aerial mapping 

missions thanks to the on-board GPS and the related flight management software (eMotion) that 

allows the operator to plan safely and efficiently a mission in 3D, and then monitor it in real-time. 

Thanks to the embedded camera, protected by a foam envelope, the eBee takes a collection of highdefinition still images that are used later to generate maps and contour lines of the surveyed area. 

The four main characteristics of the eBee are:

a. Very light weight

The eBee is so light that the operator can launch it by hand and let it land on almost any surface 

without requiring a parachute or landing net (belly land). Its low impact energy (38 J in case of a 

controlled emergency landing) also significantly reduces the risk of hazardous situations. Finally, 

the wings of the eBee are detachable and made of flexible foam with no sharp or hard edges and 

almost no internal strengthening structure. 

b. Electric-powered

The eBee is electric powered. A brushless engine technology makes it silent and reliable. The 

propeller is attached with a rubber band to the body of the plane so that it can easily flex away in 

case of contact with any object. 

c. Semi-automatic flight

The artificial intelligence incorporated within the eBee autopilot system continuously analyzes data 

from the Inertial Measurement Unit and from the onboard GPS and takes care of all the aspects of 

the flight under the supervision of the operator.

d. Option for Manual control

Additionally, the eBee provides an override capability that allows the operator to take manual 

actions during the flight (Go to Home, Go Land, Hold and Resume the mission) and also suspend 

automated operations and take manual control of the aircraft should it become necessary to respond 

emergent circumstances, thanks to the remote controller provided with the system.

2. APPLICATIONS

The eBee will be used to map natural resources, endangered species and plant life, agriculture,

topography, as-built construction conditions and progress, quarry and mining operations (noncongested areas), and for crew training.

3. APPLICABLE LEGAL STANDARD UNDER SECTION 333

a. Airworthiness assessment of the eBee

VAUGHAN notes that the airworthiness of the eBee has already been demonstrated for different 

projects in the United States, involving state/federal agencies or universities (among others the New 

Mexico State University: https://newscenter.nmsu.edu/Articles/view/10208/nmsu-uas-flight-testcenter-conducts-ebee-airworthiness-assessment, and the USACE New Orleans, who coordinated 
with the Department of Army and the FAA to obtain all authorizations required in order to operate 

the eBee UAS).

Moreover, SenseFly obtained flight approvals for the eBee (delivered by national civil aviation 

authorities) in many countries, among others:

• Switzerland (flight approval for VLOS operations)

• Canada (flight approval for VLOS operations)

• Australia (flight approval for VLOS operations)

• France (flight approval for Extended-VLOS operations)

• Germany (flight approval for VLOS operations)

• United Kingdom (flight approval for VLOS operations)

• Norway (flight approval for VLOS operations)

• Sweden (flight approval for VLOS operations)

• Denmark (flight approval for VLOS operations)

b. Operating requirements

Grant of the exemption to VAUGHAN for the eBee will be subject to the following operating 

conditions, based on the operating conditions set forth by the Academy of Model Aeronautics (see 

Annex B). The main restrictions are summarized below:

• Operations are to be conducted over private, controlled-access, or public property where 

approved;

• Permission from the land owner/authority will be required before commencing any flight;

• Operations over congested areas shall be avoided;

• Operations must not interfere with manned aircraft operations, must yield the right of way 

to manned aircraft, and operators must See & Avoid other aircraft and obstacles at all times

• Operations will be limited to Visual Flight Rules Meteorological Conditions (VMC) and 

daylight hours

• Aircraft operations will remain within Visual Line of Sight (VLOS) and will be visually 

monitored at all times;

• VLOS will be guaranteed with a GPS geo-fence around operator of 0.5 miles

• Flight ceiling will be pre-programed at 400 feet or less above the ground surface;

• All operations conducted within 5 miles from an airport shall only be initiated after verbal 

coordination with the airport authority, or air traffic control when a control tower is present 

at the airport;

• All operations shall comply with required permissions and permits established by territorial, 

state, county or city jurisdictions; including local law enforcement, fire, or other appropriate 

governmental agencies.

• The eBee operations will be compliant with existing safety procedures inherent to the 

activities of the related company.

3. CONCLUSION

VAUGHAN (Vaughan Engineering, Inc.) is a consulting engineering and survey firm in its thirtyninth year of business. The use of the eBee and its technology will make our work more profitable 

and efficient and will enable us to deliver accurate results in near real time to our clients. This 

accuracy and time saving ability will allow our clients to make on-time decisions. Obtaining 

mapping information with the eBee will be tremendously safer than having VAUGHAN employees 

deployed in the field performing similar functionsfor projects. VAUGHAN work site settings often 
pose threats to employee safety in the mining, quarry, and construction environments that we 

service. The use of the eBee will be safe for other aircraft with the implementation of mission 

specifications (below 400 feet above ground surface) and eBee integrated safety features including 

return to home on low power or high winds.

We are prepared to modify or amend any part of this request to satisfy the need for an equivalent 

level of safety. We look forward to working with your office regarding this matter. Please contact 

us at any time if you require additional information or clarification. We can be reached by email at 

scottv@madisonville.com.

Very truly yours,

VAUGHAN ENGINEERING

Wm. Scott Vaughan, P.E., P.L.S.

Phone: 270.821.2013

Cell: 270.836.1790

VE FAA Exemption 333.docx
ANNEX A: EXEMPTION REQUEST AND EQUIVALENT LEVEL OF SAFETY 

SHOWINGS UNDER APPLICABLE RULES SUBJECT TO EXEMPTION

Vaughan Engineering, Inc. (“VAUGHAN”) requests an exemption from the following regulations 

as well as any additional regulations that may technically apply to the operation of the eBee 

Unmanned Aircraft System (“eBee”):

14 C.F.R. Part 21, Subpart H: Airworthiness Certificates 

14 CFR § 91.203(a)(1)

Section 91.203 requires all civil aircraft to have a certificate of airworthiness. Part 21, Subpart H, 

entitled Airworthiness Certificates, FAR § 91.203(a). Given the size of the eBee, its very light 

weight (the maximum take-off weight is 1.7 pounds) and the limited operating area associated with 

its utilization, it is unnecessary to go through the certificate of airworthiness process under Part 21 

Subpart H in order to achieve or exceed current safety levels. 

Such an exemption meets the requirements of an equivalent level of safety under Part 11 and Section 

333 of the Reform Act. The Federal Aviation Act and Section 333 of the Reform Act both authorize 

the FAA to exempt aircraft from the requirement for an airworthiness certificate, upon consideration 

of the size, weight, speed, operational capability, and proximity to airports and populated areas of 

the UAS involved. An analysis of these different criteria demonstrates that the eBee operated 

without an airworthiness certificate, under the conditions proposed in that exemption, will be at 

least as safe, or safer, than a conventional aircraft with an airworthiness certificate. A proprietary 

risk assessment for operations with the eBee, which demonstrates that assertion, is also being 

submitted to the FAA as part of this application. VAUGHAN requests the FAA treat the eBee risk 

assessment as proprietary under 14 C.F.R. 11.35(b) and not include this document in the public 

docket.

14 C.F.R. § 45.23 & 14 C.F.R. § 45.29: Display of marks; 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. Additionally, the aircraft must display the word 

"EXPERIMENTAL" in letters at least 2 inches high near the entrance to the cabin, cockpit, or pilot 

station. 

Given the size of the eBee (wingspan of 37.8 inches), this requirement is impossible to match.

14 C.F.R. § 91.7(a): Civil aircraft airworthiness

This regulation requires that no person may operate a civil aircraft unless it is in airworthy

condition. Should the exemption be granted allowing commercial operation of the eBee without

an airworthiness certificate, no standard will exist for airworthiness of the eBee. Given the size of 

the aircraft and the previous airworthiness assessments given to the eBee, among others:

• New Mexico State University: https://newscenter.nmsu.edu/Articles/view/10208/nmsuuas-flight-test-center-conducts-ebee-airworthiness-assessment

• USACE New Orleans, who coordinated with the Department of Army and the FAA to 

obtain all authorizations required in order to operate the eBee UAS for levee system 
monitoring, documentation of construction progress, and extensive oblique photography of 

USACE structures & activities

An equivalent level of safety will be achieved by insuring compliance with the SenseFly manuals 

prior to each flight. 

14 C.F.R. § 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. VAUGHAN assumes that the intent of this requirement is to ensure that 

flight manual information is available to the aircrew while operating the aircraft. VAUGHAN 

requests 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.

The equivalent level of safety will be achieved by keeping a hard copy of the flight manual in the 

eBee transportation box.

14 C.F.R. § 91.109(a) & 91.319(a)(1): Flight Instruction

The regulation provides that "No person may operate a civil aircraft that is being used for flight

instruction unless that aircraft has fully functioning dual controls."

Flight instruction will be accomplished through an elaborated training program, using first the 

simulation mode of the flight management software eMotion. The equivalent level of safety during 

the training will be achieved by the manufacturer or authorized distributor providing the training 

and through the use of experienced and qualified operators familiar with the eBee.

14 CFR § 91.119: Minimum Safe Altitudes

The regulation provides 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, the eBee cannot comply with this requirement.

The equivalent level of safety will be achieved because the eBee will only fly over private property 

with the permission of the landowner. The operator will define before every flight a working area

radius and a flight area ceiling, preventing the eBee to go beyond the flight area. The landowner 

and the persons who may be on the ground in the flight area will be briefed of the expected route 

of flight and the associated risks to persons and property on the ground. Due to the small size of the 

eBee and the material with which the eBee is built, the hazard to persons, vessels, vehicles, and 

structures is not comparable to manned aircraft and should be considered in granting the exemption. 

Moreover, the aircraft will not be operated over congested areas nor over any open-air assembly of 

persons. The aircraft will be operated at an altitude allowing, if a power unit fails, an emergency 

landing without undue hazard to persons or property on the surface.

14 CFR 91.121 – Altimeter settings

This section requires that each person operating an aircraft shall maintain the cruising altitude or 

flight level of that aircraft, as the case may be, by reference to an altimeter that is set, when operating 

below 18,000 feet MSL to:
• The current reported altimeter setting of a station along the route and within 100 nautical 

miles of the aircraft;

• If there is no station within the area prescribed in paragraph (a)(1)(i) of this section, the 

current reported altimeter setting of an appropriate available station;

• In the case of an aircraft not equipped with a radio, the elevation of the departure airport or 

an appropriate altimeter setting available before departure.

To provide an equivalent level of safety, the eBee autopilot calculates the reference altitude (ground 

level) with the on-board GPS during the pre-flight tests. The GPS and barometer data are merged 

with respect to their respective precisions. The GPS provides reliable information to correct 

potential barometric bias, while rapid variations in altitude are detected through the barometer. 

Hence, barometric bias induced by environmental factors is rejected.

14 C.F.R. § 91.151(a): 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 first point of intended landing and to fly after that for at least 

30 minutes.

Given the area of operation for the eBee, VAUGHAN believes that an equivalent level of safety is 

already achieved with the specific procedure preventing the eBee to accept a take-off order is the 

battery level is below a given value. Moreover, SenseFly has integrated “low” and “critical” battery 

level warnings and implemented a “return to Home” (and “Go Land”) action in these situations.

14 C.F.R. § 91.203 (a) & (b): Carrying Civil Aircraft Certification and Registration

This regulation provides as follows:

• No person may operate a civil aircraft unless it has an appropriate and current

airworthiness certificate.

• No person may operate a civil aircraft unless the airworthiness certificate required by

paragraph (a) of this section or a special flight authorization issued under §91.715 is

displayed at the cabin or cockpit entrance so that it is legible to passengers or crew.

The eBee weighs only 1.7 pounds (max take-off weight). As such, there is no ability or place to 

carry certification and registration documents or to display them on the UAS. In addition, there is 

no pilot or passengers on board the aircraft.

To obtain an equivalent level of safety and meet the intent of 91.203, VAUGHAN proposes that 

documents deemed appropriate for this aircraft by the FAA will be co-located with the operator at 

the ground control station in the eBee box and available for inspection upon request.

14 CFR Subpart E (91.401 - 91.417) - Maintenance, Preventive Maintenance, and 

Alterations

The regulation provides that the operator is primarily responsible for maintaining the aircraft in an 

airworthy condition, including compliance with Parts 39 and 43. Paragraphs 91.407 and 91.409 

require that the aircraft be "approved for return to service by a person authorized under 43.7" after 

maintenance and inspection. Section 91.409(a)(2) requires an annual inspection for the issuance of 

an airworthiness certificate. Section 91.417(a) requires the owner or operator to keep records 

showing certain maintenance work that has been accomplished by certificated mechanics, under 

Part 43, or licensed pilots and records of approval of the aircraft for return to service.
VAUGHAN proposes that the maintenance of the eBee will be accomplished by the owner/operator 

according to the maintenance manual, provided by SenseFly. VAUGHAN requests that the FAA 

treat the eBee training program as proprietary under 14 C.F.R. 11.35(b) and not include this 

document in the public docket.

An equivalent level of safety will be achieved because the eBee is small in size, it is not a complex 

mechanical device, it will carry no external payload, and it will operate only in restricted 

predetermined areas. Moreover, the operator is the person most familiar with the aircraft and is 

best suited to maintain the aircraft in an airworthy condition and to ensure an equivalent level of 

safety. Finally, before every flight, the eBee runs automatically a sequence of pre-flight tests to 

make sure that every sensor and every critical part is running properly. If a problem is detected, the 

eBee will not be able to be switched-on and a message error is displayed on the main screen of 

The flight management software. The operator can then refer to the maintenance manual to 

troubleshoot this issue. Several parts of the eBee are easily interchangeable (propellers, wings), 

which allows the operator to make sure the wings and propulsion system are always airworthy when 

a mission is initiated.

ANNEX B: ACADEMY OF MODEL AERONAUTICS SAFETY REQUIREMENTS

http://www.modelaircraft.org/files/105.pdf

http://www.modelaircraft.org/files/540-D.pdf

http://www.modelaircraft.org/files/560.pdf