Sept 28 , 2015

U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t i on

Do c k e t Man a g e ment S y s tem

1200 N e w J e rs e y Av e

., S E

W a shin g ton, DC 20590

R e : P e t i t i on of Skyless Productions , LLC for a n E x e mp t ion P u rsu a nt t o S ec t i on 333 of the F AA

Mod e rni z a t i on a nd Re f

o r m A c t of 2012

To W hom i t M a y Con c e r n:

P u r suant to S ec t i on 333 of the F A A Mod e rni z a t i on a nd Re f o r m A c t of 20 1 2 ( " R e fo r m A c t " ) a nd 14

C. F .R. P a rt 1 1, Skyless Productions , LLC ( Skyless) h e r e b y a ppl i e s for a n e x e mp t ion f r om the F e d e r a l

A viation R e gulations ( " F

AR s " ) id e nt if

ied b e low t o a l l ow c om m e r c ial op e r a t i on of small unmann e d ae r i a l

vehi c les ( i.e., " small unm a nn e d a ir c r a f t " or " U A S " ) for the pu rpose o f conducting closed

- set aerial

videography production for the film and entertainment industry.

This peti t ion for e x e mp t i on addresses pertinent FAA FAR’s and CFR’s as well as, but not limited to,

these accompanying Skyless documents:

1. Picture and Television Flight Operations Manual

2. Flight Op e r a t i ons Man ua l;

3. Operations Manuals

(C ol le c t i v e l y r e fe r re d to as “ Op e r a t i ons Man ua ls" )

4. Us e r G uide and;

5. Us e r M a nu a l

(c ol lec t i v e l y r e f

e r r e d to as " M a nuf

a c tu r e r ' s Man u a l " )

. 1

Skyless submi t s these as well as other Skyless s u pporting mat e ri a ls as c o n fid e nt i a l docum e nts

pur s u a nt t o 14 C. F .R. § 11.35 ( b )

, a s the mat e ri a ls contain c onfid e nt i a l c o m m e r c ial a nd/or p r o p ri e t a r y

info r mat i on that the Skyless h a s not a nd will not sh a re with o t h e rs. A ddi t ional l y , t h e se do c u m e nts contain

op e r a t i ng c ondi t ions and p r o ce du re s that a r e not g e n e r a l l y a v a i l a ble to the public a nd a re pro t ec ted f rom

r e le a s e und e r the F r ee d o m of I n fo r mation A c t, 5 U.S. C

. § 552 e t seq.

_____________________

1 T he te r m " Man u f

ac tu r e r 's Man ua l" a lso includ e s a ll r e lev a nt manu f ac tu r e r p ubli ca tions

, in c ludin g , but not

l i m i ted to: op e r a t i ons a n d f li g h t m a nu a ls

, us e r g ui d e s

, c ompon e n t m a int e n a n c e m a n u a ls

, pilo t tr a in i ng

man u a ls, s e rvi c e info r mation l e t t e rs a nd, s a f e t y /se r vi c e bul l e t i ns).U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

Sept 28, 2015

P a g e 2

T h is P e t i t i on is o r g a ni z e d a s follows:

I. Description of P e ti t io n e r

II. D e s cr i p tion of P r o p os e d O p er a t io n s

A. Closed

- s e t F i l m m a king a nd C i n e mato g r a p h y

B. Aerial Pho t ography and V ideography Services

I II. Relev ant Statutory Authority

IV. Skyless’ P r o p osed U A S O p er a t io n s Mee t t h e R e qu ir e m e n ts of S ec ti o n 333 of t h e R e f o r m A c t

A. App r ov a l i s W a r ra nted B a s e d on the U A S ' s S i z e

, W e i g ht, S p e e d, a nd Op e r a t i on a l C a p a bi l i t y

B

. App r ov a l i s W a r ra nted B a s e d on the O p e r a t i on a l R e strictions S e t F o r th i n the Op e r a t i ons Man u a l s

V. R e g u latio n s F r o m W h i c h Ex e m p tion i s Requested

A. 14 C. F .R. P a rt 21, Subp a rt H

– Air w o r th i n e ss C e r t ific a tes a nd 14 C. F .R. § 91.203 (a ) ( 1 )

B

. 14 C. F .R. P a rt 27 A irwo r th i n e ss S tand a rds: No r mal C a te g o r y Rotor c r a ft

C. 14 C. F .R. §§ 91.9 (c ), 45

. 23(b) a nd 45.27 ( a ): Ai r c r a ft M a rki n g a nd I d e nt i fi ca t i on Requir e m e nts

D. 14 C. F .R. § 91.405 (a ), 9 1.407 (a ) ( 1 ), 91

. 409(a) ( 1) a nd ( 2 ); 91.417 ( a ) a nd ( b ) : Mainten a n c e I nspe c t i ons

E. 14 C. F .R. P a rt 61, 14 C. F .R. § 61.3, 14 C. F .R. § 61.113: P riv a te P i lot P rivile g e s and L i m i t a t i o n s

F

. 14 C. F .R. § 91.7 (a ): C i vil Air c r a ft Ai r wo r th i n e ss

G. 14 C. F .R. § 91.9 ( b ) (2 ) : C iv i l Air c r a ft F l i g ht Man u a l i n the A ir c r a ft a nd 14 C. F .R. § 91.203 (a ) a nd ( b ) :

C a r r y i n g Civ i l Air c raft Ce r t i fi ca t i on a nd R e g is t r a t i on

H. 14 C. F .R. § 91.103: P r e fli g ht A c t i on

I

. 14 C. F .R. § 91.109 (a ): F l i g ht I nstru c t i on

J

. 14 C. F .R. § 91.11 9 ( c ) : M in i mum S a fe Alt i tudes

K. 14 C. F .R. § 91.121: Al t i met e r Settin g s

L

. 14 C. F .R. § 91.151 (a ): Fuel R e quir e ments for F l i g ht i n V F R Condi t ions

VI. D r u g a n d Al c o h ol P r o g r a m

VII. P ub l i c I n t e re s t

VIII. P r iv a c y

IX. F e de r al R e gis t e r S u mm a r y

X. Concl u sionU.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

Sept 28, 2015

P a g e 3

I. D E SCRI P T I O N O F P ET I T I O NER

Skyless Producti ons is an experienced, well

- versed, Los Angeles

- based production company achieving the

highest quality in cinematic production for the film and television industry . Skyless specializes i n aerial

cinematography. T wo of the production company’ s team members are experienced drone pilots, having

operated UAVs ranging from small lightweig ht drones to heavy lift drones capable of carrying up to 55 lbs.

The Skyless team is experienced and knowledgeable in all forms of video, photography, and CGI. The

company shoots for film, television broadcasts, internet productions, commercial sh oots for adv ertising,

and also conducts still photography, VFX/CGI, cinemato graphy, and lighting services.

The c onta c t i n f

o rm a t i on f

o r Petitioner is as f

ol l o w s:

William King

Skyless Productions , LLC

1855 Industrial Street

Los Angeles, CA 90021

P hon e : 805

- 453

- 0485

Email: w ill@skylessproductions.net

II. D E SCRI P T I O N O F P R O P O S E D O P E RAT I O N

Skyless s e e ks an e x e mp t ion pursu a nt t o S ec t i on 333 of the Re f o r m A c t t o op e r a te the TITAN X8 and

DJI S1000 (known as T

- U A S ) f o r the p r opos e d op e r a t i ons discuss e d b e low. All U AS ope ra t i ons will oc c ur

und e r ti g ht l y c ontroll e d c ondi t ions on priv a te p r op e r t y wh e re Skyless h a s r e c e ived p e rmission t o op e r a te

f r om t he lando w n e r, c ontroll e r o r a uthori z e d r e p re s e ntativ e s . The pro p osed U AS op e r a t i ons will be

c ondu c ted in a cc o r d a n c e with the c ondi t ions and lim i ta t ions of this P e t i t i on f o r E x e mp t ion and Skyless’

Op e r a t i ons Man u a ls. As d e tailed in Skyless’ Op e r a t i ons Man u a ls, all U A S op e r a t i ons will be l i m i ted to

d a y t i me V F R c ondi t ion s , with i n visu a l l i ne

- o f

- s i g ht ( " V L OS " ) o f the op e r a tor, in uncont r ol l e d a irsp a c e

,

a nd will o cc ur a t l ea st 5 m i l e s a w a y f rom a n a irp o rt. Mo re ov e r, Skyless’ O p e r a t i ons Manu a ls inco rpor a te

r e dund a nt s a f

e g u a rds to a ssu r e that the a ir c r a ft do e s not tr a v e l ou t side the c ontroll e d are a o f U AS

op e r a t i ons, in c lud i ng GPS "geo

- f e n c i ng" te c hnol o g ies.

A. Clos e d

- s e t F i l m m a k i n g a n d Ci n e m a t og r a ph y

Skyless s e e ks to use sm a ll U A S s for the pu rpose of c ondu c t i n g sc r ip t e d, c lose d

- s e t f i l m i ng f or the

mot i on pictu re , tel e vis i on, a nd w e b indust r y

. Skyless h a s t a i l o re d i t s op e r a t i ons to m ee t t he re qui r e ments

e stablished b y t h e F A A in p r ior g ra nts of e x e mp t i on s a uthori z ing c om m e r c ial use o f U AS i n the mot i on

pictu r e a nd tel e vis i on filmmaking indust r y , includi n g :U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

Sept 28, 2015

P a g e 4

 Astr ae us A e ri a l ( E x e mp t ion No. 11062)

 A e ri a l M O B

, L L C (E x e mp t ion No. 11066)

 P ictor v is i on, I n c

. ( E x e m pt i on No. 11067)

 H e l i Vid e o P rodu c t i ons, L L C ( E x e mp t ion No. 11065)

 S n a p r oll Me d ia, L L C ( Ex e mp t ion No. 11063)

 RC P ro Produ c t i ons C o n su l t i n g

, LL C d/b / a V o rt e x A e ri a l (E x e mp t ion No. 11064)

 F l y i n g

- C a m

, L L C ( E x e mp t ion No. 11080)

 A e ro c ine, L L C ( E x e mp t ion No. 11150)

 T ea m 5, L L C ( E x e mp t ion No. 11158)

 Al a n D. Purwin (E x e mp t ion No. 11161)

 H e l i n e t Aviation S e rvi c e s

, LL C ( E x e mp t ion No. 11160)

 P icture F a c to r y

, I n c

. ( E x e mp t ion No. 1117 8 )

 Dronair Solutions ( Exemption No. 11671 )

All UAS film m a king and television film production op e r a t i ons will be conducted on p r i v a te p r op e r t y

in a c ontrol l e d a re a

, a w a y f r om sp ec tators a nd p e r s ons not invo l v e d in t he f i l m and TV production

. All

UAS f i l m ing will be c ondu c ted du r i n g d a y l i g h t hours , V F R c ondi t ions, a t alt i tudes b e low 40 0 ' A G L

. As

s e t fo r th below, Skyless’ op e r a t i ons pro v ide a sup e rior l e v e l of sa fe t y and quality compared to p e r f o r m i n g

the s a m e filming wo r k using c onv e nt i on a l fi x e d

- wing a i r c raft or h e l icopt e rs.

B. Aerial Pho t ography and Videography

Skyless s e e ks to use s m a ll U A S s for the p u rpose of c ondu c ti n g a e ri a l p h otog r aphy and v ideog r aphy

services. T r a d i t ional m ethods of v id e o, e x pose camera operators to h i g her r isks of se r ious i nj u r ies

, o r

d e at h

. Camera operators n e e d to climb and p e r f orm e l e v a ted w o r k, whi c h e x poses t h e m t o the r isk of

da n g e rous f

a l l s, electrocution , burns (from lighting), or o t her special effects and work related injuries. The

use o f sm a ll U A S s m i t i g a tes th e se ha z a rds a nd i s u l t i ma t e l y a m uch s a f e r me thod o f p e r f

o r m ing t h e s e and

m ost o t h e r t y p e s of productions.

S m all U A S production i s a lso s af e r th a n t r a d i t io na l m ann e d a ir c r a ft p e r f o r m ing the s a m e fun c t i on.

Conv e nt i on a l op e rat i ons us i ng r o to r c r af t a nd fi x e d

- wing ai r c r a ft i n low le v e l op e r a t i o ns p r e s en t r isks

a ssoc i a ted w i t h v eh ic l e s w e i g hi n g t h ous a nds of po u nds a nd c a r r y i n g passengers and l a r ge a m oun t s of f u e l.

I t is i m por t a nt t o note t ha t t he use o f s m a ll UAS in t his a re a will n o t o n l y be sa f e r a nd m o r e c ost e f

f e c t i v e

,

but t he qu a li t y of co l l e c t e d video footage is often f a r su p eri o r

.U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

Sept 28, 2015

P a g e 5

III. R ELE V ANT ST ATUT O RY AUT H O RI T Y

This P e t i t i on f

o r E x e mp t i on is submi t ted pu r suant to S ec t i on 333 (a ) th r o u gh ( c ) of the F AA

Mod e rni z a t i on a nd R e fo r m A c t of 2012 ( " R e fo r m A c t " ). Co n g r e ss h a s dir e c ted the F AA " to sa f e l y

a c ce le r a te the i nte g r a t i on of c iv i l un m a n n e d a ir c r a ft s y stems i nto t he n a t i on a l airsp a c e s y stem

. " P u r suant to

S e c t i on 333 of the Re f

o r m A c t, t he F AA Admin i str a tor is t o p e rmit unm a nn e d a ir c r a ft s y st e ms t o op e r a te in

the Na t i on a l Air Sp ac e (" N AS " ) wh e re it is s a f e to do so b a s e d on the f

ol l owi n g c onsid e r a t i ons:

● The U A S ' s s iz e , w e i g ht, spe e d a nd op e r a t i on a l c a p a bi l i t y ;

● Op e r a t i on of the U A S in close pro x i m i t y to ai rp o rts a nd populat e d a r ea s; a n d

● Op e r a t i on of the U A S with i n the visu a l l ine of sight of the op e r a tor.

Addit i on a l l y , the FAA A dm i nis t r a tor h a s ge ne r a l autho r i t y to g r a nt e x e mp t ions f r om t he a g e n c y 's

s a f e t y re g ulations a nd m i ni m um s t a nd a rds w h e n the A dm i nis t r a tor d ec ides a r e q u e sted e x e mp t ion i s in the

publ i c in t e r e st. S e e 49 U.S. C . § 106( f ) ( d e fini n g the a u t hori t y of the Admin i str a tor ) ; 49 U. S .C. § 44701 ( f)

( p e rmit t ing e x e mp t ions f

r om §§ 447 0 1 (a ), ( b ) a nd §§ 44702

– 44716, e t se q

. ). A p a r t y r e qu e st i n g a n

e x e mp t ion m ust e x p l a in t he rea sons w h y the e x e mp t ion: ( 1) would b e n e fit the publ i c a s a w ho l e

, a nd ( 2 )

would not adv e rs e l y a f

f ec t s a f e t y ( or how it would provide a lev e l of s a f e t y a t l ea st e q u a l t o the e x is t ing

r ules )

. S e e 14 C. F .R. § 11.81 (p e t i t i ons for e x e mp t ion).

IV. SKYLESS’ P R O P O S E D U AS O P E RAT I O NS M EE T T H E R E Q UIR EME NTS O F SE CTI O N

333 OF THE REFORM ACT

The small U A S op e r a t i ons p r opos e d b y Skyless in th i s P e t i t i on for E x e mp t i on qu a l if y f o r e x p e di t e d

a ppro va l purs u a nt to S ec t i on 333 of the Re f o r m A c t a s e a c h of t h e st a tu t o r y c rite r i a a nd r e lev a nt f ac tors a re

s a t i sfi e d.

A. Ap p r oval i s Wa rr a n t e d Based on t h e U A S 's S i z e , W e ig h t, S p ee d , a n d O p er a t io n al Ca p a b i l ity

A G r a nt of E x e mp t ion i s ap p rop r iate for op e r a t i o n s co n du c ted usi n g the U A S due t o its si z e w e i g ht, sp e e d,

a nd op e r a t i on a l ca p a bi l i t y

.

 T he UAS h a s b ee n a ppro ve d for u s e in prior S ec t i on 333 G ra nts of E x e mp t ion f r om t he F A A

. 2

 The UAS w ei g hs l e ss t h a n 5 5 pounds, in c lud i ng p a y load.

 The UAS will not be f lown a t a g r ound speed in e x ce ss of 50 knots.U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

Sept 28, 2015

P a g e 6

 Alt i tude in f

o r mation wi l l be g e n e r a ted b y e quip m e nt onboa r d the U A a s s p ec ified using GPS

tria n g u l a t i on, di g i t a l l y e n c o d e d b a rom e tric a l t i m e te r

, ra dio a l t i m e te r , or a n y c omb i n a t i on the re o f

.

This i n f o r mation wi l l be t ra nsm i t t e d to t he pi l ot v i a tel e metric d a ta f e e d.

 The U A S s will h a ve s y stem r e dund a n c ies a nd in d e p e nd e nt fu n c t i on a l i t y to e nsure the ov e r a ll sa f e t y

a n d p re dict a

bi l i t y of the s y stem. I f c onn e c t i on to t he re m ote c ontrol or g round c ontrol station is

l ost, f a i l s a fe s y stems wi l l pe r m i t t he U A S to r e turn to a p r e d e t e rmin e d loc a t i on a nd s a f e l y l a nd

without in

j u r y o r d a m a g e

.

 The ra dio f

r e qu e n c ies u s e d for op e r a t i ons a nd c o n trol of the U A S c omp l y with t he Fe d e r a l

C om m unic a t i ons C om m is s ion ( " F CC " ) a n d other a ppro p ri a te g ov e rnm e nt ove r s i g ht a g e n c y

re qu i r e ments. The op e r a t i n g f r e qu e n c y for t he T

- UAS is 2.4 G H z

.

I f the s a me o p e r a t i ons w e re c ond u c ted usi n g a h e l i c opte r , the a i r c raf t ' s tak e

- o f f w e i g ht would l i k e l y e x cee d

6,0 0 0 pounds carrying a pilot, camera operator and VO

- visual observer

- navigator . The dif f e r e n c e in

w e i g ht betw e e n the T

- UAS a nd a h e l i c opt e r si g n ific a nt l y r e du ce s t h e potential h a rm to the p a r t icip a t i ng a nd

no n

- p a rticip a t i ng ind i viduals or pro pe r t y in t he e v e nt o f a n a c c ident or incid e nt. I n a ddi t ion, t he r isk to t he

onbo a rd pilot a nd ca me r a op e r a tor is eli m inat e d.

B. Ap p r oval i s Wa rr a n t e d B a s e d on t h e O p er a t io n al R e st r ic t io n s S e t F o r th in Skyless’ O p er a t io n s

M a nu a l s

Skyless’ O p e r a t i ons M a nu a l s a nd the M a nu f ac tu r e r ' s Manu a l f

o r the sel e c t e d U A S s will c ontain a ll

the p r o c e dures and l i m i tations n ece ss a r y to s a f e l y a nd s u cce s s f

ul l y p e r fo r m t h e op e r a t i ons spe c if i e d in t his

P e t i t i on f o r E x e mp t io n . To a s si s t t he F AA in m a king a sa f e t y a ssessment of Skyless’ p ropos e d op e r a t i ons,

b e low is a summa r y of o p e r a t ional l i m i tations a nd c ondi t ions that Skyless will a dh e re to, and w h i c h will

e nsure a n e q u i v a le n t or hi g h e r l e v e l of s a f e t y to ope r a t i ons c on d u c ted und e r c u r r e nt r e g u l a to r y g ui d e l i n e s:

1. The U A S w e i g hs l e ss t h a n 5 5 pounds, ful l y load e d

.

2. All ope ra t i ons shall be c o ndu c ted ov e r p riv a te or c ontroll e d

- a c ce ss prop e r t y with p e rmission

f r om t he land o w n e r/ c ontroll e r o r a ut h o r i z e d r e p re s e ntative. P e rmission f r om l a nd

own e r/ c ontroll e r o r a uthori z e d r e p r e s e ntative w i l l be obtain e d for e ac h fl i g ht o p e r a t i on.

____________________________

2 S e e e .g

., G r a nt of E x e mp t ion t o S hotover C a me r a S y stems L

. P

. ( E x e mp t ion No. 11159 ) ; G ra nt of

E x e mp t ion t o V D OS G l ob a l, LL C ( E x e mp t ion No. 11112 ) ; Gr a nt of E x e mp t ion t o L ow Count r y RC, Corp.

( E x e mp t ion No. 11184 ) ; G ra nt of E x e mp t ion t o Al a n P u r win ( E x e mp t ion No. 11161 ) ;

Gr a nt of E x e mp t ion t o H e l i n e t Aviation S e rvi ce s ( E x e mp t i on No. 11160 ) ; Gr a nt of E x e mp t ion t o Total

S a f e ty U.S., I n c

. ( E x e mp t ion No. 11156 )

.U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

Sept 28, 2015

P a g e 7

3. All UASs op e r a ted und e r the G r a nt of E x e mp t ion wi l l be id e nt i fi e d b y s e ri a l numbe r

, r e g is t e r e d in

a cc o r d a n c e with 14 C F R p a r t 47, and h a ve identifi c a t i on ( N

- Numb e r) ma r ki n g s in acc o r d a n c e

with 14 C F R p a rt 45, Subp a rt C. M a r kin g s will be a s la r g e a s pr a c t ic a ble.

4. Mini m um c re w f

or e ac h fli g ht op e r a t i on will c onsist of a pi l ot, who will be P i l o t

- in C om m a nd

( " P I C " ) o f the U A S

, a nd one o r mo r e Visu a l Obs e rvers ( " Obs e rv e r " ) a s ne c e s s a r y to sa f e l y

c o ndu c t t he m i ss i on.

6. P I Cs shall poss e ss at le a s t a Priv a te P i lo t ' s C e rtifi c a te a nd c u r re nt C lass I I I Medi ca l

C e rtifi ca t e

. The P I C will a lso m ee t t he f l i g ht r e vi e w re qui r e ments spe c ified in 14 C

. F .R 61

. 56 in

an a ir c r a ft in which the P I C is r a ted on his or h e r pi l ot c e rtifi ca te.

7. The UA shall be o p e r a t e d with i n V L OS of the P IC a nd Obs e rver a t all t i m e s. The P I C must

use h uman vision un a ided b y a n y d e v i c e other t h a n c o r r e c t i ve l e n s e s, as spe c ified on the P I C ' s

F AA

- is s u e d medi c a l c e rti f ic a te.

7. The P I C a nd Obs e r v e r desi g n a t e d for a n y o p e r a t i o n will be a ble to c om m unic a te v e rb a l l y a t all

t i m e s.

8. Ele c tronic mess a g i n g or t e x t i ng will not be p e rmit t e d du r ing fli g ht o p e r a t i o ns.

9. The a ddi t ional re qui r e m e nts i d e nt i fi e d in t he G ra n t of E x e mp t ion shall be a dd e d to t he

Skyless’ O p e r a t i o ns Man ua l s. The Op e r a t i ons Man ua l s will be maintain e d a nd made a v a i l a ble to the

Admin i str a tor upon re q u e st. I f a disc r e p a n c y e x is t s b e tw ee n the c ondi t ions and lim i tations in the

G r a nt of E x e mp t ion a nd Skyless’ Op e r a t i ons Man u a l s, the c ondi t ions and lim i tatio n s in t he G ra nt of

E x e mp t ion shall t a ke pre ce d e n c e a n d must be f ol l ow e d. Oth e r w ise, Skyless shall follow the

p r o ce du r e s outl i n e d in t h e ir Op e r a t i ons Man ua ls.

10. Skyless m a y u pd a te or r evis e it s O p e ra tio ns M a n u a ls

. R e vision s w il l b e t r a c k e d a n d a r e vi s e d

c o p y of the M a n u a l w il l be p r ovi d e d to th e A dminist r a to r upo n re q u e st

. Skyless w il l a ls o p re s e n t a n

u pd a t e d a n d r e vis e d O p e r a tion s M a n u a l s i f i t p e tition s f o r e x t e nsio n o r a m e nd m e n t t o it s G r a n t of

E x e mption

. I f a n up d a t e or r e vis i on would a f f ec t t he b a sis upon whi c h the F A A g ra nts t he e x e mp t ion,

Skyless will se e k a n a m e ndment to i ts Gr a nt of Ex e mp t ion. Skyless will c o nta c t the F A A ’s U AS

I nt e g r a t i on O f

fi c e ( A F S

- 80) if q u e st i ons a rise r e g a rdi n g u pd a tes or re vis i ons to the op e r a t i ng

do c u m e nts.U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

Sept 28, 2015

P a g e 8

11. Skyless’ O p e ra t i on s M a n u a l s a nd it s G r a n t o f E x e mptio n w il l be a v a i l a bl e to th e

P I C a t t he g r o un d c on t r o l st a tio n a n y tim e t h e UA S is op e ra ti n g

.

12. The P I C is prohib i ted f r o m be g inn i n g a UAS f

l i g ht un l e ss ( c onsid e r i ng wind a nd f o re ca st

w ea th e r c ondi t ions) the r e is en o u g h po w e r to f l y to t he f i rst in t e nd e d point of l a nding, and a ssu m ing

n o rm a l c r uis i ng spe e d, to f l y a ft e r t h a t for a t l ea st 10 m i nute s

.

13. Ma x i m um to t a l fli g ht t i m e f or e ac h o p e r a t i on a l fl i g ht usi n g the T

- UAS will be l i m i ted to 40

m i nutes or the a mount of time the U A S ca n be flo w n a nd s t i ll maintain a re s e rve b a t ter y po w e r of no

less than 25 % , whi c h e v e r oc c u r s fi r s t

.

14. F l i g hts will be op e r a ted a t an a l t i t ude of no more t h a n 400 fee t A G L a nd w i ll n e v e r e n t e r

n a v i g a ble c o ntroll e d a irsp a c e without prior w r i t ten a uthori z a t i on a nd a ppro va l f r om t he F A A. I n the

e v e nt t he str u c ture b e ing insp e c ted e x cee ds 400 f e e t A G L

, t h e U A S will not be oper a ted m o re th a n

100 fee t abo v e the h i g h e st point on the stru c tur e

, a n d no more than 50 f e e t h o r i z ontal l y f

r om t he

s t ructur e

.

15. F l i g ht op e r a t i ons must be c ondu c ted a t le a st 500 fe e t f r om all nonpa r t i c ipat i ng p e rsons.

( p e rsons oth e r t h a n the P I C, V O, op e r a t o r t ra ine e s o r e ssential p er sonnel ), v e ssels, v e hicl e s, and

st r u c tur e s unl e ss:

a. B a r ri e rs or str u c tur e s a re p re s e nt t h a t suf f ic i e nt l y p rot ec t nonpa r t i c i p a t i ng p e rsons

f rom the U A a n d /or d e b r is i n the e v e nt of a n a c c ident. The op e r a tor must e nsu r e that

nonp a rti c ipating p e rsons re main und e r s u c h p r ote c t i on. I f a si t u a t i on a ris e s wh e re

nonp a rticip a t i ng p e rsons l e a ve such p r ote c t i on a nd a re with i n 500 fee t of the U A

, f l i g h t

ope ra t i ons must c ea se i m medi a te l y a nd/or;

b. The a ir c r a ft is op e r a ted n ea r v e s s e ls, vehi c les or s t ru c tur e s w h e re t h e

own e r/ c ontroll e r o f su c h v e ssels, v e hicl e s or str u c tur e s has g r a nted p e rmission and the P I C

h a s made a s a f

e t y a s s e ss m e nt of the r isk of op e r a t i n g c loser to t hose obje c ts and d e t e rmin e d

that it do e s not pr e s e nt an undue h a z a rd, a nd;

c

. Op e r a t i ons n e a rer to the P I C, V O , op e r a tor t r a in e e s or e ssential p e rsons do not

pr e s e nt an undue h a z a rd to those p e rsons p e r § 91.119 (a ).

16. The UA m a y not be o p e r a ted l e ss t h a n 500 f e e t b e low or less than 2,000 f e e t hori z ontal l y

f r om a c loud or w h e n vis i bi l i t y is l e ss t h a n three st a tu t e m i les f rom the P I C.U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

Sept 28, 2015

P a g e 9

17. The UA m a y not op e r a te with i n 5 nm of a n a irpo r t re fer e n c e point a s de n o t e d on a c u r r e nt

F A A

- publ i shed a e ron a ut i ca l c h a rt unless a letter of a g r ee ment with that a irpo rt’s man a g e ment is

obtain e d, a nd the op e r a t i o n is condu c ted in a c c o r d a n c e with a N OT A M as r e qui r e d b y t h e Skyless

COA. The letter of a g re e ment with the a irpo r t m a n a g e ment will be made a v a i l a ble to the

A dm i nis t r a tor upon r e qu e st.

18. P rior to e ac h fl i g ht t he P IC sh a ll inspe c t t he U A S to con f irm th a t i t i s in a c ondi t ion sa f e f or

fli g ht. The pr e

- fli g ht i nsp e c t i on will acc ount for a ll disc re p a n c ies, e .g. inop e r a ble c omponents, items,

or e quip m e nt, not a lr e a d y c ov e r e d in t he r e le v a nt s e c t i ons of the op e r a t i n g d o c uments. The P I C s h a ll

not op e r a te the U A S if the i n spe c t i on r e v e a ls a c ondi t i on that a f f e c ts t he sa f

e op e r a t i on of the U AS

un t il the n ece ssa r y m a in t e n a n c e h a s b e e n p e r f o r med a nd the U A S is found to be in a c ondi t ion for

sa f e f l i g ht. The g r ound c ontrol s t a t i o n shall be includ e d in t he preflight ins p ec t i on. All m a in t e n a n c e

a nd a l t e r n a t i ons must be p r op e r l y do c umen t e d in t he U A S r e c o r ds a s r e qui r e d b y Skyless’ Op e r a t i ons

Man ua l s

.

19. Skyless will c a r

r y out i ts m a in t e n a n ce , insp e c t i ons, a nd r e c o rd ke e ping r e quir e ments in

a cc o r d a n c e with t he Op e r a t i ons Ma n u a ls. M a in t e n a n ce , inspe c t i on, a nd a l t e r a t i ons will be not e d in

t he U A S rec o r ds, in c lud i n g to t a l t i m e in se r vic e , d e s c ription of wo r k a c c omp l ished, a nd the si g n a tu r e

of the a uthori z e d p e rson re turni n g the U A S to se r vic e

.

20. A n y U A S that h a s un d e r g one m a in t e n a n c e or a l t e r a t i ons that a f f ec t t h e U A S op e r a t i on

or fl i g ht c h a r a c te r is t ics ( e .g

., r e p l ace m e n t of a fli g ht c ritic a l c omp on e nt) must und e r g o a fun c t i o n a l

test fli g ht in a cc o r d a n c e with Skyless’ O p e r a t i ons Man ua l s

. The P I C who c ondu c ts the fun c t i on a l test

fli g ht must make a n e nt

r y i n th e U A S a ir c raft r e c o rds of the fli g ht. The r e qui r e men t s a n d p r o ce du r e s f o r

a f u n c tion a l test fli g ht a nd U A S r e c o r d e nt r y shall be includ e d in the Skyless’ O p e r a t i ons

Man ua l s

.

21. The U A S will be op e r a t e d a nd maintain e d a cc o r d i ng to t he Ma n u f a c tu r e r ' s Man ua ls and a n y

r e quir e d manu fac tu r e r Sa f e t y / Se rvi c e B ul l e t i ns.

22. P rior to t he op e r a t i on, a Miss i on P ac k e t wi l l be c r ea ted in a cc o r d a n c e with t he r e quir e ments

on Skyless’ Op e r a t i ons Manu a ls.

23. Skyless will obtain a n A i r T r a f fic O r gani z a t i on ("AT O ") issu e d Ce r t i fi c a te of W a iver or

A uthori z a t i on, othe r wise known a s a CO A , prior to condu c t i n g a n y op e r a t i ons und e r this G ra nt of

E x e mp t ion. A N OT A M will be issued a s r e quir e d b y the CO A

. All ope ra t i ons will be c ondu c ted in

acc o r d a n c e with a irsp a c e r e quir e ments in the A T O is s u e d COA in c lud i ng c l a ss of a irsp a ce

, a l t i t ude

l e v e l a nd potential tr a nspond e r re quir e ments.U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

Sept 28, 2015

P a g e 10

24. All r e quir e d p e rmissions and p e rmits will be obtain e d f r om t e r ritori a l, s t a t e

, c oun t y or c i t y

j u risdictions, including loc a l la w e n f o rce m e nt, fire or ot h e r a

ppro p ri a te g o v e rnm e nt a l ag e n c ies.

25. I f the U AS l oses c om m u nic a t i on with t he pi l ot, i t will h a ve the ca p a bi l i t y t o r e turn to a p r e

d e t e rmin e d loc a t i on with i n the op e r a t i on a l a r e a a nd land s a f e l y

.

26. Cont i n g e n c y plans w i l l b e in p l a c e to s a f e l y te r m i n a te f

l i g ht i f t h e re is a lo s s of

c om m unic a t i on b e tw ee n the P I C a nd the Obs e r v e r

.

27. The U A S will h a ve the c a p a bi l i t y to sa f e l y a bort f

l i g ht i n the ca se o f un p redict e d obst ac les

or e m e r g e n c ie s

.

28. P I Cs and Obs e rv e rs will h a ve a t le a st a c u r r e nt Class I I I Me d i ca l C e rtifi c a te.

29. P rior to condu c t i ng o p e rat i ons for f i l m i n g , the P I C will h a ve a c c umu l a ted a nd log g e d, in a

m a nn e r c on s is t e nt wi t h 14 C F R § 61.51 ( b ) , a m i ni m um of 200 f l i g ht c y c les a nd 25 ho u rs total t i me a s

a U AS rotor c r a ft pi l ot and a t l ea s t 10 hou r s log g e d a s a U AS p i lot with a simi l a r U AS t y p e

.

30. P rior to condu c t i ng o p e rat i ons for f i l m i n g , the P I C will h a ve a c c umu l a ted a nd log g e d, in a

m a nn e r c on s is t e nt wi t h 14 C F R § 61.51 ( b ) , a m i ni m um of 5 4 C F R § 61.51 ( b ) , a m i ni m um o f 10

logged hours a s U A S pi l ot ope r a t i ng the m a ke a nd model of U A S to be uti l i z e d for op e r a t i ons und e r

the e x e mp t ion and th irty tak e

- o f fs a nd thirty landi n g in t he p r ec e ding 90 d a y s.

31. Op e r a t i ons shall oc c u r d u r ing d a y t i me V F R Met e o r olo g i c a l C ondi t ions; f l i g hts und e r

S p ec i a l V i sual F l i g h t R ul e s ( " S V F R") sh a ll n o t be c ondu c ted.

32. The UA shall r e main c l e a r a nd y ield the ri g ht of w a y to all o t h e r m a nn e d op e r a t i ons a nd

a c t i vi t ies a t all t i m e s (in c lu d in g

, b ut not l i m i ted to, u l t r a l i ght v e hicl e s, pa r ac hute ac t i vi t ies, p a r a s a i l i n g

ac t i vi t ie s , h a ng g l i d e rs, e tc. )

.

33. U A S Op e r a t i ons und e r Instr u ment F l i g ht R ules, a t n i g ht, or b e y ond V L OS a re p r ohib i ted.

34. The U A s will not be op e r a ted f rom a n e lev a ted pl a tfo r m or mov i ng d e v i ce / v e hicl e

.

35. B e f

o re c ond u c t i ng o p e r a t i ons, the ra dio f re q u e n c y spe c trum used f o r op e r a t i on a nd c ontrol

of the U A w i ll c omp l y with t he F e d e r a l C om m unic a t i ons C o m m i ss i on ( F CC) or other a ppro p r i a te

g o v e rnm e nt ov e rsi g ht a g e n c y r e quir e m e nts.U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

Sept 28, 2015

P a g e 11

V. R E G ULATI O NS F R O M W H ICH E X EM P T I O N IS R E Q UES TE D

The Fe d e r a l Aviation A c t e x p re ss l y g r a nts t he F A A the a uthori t y to i ssue e x e mp t ions. This statuto r y

a uthori t y

, b y i t s te r ms, i n c ludes e x e mp t ing c iv i l air c r a ft, a s t he te r m i s de f ined und e r § 40101 of the A c t

, including U A S s, f

r om i t s sa fe t y r e g u l a t i ons a nd m i ni m um s t a nd a rds wh e n the A dm i nis t r a tor d ec ides a

r e qu e sted e x e mp t ion i s in t he publ i c in t e r e st

. 3

Skyless s e e ks an e x e mp t ion f r om sev e r a l i nte rr e la t e d pr o vis i ons of T i t le 14 of the Code of Fe d e r a l

Re g ula t ions ( "14 C

. F .R " ) Pa r ts 21, 45, 61 a nd 91 f or pur p o s e s o f c ondu c t i n g the r e qu e sted o p e r a t i ons us i ng

a U A S

. L is t e d b e low a r e : ( 1) the s p ec ific s ec t i o ns of 14 C. F .R f or whi c h e x e mp t ion i s sou g ht, and ( 2) the

op e r a t i n g p r o ce du r e s and s a fe g u a r d s that P e t i t i o n e r h a s e stablished whi c h will e n sure a le v e l of s a f e t y b e t t e r

th a n or e qu a l t o the r u l e s f r om which e x e mp t ion i s sou g ht

. 4

A. 14 C. F

. R. P a r t 21, Subp a r t H

– Ai r w o r thi n e ss C er ti f ica te s a n d 14 C

. F

. R. § 91.203 ( a ) (1)

The F A A h a s s t a ted th a t no e x e mp t ion i s ne e d e d f r om t his s ec t i on if a f

ind i ng is m a de und e r the

R e f o rm Ac t t h a t t he U A S sel ec ted p r ov i d e s an e quival e nt l e v e l of sa fe t y wh e n c ompa re d to a i r c r a ft no r mal l y

used f o r the same a ppl i ca t i on. Th e se c rite r i a a re m e t, and the re fo r e no e x e mp t ion i s ne e d e d

. 5 I f, ho we v e r,

t h e F AA d e te r m i n e s that t h e re a re some c h a ra c te r is t ics of the c h o s e n U A S that fa il to m ee t the re quir e m e nts

of the R e fo r m A c t, an e x e mp t ion i s r e qu e sted.

Eq u ival e n t Le v e l of Sa

f e ty

Skyless’ use o f the T

- UAS i s s af e w h e n taki n g in t o acc ount their si z e , w e i g ht, sp ee d, a nd op e r a t i on a l

c a p a bi l i t y

. A s set f

o r th i n the d e s c ript i on of pro p osed op e r a t i ons in S ec t i on I V ( A), the T

- UAS w e i g hs l e ss

t h a n 5 5 pou n ds, in c lud i ng p a y load a n d will not be f lown a t a g r ound sp ee d in e x ce ss of 50 knots. UAS i s

a lso e quipped w i t h s a f

e t y fe a tur e s that will allow P e t i t i on e r to op e r a te the U A S sa f e l y a ft e r e x p e ri e n c e

c e rt a in i n

- fli g ht conti n g e n c ies or f a i l u re s

. 6 7

________________________

3 49 U.S. C . § 44701 ( f) (a u thori z ing the g ra nt of e x e mp t ions f r om r e quir e me n ts of r e g ulations p re s c rib e d

p u rsu a nt t o Se c t i ons 44701( a ) a nd (b) a nd S ec t i ons 44702

- 44716 )

.

4 14 C. F .R § 11.81 (e ), w h ich re quir e s a p e t i t i on f o r e x e mp t ion t o inclu d e: The r e a sons w h y gr a nt i n g the

e x e mp t ion would not a dv e rs e l y a f f e c t s a f e t y

, or how the e x e mp t ion would p r ovide a lev e l o f s a f e t y a t that

p r ovided b y t h e rule f

rom w hich y ou s ee k e x e mp t ion.

{Continue on next page }U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

Sept 28, 2015

P a g e 12

UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEM

Op e r a t i ons c ond u c ted u n d e r this e x e m pt i on will b e c lose l y c ontroll e d a nd mon i tor e d b y the op e r a tor

a nd will be c ondu c ted in c omp l ian c e with l o ca l pub l ic s a f e t y r e quir e ments, to p r ovide s ec u r i t y f o r the a r e a

of o p e r a t i on. Skyless will a lso provide the F A A w i t h a dv a n c e not i c e of a ll op e r a t i o n s via N O TAMs a s

r e quir e d b y the a ppl i ca ble CO A

. In a ll ca s e s, op e r a t i on of the T

- UAS und e r the pro p osed c ondi t ions will

be a t l ea st as s a f

e a s, or s a f

e r th a n, c onv e nt i on a l r otor c r a ft o p e r a t i n g with a n a irwo r th i n e ss c e rtifi ca t e

.

L a st l y , the U ASs do not ne e d a m e a ns to c om m unic a te w i t h other a i r c r a ft o r A TC, b eca use tho s e

ca p a bi l i t ies w i l l be poss e ssed b y t h e P I C a nd Obs e r v e r, w ho a re not onbo a rd the U A S

. 8 I n a ddi t ion, no

s e ns e

- a nd

- a void t ec hnol o g y is ne ce ssa r y for the U ASs b eca use t h e y will be op e r a t e d a t all t i m e s in V F R

c ondi t ions and w i th i n V L OS of the P I C a n d Op e r a tor

. 9

{Continued from Previous Page}

5 S e e G r a nt of E x e mp t ion No. 11062 to Astr a e us A e r i a l ( F A A

- 201 4

- 0352 a t p g s. 1 3

- 14, 2 2 ).

6 S e e e .g

., G r a nt of E x e mp t ion No. 11184 to L o w Count r y RC, Corp. (F A A

- 2014

- 0803 a t p g . 3):

" The [ TITAN X8 ] h a s the ca p a bi l i t y to op e r a te s a f e l y a f t e r e x p e ri e n c i n g ce r tain i n

- fli g ht c ont i n g e n c ies o r

f a i l u re s a nd uses a n a ut o

- pi l ot s y stem to mainta i n U A S stabili t y a nd c ontrol. The U A S is a lso a ble to

r e spond to a loss of g lobal pos i t i oning s y stem ( G PS ) or a los t

- l i nk e v e nt with a p r e

- c oo r dinat e d, p re dict a ble,

a u t omat e d fli g ht man e u v e r, a nd m a nu a l fli g ht c ontrol fun c t i on a l i t y a s a b a c kup. Th e s e s a f e t y f e a tu r e s

p r ovide a n e q u ival e nt lev e l of s a f e t y c ompa re d to a mann e d a ir c r a ft p e r f o r m i n g a si m i l a r oper a t i on."

7 S e e e .g

., G r a nt of E x e mp t ion No. 11184 to VD O S Glob a l, LL C. ( F A A

- 2 0 1 4

- 0382 a t p g s. 4

- 5 ) :

T he S1000’s op e r a tor c a n cr ea te no f l y z on e s or ma x i m um fli g ht r a n g e s a nd a l t i t ud e s so the s y stem c a nnot

e n t e r a r ea s. Addit i on a l l y , the U ASs c a r r y n e i t h e r pilots nor p a sseng e rs, c a rr y no e x plo s ive m a te r ials or

fl a m m a ble liqu i d fu e ls, a nd op e r a te e x c lus i v e l y w i t hin t he p a r a met e rs st a t e d in Skyless’ Op e r a t i ons

Man u a ls

.

8 S e e G r a nt of E x e mp t ion No. 11062 to Astr a e us A e ri a l ( F A A

- 201 4

- 0352 a t p g . 13).

9 I d. a irwo r th i n e ss s t a nd a rds f or the s a me r ea sons i d e n t ified in t he re qu e st f o r e x e mp t ion f

r om 14

C. F .R. P a rt 21, Subp a rt H, supra

.U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

Sept 28, 2015

P a g e 13

.

B

. 14 C. F

. R. P a r t 27 Ai r w o r thi n e ss S tan d a r d s: N o r m al Ca te g o r y Ro t o r c r a f t

Tit l e 14 C. F .R. P a rt 27 s e ts fo r th t he pro c e d u r a l r e quir e ments for a i r wo r th i n e ss ce rtifi c a t i on of

norm a l c a te g o r y roto r c r a ft. To the e x tent that Company’s sm a ll U A S s would othe r wise r e q uire

c e rtifi c a t i on und e r Pa r t 27, P e t i t i on e r s ee ks an e x e mp t ion f r om P a rt 2 7 ' s a irwo r th i n e ss s t a nd a rds f or the

s a me r ea sons i d e n t ified in t he re qu e st f o r e x e mp t ion f

r om 14 C. F .R. P a rt 21, Subp a rt H, supra

.

{ c ont i nu e d from pre v ious pag e }

The p e t i t i on e r stat e s fu r ther t h a t the U A S h a s bui lt

- in in t e l l i g e nt f a ult h a ndl i ng whi c h a l l ows the T

- UAS to

d e te c t a s y stem f

a ult while in t h e a i r a n d a uto m a t i ca l l y f l y b ac k to i t s tak e o f

f lo c a t i on a nd land. Fa ul t s that

ca n be d e t e c t e d includ e : lo s s of c om m u nic a t i on; e x cee ding p re

- s e t wind thr e sholds; and low b a t ter y le v e ls.

All fli g ht op e r a t i ons a

re g lobal posit i oning s y st e m ( G PS ) c ontroll e d, m a king the s y stem ea s y to n a v i g a te.

At a n y point if t h e op e r a t or is not e x pl i c i t l y c om m a nding the s y stem t o move, the s y stem a uto m a t i ca l l y

holds i t s G P S posi t ion. The fli g ht c ontrol s y s t e m e mp l o y s n ot on l y GPS posit i oning but a v a ri e t y of s e nsors

i n c lud i ng sona r

, b a rom e tr i c p re ssu r e

, temp e r a tu r e

, wind speed a nd othe r s to e nsure stabi li ty s o long a s wind

thr e s h olds a re not e x cee d e d. Also a fli g ht t e rmin a t i on l i nk

– to p re v e nt a ' f l y a w a y ' or other po t e nt i a l l y

d a n g e rous situ a t i on

– is av a i l a ble to the op e r a tor

. "U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

Sept 28, 2015

P a g e 14

C. 14 C. F

. R. §§ 91.9 ( c ), 45

. 23(b) and 45. 27 ( a ) : A ir c r a f t M a r k i n g a n d I d e n ti f

ica t ion R e q u ir eme n ts

Skyless seeks an e x e mp t ion f r om t he a ir c r a ft m a r k ing a nd identifi c a t i on r e q uir e ments c ontain e d in 14

C. F .R. § § 91.9 (c ), 45

. 23( b ) a nd 4 5.27 (a ).

● 14 C. F .R. § 91.9 (c ), Civ i l Air c r a ft F l i g ht M a nu a l, Ma r king a nd P la c a rd re q uir e ments, p r ovides th a t:

No p e rson m a y op e r a te a U.S

. - re g is t e r e d c iv i l aircr a ft unless that a ir c r a ft is identifi e d in a cc o r d a n c e

with Pa rt 45 of th i s ch a

pte r

.

● 14 C. F .R. § 45.23 ( b ) , M a rkin g s of t h e Aircr a ft, st a tes:

W h e n ma r ks include only the Roman c a pi t a l lett e r " N " a nd the re g is tr a t i on number is d i spl a y e d on l i m i ted,

re strict e d or li g h t

- sport ca t e g o r y a i r c raft or e x p e rime n tal or p r ovis i o n a l l y c e rtifi ca ted a i r c raf t

, the op e r a tor

must a lso disp la y o n that a ir c raft n ea r e a c h e ntr a n c e to the ca bin, c o c kpi t

, or pi l ot station, in lette r s not

less than two inch e s nor mo r e than six inch e s h i g h, the wo r ds " l i m i ted," " r e stric t e d," " l i g h t

- sp o rt,

" Experimental ," or " p rovisional," a s ap p l i ca ble.

● 14 C. F .R. § 45.27 (a ), Ro t o rc raft, stat e s:

E ac h o p e r a tor of a rot o rcr a ft must disp l a y on that r otor c raft hori z ontal l y on both sur f a ce s o f the c a bin,

fus e l a g e

, boom, o r ta i l the ma r ks r e quir e d b y § 45.23.

I n a pr e v i ous G r a nt of E x e mp t ion, t he F AA d e t e r m i n e d that e x e mp t ion f r om t h e se r e quir e ments w a s

w a r ra n ted p r ovided th a t t he a i r c r a ft " h a ve i d e nt i fi ca t i on ( N

- Numb e r ) m a rki n g s in a cc o r d a n c e with 14 C

. F .R

P a rt 45, Subp a rt C i f the ma r kin g s a re a s la r ge a s pr ac t ic a ble

. " 10

Eq u ival e n t Le v e l of Sa

f e ty

All UA f lown b y Skyless will b ea

r N

- numb e r m a r kin g s that a r e a s l a r g e a s p rac t i ca b l e in acc o r d a n c e

with 14 C

. F

. R. P a rt 45, Subp a rt C

. 11

_____________________

1 0 F AA D o c k e t No. F AA

- 2 014

- 0352.

1 1 S ee

, e .g., F AA D o c k e t N o. F AA

- 201 4

- 0352, a t 1 4

.U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

Sept 28, 2015

P a g e 15

C. 14 C. F

. R. § 91.405 ( a )

, 9 1.407 ( a ) (1 )

, 91.40 9 (a ) (1) a n d ( 2 ) ; 91. 4 17(a) a n d ( b ): M ai n t e n a n c e

I n s p ec tions

Skyless s e e ks an e x e mp t ion f r om t he mainten a n c e inspe c t i on r e quir e ments c ontain e d in 14 C. F .R. §

91.405 (a ), 9 1.407 (a ) ( 1 ), 91

. 409(a) ( 2 ) ; 91.417( a ) a nd (b ) . Th e s e r e g ulations spe c i f y mainten a n c e a nd

insp ec t i on st a nd a rds in r e f e r e n c e to 14 C

. F .R. P a rt 43. S ee

, e .g., 14 C. F .R. § 91.405 (a ) ( stati n g that ea c h

own e r o r op e r a tor of a n a ir c r a ft " sh a ll h a ve t h e a ir c r a ft insp e c ted a s p re s c rib e d in sub p a rt E o f this pa r t and

sh a ll b e t w ee n r e qu i r e d insp ec t i ons ...h a ve disc r e p a n c i e s r e p a i r e d a s p r e s c rib e d in p a rt 43 of th i s ch a pt e r" )

.

An e x e mp t ion f

r om t h e se r e g ulations is n ee d e d b eca u s e P a rt 43 a nd these se c t i ons on l y a p p l y to ai r c r a ft with

an a i r wo r th i n e ss c e rtifi c a te, whi c h the U AS t o be op e r a ted und e r this g r a nt of e x e mp t ion wi l l not h a v e

.

Eq u ival e n t Le v e l of Sa

f e ty

An e quival e nt l e v e l of s a f e t y will be ac hie v e d b ec a use m a in t e n a n c e a nd in s p ec t i ons will be p e r f o rm e d

in a c c o r d a n c e with t he Man u f ac tu r e r ' s Manu a l a nd a n y r e q u ir e d manu f a c tur e r S a f

e t y o r Se r vi c e B ul l e t i ns.

F u r the r

, a s r e qui r e d b y Skyless’ O p e r a t i ons Man ua l s, the P I C will c ondu c t a p r e

- fl i g ht i nspe c t i on of the U AS

and a ll a ssoci a ted e quip m e nt t o acc ount f o r a ll disc re p a n c ies a nd/or ino p e r a ble c omponents. Ma i nten a n c e

will be p e r f

o rm e d a nd v e r i fi e d to a ddr e ss a n y c ondi t ions po t e nt i a l l y a f f e c t i n g s a fe o p e r a t i on of the U AS and

no fli g hts will o cc ur unless, a nd unt il

, a ll f l i g h t c r i t ic a l compon e nts of t he U A S h a ve b ee n fo u nd to be

a irwo r t h y a nd in a c ondi t ion sa f e f o r o p e r a t i on. A f

u n c t i on a l t e st fl i g ht wi l l be c ondu c t e d f ol l owing the

r e pla c e ment of a n y fli g h t

- c ritic a l compon e nts. As r e quir e d b y Skyless’ O p e r a t i ons Manu a l s, the P I C who

c ond u c ts t he f

u n c t i on a l t e st fl i g ht wi l l m a ke a n e nt r y in t he U A S a ir c r a ft r e c o r ds of the fli g ht.

Skyless ’ O p e r a t i ons M a nu a l also in c ludes re qu i r e ments to follow the m a n u fac tu r e r ’ s U A S

a ir c r a ft/compon e nt, mainten a n ce , o v e rh a ul, r e pla ce m e nt, i nspe c t i on, a nd l i fe l i m i t r e quir e ments f o r the

f ol l owing a ppl ic a ble c omp o n e nts: pow e rt ra in s y stem ( pow e rpl a nt), p r op e l l e rs, a vion i c s a nd c ontrol sur fa c e s

(in c lud i n g a i le rons/ e levons ) , str u c tur e s & a ir f r a me, ca me r a s y s t e m, el ec tr i ca l s y stems (in c lud i n g b a t te ri e s),

g round c on t rol station, ha z a rd ac c e ssori e s, and s p a re p a rts. F u r the r

, Skyless’ O p e r a t i ons Manu a l s a lso

i n c ludes p r o c e dur e s to do c ument a nd maintain a rec o r d o f the U A S main t e n a n c e , pr e v e ntative m a i nten a n ce

,

a l t e r a t i ons, status of re pla c e ment /o v e rh a ul compon e nt p a rts, a nd the total t i me in s e rv i c e of the U ASs us e d

und e r this G ra nt of E x e mp t ion. As a whol e

, the m a in t e n a n c e a nd insp ec t i o n pr oce du r e s r e qu i r e d in Skyless’

Op e r a t i ons Man ua l s e nsure t h a t an e quival e nt or hi g h e r l e v e l of s a f e t y will be ac hiev e d.U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

Sept 28, 2015

P a g e 16

P I L O T

- I N

- C O MM AND O F T H E UAS

E

. 14 C. F

. R. § 61.113: P r i vate P i l ot P r iv i leg e s a n d Li m ita t io n s

Skyless s e e ks e x e mp t ion f r om 14 C F R § 61.113, w h ich re stricts priv a t e pi l ot c e rtifi ca te holde r s f r om

f l y i n g a i r c r a ft f

or c om p e nsation or h ir e

, a nd would a lso r e quire a s e c ond c lass medi ca l c e rtifi ca te. T h e

purp o se of P a rt 61 is t o e nsure that the skill and c ompet e n c y of a n y P I C mat c h e s the a irs p ac e in whi c h the

P I C will be o p e r a t i n g

, a s w e ll a s r e quir i ng c e rtifi c a t i ons if the p r ivate pi l ot i s c a rr y i n g p a sse n g e rs o r c ar g o for

hi re

. I n th i s c a s e

, while the U A S s will be op e r a ted a s pa r t of a c o m me rc ial op e r a t i on, it ca r r i e s neither

p a s s e n g e rs n o r ca

r g o.

I n t h e G r a nt of E x e mp t ion t o Astr ae us A e ri a l 12 , the F AA d e t e r m ined th a t t he unique c h ar ac te r is t ics of

U AS op e r a t i on outside of c on t roll e d a irsp a c e did not w a r ra nt t he a ddi t ion cost a nd r e strictions a t t e nd a nt wi t h

r e quiri n g a the P I C to ha v e a Co m me rc ial P i l ot C e rtifi ca te a nd C l a ss II Me d i c a l C e rtifi ca te. T he ful f i l l m e nt

of the a ddi t ional re q u ir e ments for a p riv a te pi l ot t o b ec ome qu a l i fi e d a s a c om m e r c ial pi l ot would not le a d to

a n y a ddi t ional s a f

e t y b e n e fits wh e n U A S op e r a t i ons a r e invo l v e d.

Eq u ivale n t Le v e l of Sa

f e ty

The re strictions Skyless h a s pl ace d on i t s U A S o p e r a t i ons m ee t or e x cee d t he re strictions si m i l a r l y

i m posed on Astr ae us A e ri a l. Skyless w i ll op e r a te on p r iva t e pro p e r t y a w a y f r om p e rsons a nd p r o p e r t y not

invo l v e d in t he op e r a t i o n

. Skyless will a lso obta i n a n A T O issued COA prior to condu c t i n g a n y o p e r a t i ons

und e r this G ra nt of E x e mp t ion. All op e r a t i ons will be c ondu c ted in a cc o r d a n c e with ai r spa c e r e qui r e me n ts i n

the A TO issu e d COA in c lud i ng c l a ss of a irsp a c e

, a l t i t ude lev e l a n d pote n t i a l t r a nspond e r r e quir e ments. A

N O T A M will also be is s u e d a s r e quir e d b y the a ppl i ca b l e CO A

.

I n a ddi t ion t o these f

l i g ht re strictions, Skyless will f u r ther e ns u re s a fe o p e rat i on b y r e quiri n g that a n y

P I C be thorou g h l y v e rs e d not o n l y in ai r sp a c e a nd c o m mun i ca t i on is s u e s p e rt a in i ng to a ll a ir c r a ft o p e r a tors

but also in the u nique a spe c ts of U A S f l i g ht. As set f

o rth in the O p e r a t i ons Man u a l s, pi l ots will h a ve

e x p e ri e n c e not on l y in U AS ope r a t i ons g e n e r a l l y but h a ve l o g g e d fl i g ht t i m e in t he spe c ific m a k e a nd model

us e d for the op e r a t ions b e fo r e th e y a re p e rmit t e d to pa r t i c ipate i n c om m e r c ial fl i g hts on b e h a lf of Skyless.

T h e p i l ot qualifi ca t i on, tr a in i n g

, a nd c u rr e n c y requir e ments in the O p e r a t i ons Manu a ls ensu r e t h a t Skyless

pilo t s a r e c ompet e nt and p r o fi c ient in t he U A S th e y a re o p e r a t i n g

. Skyless’ tr a in i n g a nd qu a l i fi ca t i on

r e quir e ments a re c onsistent with those c ontain e d in prior F AA Se c t i on 333 G ra nts of E x e mp t io n

, a nd will

pro v ide a h i g h e r lev e l of c ompet e n c y a nd pro f ici e n c y for i t s pilo t s and w i ll e nsure a t le a st an e quival e nt l e v e l

of sa fe t y

.

____________________

1 2 E x e mp t ion No. 11062 ( F AA D o c k e t No. F AA

- 2 014

- 0352 )

.U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

Sept 28, 2015

P a g e 17

O P E RAT I NG P ARA METE RS O F T H E UAS

F

. 14 C. F

. R. § 91.7 ( a ) : Civil Ai rcr a f t A ir w o r thi n e ss

Although t

h e re will be no a irwo r th i n e ss c e rtifi c a te issued f or the U A S s, Skyless s e e ks a n e x e mp t ion

f r om 14 C

. F .R. § 91.7 (a ), whi c h r e q uir e s that a c iv i l aircr a ft be in ai r wo r t h y c ondi t ion t o be op e r a ted. The

F A A h a s s t a ted th a t no e x e mp t ion i s r e quir e d for 14 C. F .R. § 91.7 (a ) to the e x tent that the re quir e m e nts of

P a rt 21 a re w a ived or f

ound inapplic a ble

. 13 A cc o r di n g l y

, P e t i t i on e r r e qu e sts that the re qui r e m e nts for §

91.7 ( a ) be t r ea t e d in a cc o rd a n c e with S ec t i on V ( A )

, supra.

G

. 14 C. F

. R. § 91.9 ( b ) ( 2 ) : Civil Ai rcr a f t F l i g h t Ma nu al i n t h e Ai rcr a f t and 14

C. F

. R. § 91.203 ( a) a n d (b ): Ca rr yi n g Civil Ai r c r a f t Cer ti f ic a tion a n d R e gist r a t ion

Tit l e 14 C. F .R. § 91.9 ( b ) (2) a nd § 91.203 ( a ) a nd ( b) re quire t h e op e r a tor to ca r r y a irwo r th i n e ss

docum e nts a nd other a i r c raft m a nu a l s onbo a rd the a i r c raft. Pursu a nt t o 14 C. F .R. § 91.9 ( b ) (2 ) :

... (2) F o r w hich a n Airpl a ne or Rotor c r a ft F l i g ht M a nu a l i s r e quir e d b y § 21

. 5 of th i s ch a pte r , unless

the r e is av a i l a ble in the a ir c r a ft a c u r r e nt app r o v e d Ai r p l a ne or Rotor c r a ft F l i g ht M a n u a l, app r ov e d

man u a l ma te r ial, ma r ki n g s, a nd pl a c a rds, or a n y c omb i n a t i on the re o f

.

P u r suant to 14 C

. F .R. § 91.203 (a ) a nd (b ) :

(b) No p e rson m a y op e r a te a U.S

. - r e g is t e r e d c iv i l air c r a ft

–

( a ) E x ce pt a s p r ovided in § 91.715, no p e rson m a y op e r a te a c iv i l a ir c r a ft u n less it h a s within i t t he

f ol l owin g :

(1) An a p p rop r iate a nd c u r r e nt ai r w o rthin e ss c e rtifi c a te...

(b) No p e rson m a y o p e r a te a c iv i l a ir c r a ft unl e ss the a irwo r th i n e ss ce r t ific a te r e quir e d b y p a rag ra ph

(a ) of th i s s ec t i on or a sp e c ial fli g ht a uth o ri z a t i on i ssued und e r § 91.715 is disp l a y e d a t t h e c a bin or

c o c kpit e ntr a n c e so that it is l e g ib l e to p a sse n g e rs o r c r e w.

Giv e n the small s iz e a nd c onfi g u r a t i on of the U ASs, it would be i m poss i ble to ke e p a irwo r th i n e ss docum e nts

a nd other a i r c raft m a nu a l s on bo a rd the U A S b e c a use th e re is s i m p l y no room a nd the U AS has n o ca bin or

c o c kpi t

.

__________________

1 3 S e e id. a t 13

- 14, 22U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

Sept 28, 2015

P a g e 18

Eq u ival e n t Le v e l of S a

f e ty

I n a n F AA O f

fi c e of Ch i e f Couns e l ' s Opinion d a ted A u g ust 8, 2014, a nd p r e p a r e d b y D ea n E.

G ri f fith, Atto r n e y

, A G C

- 220, it w a s a c k n owl e dg e d that the intent of 14 C. F .R. 91.9 ( b) a nd 91.203 (a ) a nd ( b )

is met if the pi l ot of the u nmann e d a ir c r a ft h a s ac c e ss t o the U AS fli g ht manu a l, r e g is t r a t i on c e rtifi ca te, a nd

ot h e r r e quir e d do c uments f r om t he g r o und c ontrol s t a t i on f r om which he o r she is o p e r a t i n g the a i r c raft

. 1 4

As th i s F AA O f

f i c e of Chief Couns e l Opin i on c la r ifies, the in t e nt of the r ule is to e nsure the pilot h a s a c c e ss

t o these k e y d o c uments during fli g ht. Th e r e fo r e

, a n e q u ival e nt l e v e l of s a f e t y will be ac hie v e d b y e nsuri n g

that the pilot h a s ac c e ss t o the do c uments a t t he gro u nd c ontrol s t a t ion f r om which he or s h e is p i lo t ing the

U AS.

H. 14 C. F

. R. § 91.103: P ref l i g h t Ac tion

Skyless seeks an e x e mp t ion f r om 14 C

. F .R. § 91.103, whi c h r e qui r e s a P I C to be c ome f a m i l i a r w i t h

sp ec ific in f

o r mation be f

o r e e a c h fl i ght, i n c lud i ng info r mation c ontain e d in t he F A A

- a ppro ve d F l i g ht Manu a l

on board the a ir c raft. W hi l e the P I C will be fa m i l i a r w i t h a ll info r mation ne ce s s a r y to s a f e l y c ond u c t t he

f l i g ht, a n e x e mp t ion i s r e qu e sted to the e x tent that a n F A A

- a ppro ve d F l i g ht Manu a l i s r e quir e d.

Eq u ival e n t Le v e l of Sa

f e ty

An e quival e nt l e v e l of s a f e t y w i ll be pro v ided b y f

ol l owing the Skyless’ O p e r a t i ons Man ua ls a nd the

Man u fa c tur e r ' s Man u a l . The P IC will p e r f o r m a s e r i e s of c h ec kl i sts d e s i g n e d to identi f y a n y d e f ec ts or

i n op e r a ble c omponents in acc o r d a n c e with t he Skyless’ Op e r a t i ons Man ua ls, including c h e c kl i sts c ov e ring

P r e

- F l i g h t

, L a u n c h, L a ndi n g

, a nd P os t

- F l i g ht pr o ce du r e s. The P I C will a lso be r e q uir e d to r e view w ea t h e r,

fli g ht r e qui r e ments, b a t ter y c h a r g e , landi n g a nd tak e o f f distan c e , UA p e r f

o r man c e d a ta, a nd c ont i n g e n c y

landi n g a r ea s

— b e f o r e i n i t iation of fli g ht. Skyless’ Op e r a t i ons Man ua ls a nd the M a nuf a c tu r e r ' s Man u a l will

be k e pt at the g round c ontrol s t a t i on a nd will be a c ce ss i ble to the P I C a t a ll t i mes w hi l e op e r a t i ng the U AS.

I. 14 C. F

. R. § 91.109 ( a ) : F l i g h t Inst r u c tion

_______________________

1 4 Memo ra ndum f

r om M ar k B u r y

, F AA Assistant C hief Couns e l for I nt e rn a t i on a l L a w, L e g is l a t i on a nd

R e g u l a t i o n, to J ohn Dun ca n, F A A F l i g ht S tand a rds Se r v i c e ( A u g . 8, 201 4 ); s e e also Do c k e t No. F A A

- 2 0 1 4

-

0352 a t 16

- 18.U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

Sept 28, 2015

P a g e 19

Skyless s e e ks an e x e mp t ion f r om 14 C

. F .R. § 91.109 (a ), w hich p rovid e s in p e rtine n t pa r t that " [ n ] o

p e rson m a y o p e r a te a c iv i l aircr a ft ( e x c e pt a m a nn e d f r e e b a l l oon) that is b e ing used for f l i g ht i nstru c t i on

unl e ss t h a t air c raft h a s ful l y f un c t i oning du a l cont r ols

. " U A S s and r e mo t e l y pi l oted a ir c raft, b y t h e ir d e si g n,

do not ha v e f

un c t ional du a l cont r ols. I nst e a d, fli g ht con t rol is acc omp l ished thro u g h t h e use o f a d e vice

t h a t c o m m unic a tes w i t h the a ir c r a ft via r a dio c om m unic a t i ons. A cc o r din g l y

, a n e x e mp t ion wi l l be r e quir e d

for the f l i g h t i nstru c t i on r e quir e ments of 14 C

. F .R. § 91.109 (a ).

Eq u ival e n t Le v e l of Sa

f e ty

Giv e n the si z e a nd sp ee d of the U A S s that Skyless in t e nds to us e

, a n e quiv a lent lev e l of s a fe tr a in i n g

c a n sti l l be p e r f

o r med without du a l c ontrols be ca u s e no pi l ot or p a sse n g e rs a r e a bo a rd the U AS, and a s

r e quir e d b y the Skyless’ Op e r a t i ons Man u a l s, a ll p e rsons w i l l be a s a fe dis t a n c e a w a y in t he e v e nt t h a t t he

U A S e x p e ri e n ce s a n y dif f i c ul t ies du r ing f

l i g ht i nstru c t i on. Mor e ov e r, a s r e qui r e d b y the Skyless’ O p e r a t i ons

Man ua ls, a ll f

l i g ht tr a in i ng will be c ond u c ted in cont r ol l e d a nd st e rile environme n t. As a whol e

, the s a f e t y

pr o ce du r e s p r ovided f

or in Skyless’ O p e r a t i ons M a nu a l s e nsure that the p r o posed U A S op e r a t i ons p r ovide a n

e quival e nt or hi g h e r l e v e l of s a f e t y th a n that p r ovided b y t h e f l i g ht i nstru c t i on re g ulatio n s.

J. 14 C. F

. R. § 91.119(c): M i n i m u m S a f e Alti t ud e s

Skyless’ r e qu e sts a n e x e mp t ion f r om t he m i ni m u m sa f

e a l t i t ude re qu i r e m e nts of 14 C. F .R. §

91.119( c )

. 1 5 S ec t i on 91.119 p re s c rib e s t h e m i ni m um sa f e a l t i t ud e s und e r whi c h a ir c r a ft m a y not ope ra te,

in c lud i n g 5 0 0 f

e e t abo v e the su r f

a c e a nd a w a y f

rom a n y p e rson, v e ssel, v e hicl e , or stru c ture in non

- c o n g e st e d

a r e a s. S e e 14 C

. F .R. § 91.119 (c ). S ec t i on 91.1 1 9 ( d) a l l ows f or a h e l i c opter to op e r a te a t le ss t h a n those

m i ni m um a l t i tudes w h e n it ca n be o p e r a ted " without h a z a rd to p e rsons or pro p e r t y on t h e sur f ace

, " p ro v ided

th a t " e ac h p e rson o p e r a t i n g the h e l i c opt e r c omp l ies w i t h a n y rout e s or a l t i t ud e s spe c ifi c a l l y p re s c rib e d for

h e l i c op t e rs b y the F A A

. "

An e x e mp t ion i s r e quir e d b eca use t h e pro p osed U AS ope ra t i ons will norm a l l y n e e d to o cc ur b e low

4 00 fe e t A G L

. I n c ir c ums t a n ce s wh e re the U AS i s used to insp ec t a stru c tu r e whose h e i g ht e x c e e ds 400 f e e t

A G L , the U AS wi l l not be op e r a t e d more t h a n 100 fee t abo v e the h i g h e st point on the stru c tur e

, a n d with i n

50 fee t hori z ontal l y of the str u c tur e

. A d di t ional l y , d u e the n a ture of the p ropos e d o p e r a t i ons, the P i l ot and/or

Obs e rvers ( s) m a y n ee d t o be less than 500 f e e t a w a y f

rom the U AS.

__________________________

1 5 R e l i e f f rom § 91.119 ( a ) will not be n ece ssa r y b e c a use Petitioner will be a b le to p e r f o r m an e me r g e n c y

landi n g without undue h a z a rd to p e rs o ns or p r op e r t y on the g r o und in t he e v e nt of a f a i l u re

. P e t i t i on e r ' s

pro p osed U A S op e r a t i ons wi l l not o cc ur ov e r c o n g e st e d a r e a s, a nd the r e fo r e a n e x e mp t ion f r om § 91.119(b)

will not be n e c e ssa r y

. S e e e .g ., G r a nt of Ex e mp t ion No. 11157 to S lu g w e a r, I n c ., d b a L i k e on a tr e e A e ri a l

(FA A

- 2 014

- 0534 a t 15)U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

Sept 28, 2015

P a g e 20

Eq u ival e n t Le v e l of Sa

f e ty

Compa re d to fli g ht op e rat i ons with roto rc r a ft w e i ghing f a r mo r e than t h e ma x i m um w e i g hts

propo s e d h e r e in, a nd g i v e n the l ac k o f f l a m m a ble f

u e l wi t h the U A S s, a n y r isk a ssoci a ted w i t h these

o p e r a t i ons is f

a r l e ss t h a n t h ose th a t pr e s e nt l y e x ist with conv e nt i on a l a ir c r a ft. A n e quiva l e nt l e v e l of

s a f e t y will be ac h iev e d g iven the si z e , w e i g ht, and s p ee d of the U A S s, a s w e ll the c ontr o l l e d loc a t i on wh e re

t h e o p e r a t i ons will oc c u r

. I n o r d e r to a void a n y risk to m a nn e d a ir c r a ft, f l i g ht op e r a t i ons will be re stri c ted

to 400 fee t A G L o r b e lo w , or w h e n inspe c t i ng a str u c ture w h ose he i g ht e x cee ds 400 f ee t A G L , with i n 100

f e e t a bove the h i g h e st point on that stru c ture a n d 50 fee t hori z ontal l y of t he stru c tur e

.

As s e t fo r th i n the Op e r a t ions Man ua ls, the U ASs will be op e r a ted in a r e st r ict e d a re a

, a nd a ll f l i g hts

will be op e r a ted a t a l a te ra l d i sta n c e of a t l ea st 500 f e e t f r om a n y non p a

rticip a t i n g p e rsons, unl e ss t h a t

pe r s o n is i n a posit i on wh e re he or she is s hield e d f rom the U AS and a n y poss i ble d e b r is r e sul t ing f r om

UAS f a i l u re

. As r e quir e d b y t h e Op e r a t i ons Man ua ls, f l i g hts will be te r m i n a ted if a nonp a r t i c ipating p e rson

with i n 500 fee t of the U A S le a v e s a shi e lded position. F u r the r

, U A S op e r a t i ons will oc c ur a t l ea st 500 fe e t

a w a y f rom v e hicl e s o r stru c tur e s unl e ss t he p r op e r t y own e r/ c ontroll e r h a s g r a nted p e rmission and the P I C

h a s made a s a f

e t y a ssess m e nt of the r isk of op e r a t i ng c loser to t hose obje c ts and, o p e r a t i ons n e a r the P I C o r

Obs e rver w i l l not p re s e nt an und u e h a z a rd p e r § 9 1 .119 ( a ). Adh e ren c e to these r e strictions in Skyless’

O p e r a t i ons Man ua ls will e nsure op er a t i ons ca n be c ond u c ted without c ompromising s a f e t y

. 16

K

. 14 C. F

. R. § 91.121: Al t i m e ter S e t t i n gs

Skyless seeks an e x e mp t ion f r om 14 C

. F .R. § 91.121, whi c h r e qui r e s a pe r s on op e r a t i n g a n a ir c r a ft to

m a in t a in c r uis i ng a l t i t ude or f l i g ht le v e l b y r e f

e r e n c e to an a l t i m e ter that is set to the e lev a t i on of the

d e p a r ture a irpo r t or b a

rom e tr i c pr e ssur e An e x e mp t ion i s r e quir e d to t he e x tent that the U ASs do not have a

b a rom e tr i c a l t i m e te r , but r a th e r a GPS a l t i t ude rea d out.

__________________________

1 6 S e e e .g.

, G r a nt of E x e mp t ion No. 11138 to Dougl a s Tr u d ea u ( F A A

- 201 4

- 0481 a t 19 ) :

" I f b a r r i e rs or stru c tur e s a re p re s e nt that ca n suf f i c ient l y p r ot e c t nonp a rtic i p a t i ng p e rsons f r om the UA or

d e b r is in the e v e nt o f a n a c c ident, then the UA m a y op e r a te c loser than 500 f e e t to p e rsons a f

fo r d e d s u c h

p r o te c t i on. The op e r a tor m u st a lso e nsure t h a t nonp a rtici p a t i ng p e rsons r e main un d e r such p rot ec t i on. I f a

s i tuation a ris e s w h e re nonp a rtici p a t i ng p e rsons le a v e such p rot e c t i on a nd a r e with i n 5 00 f

e e t of the U A

,

fli g ht o p e r a t i ons must cea s e i m medi a te l y

. W h e n c onsid e ri n g how to i m medi a te l y c e a se op e r a t i ons, the

p rima r y c on ce rn is the s a f e t y o f those nonp a rticip a t i ng p e rson s

. I n a ddi t ion, the F AA finds that op e r a t i ons

m a y b e c ondu c ted c los e r than 500 f e e t to v e ssels, v e hicl e s a nd stru c tur e s w h e n the own e r/ c ontroll e r o f a n y

s u c h v e ssels, v e hicl e s or stru c tur e s g r a nts p e rmi ssio n f o r th e op e r a t i on a nd the P I C mak e s a s a f e t y

a ssessment of the risk of op e r a t i ng c loser to those obj ec ts and d e t e rmin e s that it does not pr e s e nt an undue

h a z a rd .”U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

Sept 28, 2015

P a g e 21

Eq u ival e n t Le v e l of Sa

f e ty

The F A A h a s s t a ted th a t a n e quival e nt l e v e l o f s a f e t y to t he r e quir e m e nts of 14 C. F .R. §91.121 ca n be

ac hie v e d in ci rc ums t a n c e s wh e r e : ( 1) the U ASs will be op e r a ted b e low 400 f ee t A G L or b e lo w 17

, ( 2) with i n

V L OS, (3) wh e re GPS b a s e d a l t i t ude info r mati o n is r e l a y e d in r e a l t i me to the op e r a tor a t a g roun d

- b a s e d

o n

- s c r ee n disp la y a nd, (4) w h e re p r ior to eac h fl i g ht, a z e ro a l t i t ude in i t i a t i on p o int is establish e d for the

P I C to co n fi r m a cc u r a c y of the onbo a rd G PS

. 18

The U A S s that Skyless intends to use f or the p r o p osed op e r a t i ons will m e e t all t h e se op e r a t i on a l

c h a ra c te r is t i c s. Mor e ov e r, a s r e qui r e d b y CAL ’ O p e r a t i ons Man ua ls, t he P I C will be re qui r e d to c a l i b ra t e

the a ir c r a f

t ' s GPS c ompa s s prior to e ac h fli g ht op e r a t i on. L ike p rior F A A S ec t i on 333 G ra nts of

E x e mp t ion, t he U A S s Skyless to us e

, a nd the sa fe t y m i t i g a t i on p r o ce du r e s co n tain e d in t he Op e r a t i ons

Manu a l s

, both ensu r e that a n e quival e nt l e v e l of s a f e t y will be ac hiev e d, a nd a G r a nt of E x e mp t ion t o the

re quir e ments of § 191.1 2 1 is t h e r e fo r e a ppro p ri a te.

L

. 14 C. F

. R. § 91.151 ( a ) : F u e l R e qu ir e m e n ts f or F l i g h t in V F R Con d itio n s

Skyless r e qu e sts a n e x e mp t ion f r om 14 C

. F .R. § 91.151 (a ) ' s f u e l r e qui r e ments f

o r f l i g ht in V F R

c ondi t ions. S ec t i on 91.151 st a tes:

( a ) No p e rson m a y b e g i n a fl i g ht in a n a irpl a ne und e r V F R c ondi t ions unless ( c onsid e ri n g wind a nd

fo r eca st w ea t h e r c ondi t ions) the r e is e nou g h fu e l to fly to the fi r st po i nt of int e nd e d la n ding a nd,

a ssu m ing nor m a l c r uis i ng s p ee d

–

(1) Du r i n g the d a y , to fly a ft e r th a t f o r a t l ea st 30 m i nutes; or

(2) At ni g ht, t o f

l y a ft e r t h a t for a t le a st 45 m i nutes.

H e r e , the t ec hnol o g ic a l l i m i tations on U A S b a t t e ry po w e r m ea ns t h a t no m ea ni n g ful fli g ht ope r a t i ons

ca n be c ondu c ted w hi l e st i ll maintaining a 3 0

- m i nute b a t ter y r e s e rv e . An e x e mp t ion f r om t he f u e l

r e quir e ments of 14 C

. F .R. § 91.151 (a ) is the r e fo r e r e quir e d.

_________________________

1 7 I f t h e h e i g ht o f the str u c t u r e b e i n g inspe c ted e x ce e ds 400 fe e t A G L

, the U A S will not be op e r a ted more

than 100 f

e e t a bove the hi g h e st po i nt on t he stru c tur e

.

1 8 S e e G r a nt of E x e mp t ion No. 11062 to Astr a e us A e ri a l ( F A A

- 201 4

- 0352 a t 2 1 )

.U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

Sept 28, 2015

P a g e 22

Equivalent Level of Safety

In the Grant of Exemption to VDOS (Exemption No. 11112), the FAA determined that an

equivalent level of safety to the fuel requirements for flight in VFR conditions could be achieved by

prohibiting the PIC from beginning a T

- UAS flight unless (considering wind and forecast weather

conditions) there was enough power to fly to the first intended point of landing and, assuming normal

cruising speed, to fly after that for at least 10 minutes. In reaching this conclusion, the FAA consi dered that

the UAS batteries for the T

- UAS provided provide approximately 2 0 minutes of powered flight (with

payload) and provided battery level and battery time remaining in minutes and seconds to the PIC. 19 The

FAA also considered the fact that the T

- UA S operating manual states: “start every flight with a fully

charged battery in the aerial vehicle”, and that in the event that the UAS should run low on power, the PIC

will be alerted and can land the T

- UAS as soon as possible. Like the VDOS Grant of Exemp tion, Skyless’

use of the TITAN X8 , combined with the requirements of Petitioner's Operations Manuals, ensure that an

equivalent level of safety can be achieved.

Similarly, in the Grant of Exemption to Alan Purwin (Exemption No. 11161), the FAA determined

that an equivalent level of safety to the fuel requirements for flight in VFR conditions could be achieved by

prohibiting the PIC from beginning a flight with the T

- UAS unless (considering wind and forecast weathe r

conditions), there was enough power to fly at normal cruising speed to the intended landing point and land

the UA with 25% battery power remaining. Skyless will adhere to this limitation for T

- UAS flights.

The T

- UAS includes a low battery warning syste m and the amount of battery reserve power

remaining is transmitted to the PIC via telemetric data feed, which downlinks from the UAS to a ground

based

- on

- screen display. 20 As required by Skyless ’ Operations Manuals, the PIC will promptly fly the UAS

back t o the home launch location or pre

- determined abort location where the UAS may safely land, while

still maintaining a minimum of 25 % reserve battery power. Skyless submits that the procedures requiring

flights to be safely terminated once the batteries fall below 25% capacity, combined with the requirement

that flights only be conducted within a secure, isolated area, using a UAS weighting less than 25 pounds,

and within VLOS of the PIC and Observer(s), ensure that the proposed operation will provide an equi valent

or higher level of safety to that provided by the regulations from which exemption is sought.

________________________ 19 Grant of Exemption No. 11112 to VDOS Global, LLC (FAA

- 2014

- 0382 at 10).

20 The T

- UAS ground control station displays, the UASs position, navigation route, tail number, altitude,

heading, north seeking arrow, range to targets, calculated target position, date/time, and sensor heading and

orientation relative to th e UAS.U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

Sept 28, 2015

P a g e 23

VI. DRUG AND ALCOHOL PROGRAM

Skyless w ill have policies in place to ensure that no person may participate in UAS flight

operations if they are under the influence of alcohol or any drug.

VII. P U B L I C I N TEREST

The publ i c i n te r e s t will be served by gran t ing Skyless ’ Pe t ition for Ex empt i on. Congress h a s

es t a b l i shed a na t io n al policy that f a vors ea r ly i n teg r a t i on of U A S into the NAS in controlled, s a f e

working envi r on m ents such as those propos e d in t his Pet i tion. Grant i ng th i s Peti t ion for Ex e m pt i on helps

ful f i l l Congress' goal i n p a ss i n g Sect i on 3 3 3(a) t h rough (c) of the R efo r m Ac t

— the FAA A d m in i st r ato r ' s

ass e ss m ent of whether c er t a in UAS m ay ope r ate safely i n t h e N A S be f o r e co m ple t ion of the s t atutorily

required r u le m aking.

Skyless seeks to use small UASs for the purpose of conducting aerial photography and

videography services. Traditional methods of video, expose camera operators to higher risks of serious

injuries, or death. Camera operators need to climb and perform elevated w ork, which exposes them to

the risk of dangerous falls, electrocution, burns (from lighting), or other special effects and work related

injuries. The use of small UASs mitigates these hazards and is ultimately a much safer method of

performing these and m ost other types of productions.

Small UAS production is also safer than traditional manned aircraft performing the same

function. Conventional operations using rotorcraft and fixed

- wing aircraft in low level operations present

risks associated with vehicl es weighing thousands of pounds and carrying passengers and large amounts

of fuel. It is important to note that the use of small UAS in this area will not only be safer and more cost

effective, but the quality of collected video footage is often far s uperi or. The use of s m all UAS a l so

enhan c es safety and reduces risk becau s e, u n like m anned a i rcraft weighing t h ousands of p o unds, ca r rying

c rew in addition t o fla m m able fuel, t he U A Ss ca r ry no pa sseng e rs or crew. Fu r the r

, in t he u nl i k e ly ev e n t

of an acc i d ent, Sk yless’ s m all battery powe r ed U A Ss presen t s sign i fica n t l y le s s danger to pe r sons on the

ground w hen c o m

p ar e d to ope r at i ons by c o nvent i o n a l m anned ai r c raft

. 2 1 A s the Pet i tion e r ' s U A S are

ba t tery powe r ed, the publ i c will a lso bene f it from a redu c t i on i n har m ful e m i ss i ons asso c ia t ed w i th

conventional ai r c raft pe r f or m ing i n the s a m e func t ions propos e d herein. Last l y, a s r e cogni z ed by the

FAA in pr i or Section 333 G rants of Ex e m pt i on to fil mm ake r s, U A Ss prov i de an add i tion a l t ool for the

aerial fil m ing i ndustry, adding a gr e at e r degree of f lex i bi l it y , which supp l e m ents the c urrent c apab i li t ies

o f f er e d by m a nned a i rcraf

t

. 22

______________________________________

21 See Gra n t of E x e m

pt io n No. 11158 to Team 5, LLC (FAA

- 2014

- 0783 a t 12 ) :

"Manned helico p te r s c o nduct i ng a erial fi l m ing c a n weigh 6,000 pounds or m ore and a r e op e ra t ed by

an onboard p i l o t, i n ad d i t ion to o t h e r on b oard cre wm e m bers, as nece s s a ry. T h e pe t itioner ’ s U A s will

weigh less t h an 55 pounds with no onboard pilot o r cre w

.

22 See e.g ., Grant of Exemption No. 11178 to Picture Factory, Inc. (FAA

- 2014

- 0794 at 18).U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

Sept 28, 2015

P a g e 24

VIII. PRIVACY

All Skyless’ UAS operations will be conducted in accordance with applicable federal, state, or local

laws regarding privacy. All operations shall be conducted over private or controlled

- access property with

permission from the land owner/controller or authorized repres entative. Permission from land

owner/controller or authorized representative will be obtained for each flight to be conducted.

IX. FEDERAL REGISTER SUMMARY

Pursuant to 14 C.F.R. Part 11, the following summary is provided for publication in the FEDERAL

REGISTER, should it be determined that publication is needed:

Petitioner seeks an exemption from the following rules in Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations:

Part 21, Subpart H; Part 27; 45.23(b); 45.27(a); 61.113; 91.7(a); 91.9(b)(2); 91.9(c); 9 1.103; 91.109(a);

91.119(c); 91.121; 91.151(a); 91.203 (a) & (b); 91.405(a); 91.407(a)(1); 91.409(a)(1) & (2); 91.417 (a)

& (b).

The exemption will enhance safety by reducing risk to the general public and property owners from the

substantial hazards associated with performing equivalent film work and aerial inspection and

environmental monitoring of industrial sites, transmission and storage facilities, construction facilities

and precision aerial surveys with conventional fixed

- wing aircraft, rotorcr aft, or other methods. The

pi l ot a nd crew w i l l be re m ote l y loc a ted f rom the ai r c raft. The l i m i t ed we i ght s i gnif i c a nt l y reduces the

po t e n t i a l for harm to participating and nonparticipating i n d iv i d uals or pro p er t y in t he e vent of a n

i n cid e nt o r ac c iden t

. The risk to an on b oard p i lot and c r ew d u r i ng an inc i d ent or a cc i d e nt i s e l i m ina t ed

with the use of a UA for the aerial f i l m ing op e ration.

X. CONCLUSION

Skyless’ Petition for Exemption satisfies the criteria articulated in Section 333 of the Reform Act of

2012 including weight, speed, operating capabilities, proximity to airports and populated areas, operation

within VLOS and national security. The proposed UAS ope rations will benefit the public as a whole by

improving safety and reducing risk by alleviating human exposure to danger. In consideration of the

foregoing, this Petition for Exemption provides the FAA with more than adequate justification for granting

the requested exemptions allowing Skyless ’ use of small UA Ss for: scripted, closed

- set filming for the

motion picture , television, and web industry.U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

Sept 28, 2015

P a g e 25

We thank you for your prompt consideration of our requested exemptions.

Respectfully S ubmitted,



# W illiam King

William King

Skyless Productions , LLC

1855 Industrial Street

Los Angeles, CA 90021

P hon e : 805

- 453

- 0485

Email: w ill@skylessproductions.net

(The following attached items contain and commercial information exempt from disclosure under the

Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. § 522 et seq. , and should be held in a separate file pursuant to 14

C.F.R. § 11.35(b)). (Digital s ignature use has been approved by William King)

Attachments:

1 MPT O M Mo t ion Pi c ture and Tele v ision Operat i ons Manual

2. General Op e rations M a n ual

3. PIC Operati n g Manual

4. Company P r otoco l s

5. Location Protocols

6. Flight Co mm

unic a t i ons Protocols

7. Depar t ing L oca t ion P rotocols

8. Trans m i t ter Protocols

9. Preflight C h eck l ist

10. Post Flight Checkl i s t

11. Equip m ent Checkl i s t

12. Company Safety Manual

13

. UAS M anufactu r e r’s Manuals

a. User M a nu a ls

b. Mainten a nce M a n u als