November 2, 2015

U.S. Department of Transportation

Docket Management System

1200 New Jersey Ave., SE

Washington, DC 20590

RE: Exemption Request Pursuant to Section 333 of the FAA Modernization and Reform 

Act of 2012, 49 U.S.C. § 44701(f), and Part 11 of the Federal Aviation Regulations

Dear Sir or Madam: 

I, William Andrew, hereafter referred to as the petitioner, am submitting this Petition for Section 

333 Exemption of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 (“FMRA”). 

Petitioner can be contacted at:

William Allen Andrew Jr.

6506 Chippewa Trail

Indian River, MI 49749

(231) 420-3632

Pursuant to Section 333 of the FMRA, the petitioner hereby requests a determination by the 

Secretary of Transportation authorizing commercial operations of UAS for the purposes aerial 

photography, videography, data collection augmented real estate listings, commercial videos and 

other work related to aerial photography in the NAS. Flight operations will utilize the off the shelf 

DJI family of unmanned aircraft. Conduct of UA operations will be with respect to FMRA Section 

333(c), the UAS “Blanket COA”, and any other COA issued by the FAA. This exemption is similar 

to that granted in exemption #12084 and thus petitioner requests expedited review through the 

summary grant process.

Exemption is necessary to effect the determination requested pursuant to FMRA Section 333. The 

attached documentation includes detailed exemption requests that demonstrate how these 

exemptions are in the public interest and will maintain at least an equal level of safety to existing 

regulations. Authorizing the petitioner to conduct commercial UAS operations will result in less 

disruptive, safer, and more cost effective solutions than manned aviation equivalents due to the 

low altitude environment, given the size, speed and inherent risk of traditional commercial 

helicopter operations. These commercial operations often occur in the unsafe areas of the heightvelocity diagram requiring special precision and skill. The petitioner will conduct the commercial 

UAS operation in a manner that will meet, and in many cases exceed, the current level of safety of 

commercial helicopter operations. UA that are under 10 lbs., have a low noise signature, and carry 

no volatile fuel, will limit collateral damage in the event of catastrophic failure. The low expense 

of operation compared to cost prohibitive manned aviation alternatives allow a greater economic 
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benefit to businesses. For these reasons, granting an exemption under FMRA Section 333(c) is in 

the public interest. UAS technology used for these commercial purposes benefit the public interest 

in the following ways: 

 Reduces the collateral damage risks to life and property associated with low altitude 

helicopter operations in undesirable portions of the height-velocity envelope. 

 Increased economic wellbeing to local businesses via cost reductions.

 Enabling aerial business solutions to be available to a larger market.
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Table of Contents

I. Exemptions Requested

II. Commercial Operation/Operator

III. Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS)

IV. UAS Pilot-in-Command (PIC)

V. Public Interest

VI. Summary

VII. List of Attachments

I. Exemptions Requested

Pursuant to 14 C.F.R. § 11.81(e), petitioner requests exemption from the following regulations:

 14 C.F.R. Part 21 Subpart H – Airworthiness Certificates

o Establishes: The procedural requirements for the issuance of airworthiness 

certificates as required by 14 C.F.R. § 91.203(a)(1) 

Given the small size of the UA and the safeguards that will be taken as outline below, an 

exemption from Part 21 Subpart H meets the requirements of an equivalent level of safety 

under Part 11 and Section 333 of the FMRA with consideration “of the size, weight, speed, 

operational capability, and proximity to airports and populated areas of the particular 

UAS.”

 14 C.F.R. § 45.23(b) – Aircraft Marking and Identification Requirements

o When marks include only the Roman capital letter "N" and the registration number 

is displayed on limited, restricted or light-sport category aircraft or experimental or 

provisionally certificated aircraft, the operator must also display on that aircraft 

near each entrance to the cabin, cockpit, or pilot station, in letters not less than 2 

inches nor more than 6 inches high, the words "limited," "restricted," "light-sport, 

"experimental," or "provisional," as applicable. 

Petitioner will ensure compliance with § 45.29(f) to meet the intent of the regulation by 

displaying the registration number in the largest practicable lettering.

 14 C.F.R. 61.113 (a)(b) and 61.133(a)(1)(ii) and 61.101 – Recreational, Private and 

Commercial Pilot Privilege and Limitations

o 14 C.F.R. § 61.113: (a) Except as provided in paragraphs (b) through (g) of this 

section, no person who holds a private pilot certificate may act as pilot in command 

of an aircraft that is carrying passengers or property for compensation or hire; nor 

may that person, for compensation or hire, act as pilot in command of an aircraft. 

(b) A private pilot may, for compensation or hire, act as pilot in command of an 

aircraft in connection with any business or employment
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o 14 C.F.R. § 61.133: (a) Privileges – (1) General. A person who holds a commercial 

pilot certificate may act as pilot in command of an aircraft – (ii) For compensation 

or hire, provided the person is qualified in accordance with this part and with the 

applicable parts of this chapter that apply to the operation. 

o 14 C.F.R. § 61.101: (a) A person who holds a recreational pilot certificate may not 

act as pilot in command of an aircraft:

 For compensation or hire;

 In furtherance of a business;

UA operations will employ a PIC who holds, at a minimum, a recreational or sport pilot 

certificate of any category or class and a valid driver’s license.

 14 C.F.R. 91.7(a) – Civil Aircraft Airworthiness

o No person may operate a civil aircraft unless it is in an airworthy condition.

Daily pre and post flight inspections in accordance with manufactures maintenance 

manual(s) and guidance will be conducted. During flight, the PIC will adhere to § 91.7(b) 

and abort air operations immediately upon identification of an in-flight emergency or other 

unsafe condition. By complying with procedures outlined by the manufacturer, an 

equivalent level of safety will be achieved.

 14 C.F.R. 91.9(b) Civil aircraft flight manual, marking, and placard requirements

o (b)(2) prohibits operation of U.S.-registered civil aircraft unless there is available 

in the aircraft a current approved Airplane or Rotorcraft Flight Manual, approved 

manual material, markings, and placards, or any combination thereof. 

By keeping all operating documents, manuals, authorizations and exemptions in a binder 

co-located with the GCS, petitioner meet the intent of the regulations and therefore achieve 

an equivalent level of safety.

 14 C.F.R. 91.109(a) – Flight Instruction

o No person may operate a civil aircraft (except a manned free balloon) that is being 

used for flight instruction unless that aircraft has fully functioning dual controls.

The majority of sUAS by design are developed with single operational control through the use of 

pre-determined GPS enabled waypoints programmed before or during flight in addition to the use 

of a single hand held transmitter or control station controlled by the PIC. The design does not allow 

for dual controls during flight training and therefore the exemption is requested to train operators, 

build experience, and maintain proficiency. An equal level of safety will be achieved by 

conducting all training in stile environment. Training sessions will be accomplished separately 

from flights conducted for compensation or hire.

 14 C.F.R. 91.119 (c) – Minimum Safe Altitudes
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o Except when necessary for takeoff or landing, no person may operate an aircraft 

below the following altitudes: (b) Over any congested area of a city, town, or 

settlement, or over any open air assembly of persons, an altitude of 1,000 feet above 

the highest obstacle within a horizontal radius of 2,000 feet of the aircraft. (c) Over 

other than congested areas. An altitude of 500 feet above the surface, except over 

open water or sparsely populated areas. In those cases, the aircraft may not be 

operated closer than 500 feet to any person, vessel, vehicle, or structure. (d) 

Helicopters, powered parachutes, and weight-shift-control aircraft. If the operation 

is conducted without hazard to persons or property on the surface— (1) A helicopter 

may be operated at less than the minimums prescribed in paragraph (b) or (c) of 

this section, provided each person operating the helicopter complies with any routes 

or altitudes specifically prescribed for helicopters by the FAA.

Commercial UAS operations will be conducted at or below the maximum altitude 

authorized by COA. Given the size, weight and lack of fuel; combined with operation 

limitations listed below, the operation will be conducted with a greater level of safety than 

exists with current manned aviation operations.

 14 C.F.R. 91.121 – Altimeter Settings

o 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... 

SUAS are equipped with Global Positioning System (GPS), which provide altitude and 

geo-location data to the operator without utilizing an altimeter. Due to this fact, an 

exemption is required. GPS are precise within a few feet and combined with fail-safes and 

a visual observer the operation will meet an equivalent level of safety.

 14 C.F.R. 91.151(a) – Fuel Requirements for Flight in VFR Conditions

o No person may begin a flight in an airplane under VFR conditions unless 

(considering wind and forecast weather conditions) there is enough fuel to fly to 

the first point of intended landing and, assuming normal cruising speed— (1) 

During the day, to fly after that for at least 30 minutes;

This regulation is written based on the capabilities of a traditional aircraft, which have 

flight times of several hours or greater; therefore, with the majority of sUAS which have 

flight times of only an hour or less, this regulation would effectively deny the ability of the 

air vehicle to operate.

The PIC will achieve an equivalent level of safety by complying with all manufacturer 

guidelines and the DJI low battery failsafe system.

 14 C.F.R. 91.405(a), 91.407(a)(1), 91.409(a)(2) and 91.417(a) & (b) – Maintenance 

Inspections
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o 91.405(a) States: Each owner or operator of an aircraft—(a) Shall have that aircraft 

inspected as prescribed in subpart E of this part and shall between required 

inspections, except as provided in paragraph (c) of this section, have discrepancies 

repaired as prescribed in part 43 of this chapter

o 91.407(a)(1) States: (a) No person may operate any aircraft that has undergone 

maintenance, preventive maintenance, rebuilding, or alteration unless—(1) It has 

been approved for return to service by a person authorized under § 43.7 of this 

chapter

o 91.409(a)(2) States: (a) Except as provided in paragraph (c) of this section, no 

person may operate an aircraft unless, within the preceding 12 calendar months, it 

has had—(2) An inspection for the issuance of an airworthiness certificate in 

accordance with part 21 of this chapter. No inspection performed under paragraph 

(b) of this section may be substituted for any inspection required by this paragraph 

unless it is performed by a person authorized to perform annual inspections and is 

entered as an ‘‘annual’’ inspection in the required maintenance records.

o 91.417(a) & (b) States: (a) Except for work performed in accordance with §§ 

91.411 and 91.413, each registered owner or operator shall keep the following 

records for the periods specified in paragraph (b) of this section: (paragraphs 1 (i –

iii), 2 (i – vi)); (b) The owner or operator shall retain the following records for the 

periods prescribed: (paragraphs 1 – 3)

Pre/Post flight inspections and maintenance will be conducted in accordance with the 

manufacturer’s guidance as stated in the operations manual. If maintenance is required, a 

dedicated test flight will be conducted to ensure safety before resuming commercial 

operations. All inspection, maintenance and alterations will be documented and maintained 

in a record. These actions will meet the intent of the regulations from which exemption is 

being requested and lead to an equivalent level of safety.

II. Commercial Operator/Operation

Any UA flown under this exemption will be controlled by a certificated PIC. The PIC will hold, 

at a minimum, a recreational or sport pilot certificate.

For each flight, petitioner:

 Will contact the controlling air traffic organization to issue a NOTAM.

 Will conduct a comprehensive worksite inspection and analysis, identifying limits of 

customer property or authorized access areas.

 Will conduct preflight planning in accordance with Section 91.103 Preflight Action.

 Will operate in those areas only with the consent of the landowner or designated 

representative.

 Will identify potential obstructions or other hazards to safe operation.

 Will clear the area of personnel or bystanders that are non-essential to the operation, 

maintaining at a minimum, 500 feet away from non-participating persons.

 Will conduct a preflight safety briefing to Visual Observer (VO) and participating persons.
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 Will at all times yield to manned air traffic.

 Will operate within VLOS of both PIC and VO during daylight hours only.

 Will maintain voice communications with VO and participating persons.

 Will operate under visual flight rules, in visual meteorological conditions, for the airspace 

in which the flight is conducted.

 Will not exceed the maximum altitude as defined in the COA under which flight 

authorized, as determined by the installed GPS.

 Will keep operating documents, manuals, authorizations and exemptions in a binder colocated with the GCS.

 Will immediately terminate flight, in the safest manner possible, when safety to persons or 

property become compromised.

 Will terminate flight, in the safest manner possible, when unable to comply with these 

limitations or any other limitations granted as part of this exemption.

In order to remain at an altitude at or below the attitude prescribed by the applicable COA, relief 

is needed from Section 91.119 (c) and (d). By following these operating standards, the commercial 

operation will meet an equivalent level of safety to the regulation in which relief is sought.

III. Unmanned Aircraft System

Petitioner seeks exemption to operate DJI UAS. Other UAS types may be requested in future 

amendments. The DJI Inspire 1, Phantom 3 Professional / Advanced, Phantom Vision 2 / 2+ are 

the primary aircraft in our operation for which we seek exemption. The UA will be flown via a 

combination of RC control and tablet GCS. Each UA type is a GPS equipped, multirotor helicopter. 

Quad-copter type rotorcraft utilizing four motors. Lithium-polymer batteries power the UA. 

The UA also has several fail-safes for loss of RC signal, loss of GPS, and low battery as outlined 

in the respective Operation Manuals. The UA display visual and emit an audible low battery alerts 

at which time the UA will automatically engage the landing sequence. Based upon those 

safeguards, I request exemption from Section 91.151(b) Fuel requirements for flight in VFR 

conditions. 

Given the size, weight, speed, and controlled operating area associated with the UA to be utilized, 

an exemption from 14 CFR part 21, Subpart H (Airworthiness Certificates) and § 91.203 (a) and 

(b) is requested. Exemption is sought from § 45.23 Marking of the aircraft. The UA will display 

the registration number in the largest practicable lettering. petitioner seeks to be exempt from § 

91.405(a), 91.407(a)(1), 91.409(a)(2) and 91.417(a) and (b) Maintenance inspections will be 

conducted according to operations manual and prudent judgment as previously outlined to 

determine the integrity and safety of the UA and associated equipment. Further, relief is required 

from 91.7(a), which prohibits the operation of an aircraft without an airworthiness certificate and 

91.9(b) (2) requiring an approved flight manual in the aircraft. The UA will not be operating with 

an airworthiness certificate therefore, this would be inappropriate. The UAS are too small to carry 

the operating documents so an equivalent amount of safety can be achieved through keeping the 

operating documents and manuals at the GCS.
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IV. UAS Pilot in Command (PIC)

Under part § 61, recreational, sport and private pilots are limited to non-commercial operations, 

however petitioner can ensure UA operations will achieve an equivalent level of safety as current 

regulation because UA do not carry any pilots or passengers. A commercial pilot certificate will 

not ensure RC piloting ability, as the psychomotor skills are different. The inherent risks of 

operating a UAS are far less than in the commercial activities outlined in 14 CFR part 61, et seq., 

thus exemption is requested from § 61.101 Recreational Pilot Privileges and Limitations. PICs 

will maintain recent flight experience on the UAS. Training and experience flights will be 

conducted separate from commercial operations.

V. Public Interest

Given the above stated evidence, procedures, and precautions operating UAS commercially for 

the purposes of aerial photography, videography, data collection and augmented real estate listings 

will ultimately be in the public interest. These operations, when executed with prudence, will 

exceed the current level of safety as the regulations from which exemption is sought. UA 

operations will allow greater access to commercial aerial services that were not previously 

economically feasible for many firms. This will provide a much needed economic uplift to the 

community and hence the public. UA operations are associated with less risk of collateral damage 

to persons and property while limiting disruptive noise pollution associated with low altitude 

aviation operations.

VI. Summary

Pursuant to Section 333 of PL 112-95 commonly known as the “FAA Modernization and Reform

Act of 2012”, petitioner, hereby applies for authorization to conduct commercial unmanned aerial 

systems (UAS) operations for the purposes of aerial photography, videography, data collection 

and augmented real estate listings

Rules for which exemption is sought:

 14 C.F.R. Part 21 Subpart H

 14 C.F.R. § 45.23(b)

 14 C.F.R. § 61.101, 61.113 and 61.133(a)(1)(ii)

 14 C.F.R. § 91.7(a)

 14 C.F.R. 91.9(b)

 14 C.F.R. § 91.103

 14 C.F.R. § 91.109(a)

 14 C.F.R. § 91.119

 14 C.F.R. § 91.121

 14 C.F.R. § 91.151(a)

 14 C.F.R. § 91.405(a)
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 14 C.F.R. § 91.407(a)(1)

 14 C.F.R. § 91.409(a)(2)

 14 C.F.R. § 91.417(a) & (b)

VII. Attachments:

1. DJI Inspire 1 Propeller Locks Quick Start Guide

2. DJI Inspire 1 Quick Release Propellers Quick Start Guide

3. DJI Inspire 1 Safety Guidelines

4. DJI Inspire 1 Maintenance Manual

5. DJI Phantom 3 Professional Safety Guidelines Disclaimer

6. UAV user manual

7. DJI Inspire 1 User Manual – Version 1.4

8. DJI Phantom 3 Professional User Manual – Version 1.4

9. Battery Manuals

10. DJI Inspire 1 Intelligent Flight Battery Safety Guidelines

11. DJI Phantom 3 Professional Intelligent Flight Battery Safety Guidelines

12. Quick Start guides.

a. DJI Inspire 1 Quick Start Guide – Version 1.4

b. DJI Phantom 3 Professional Quick Start Guide – Version 1.2

Thanks you for your prompt attention and consideration. Please do not hesitate to contact me 

directly with any questions or concerns at (231) 420-3932. 

Very truly yours,

William Allen Andrew Jr.