AFS-15-3321-E August 17, 2015

Exemption No. 12632 Regulatory Docket No. FAA-2001-8870

Mr. W. Michael Radoslovich Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory—Flight Facility
244 Wood Street Lexington, MA 02420

Dear Mr. Radoslovich:

This letter is to inform you that we have gran ted your request for exemption. It transmits our decision, explains its basis, and gives you th e conditions and limitations of the exemption, including the date it ends.

The Basis for Our Decision

By letter dated July 27, 2015, you petitioned Federal Aviation Admi nistration (FAA) on
behalf of Massachusetts Inst itute of Technology (MIT) for an extension to Exemption No. 5210, as amended. That exemption from § 91.319(c) of Title 14, Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) allows MIT to operate the following aircraft certificated in the experimental category, over densely populated areas or in congested airways.

N105TB Gulfstream II N404PA Boeing 707
N448TB Dassault Falcon 20
N20NY Dassault Falcon 20
N63AR DeHavilland Twin Otter DHC-6
N232MT Cessna 206 Stationair2

Although you requested an extension of Exem ption No. 5210, as amended (copy enclosed), that exemption expired on July 31, 2015. Therefor e, the FAA will treat this as a new petition for exemption by MIT rather than an extension of the exemption previo usly granted to MIT.

The FAA has determined that good cause exists for not publishing a summary of the petition in the Federal Register because the requested extension and amendment of the exemption would not set a precedent, and any delay in ac ting on this petition woul d be detrimental to
MIT.

Our Decision

The FAA has determined that the justific ation for issuance of Exemption No. 5210, as amended, remains valid with respect to this exemption and is in the public interest. Therefore, under the authority provided by 49 U.S.C. §§ 106(f), 40113 and 44701, which the FAA Administrator has delegated to me, Massachusetts Institut e of Technology is granted an exemption from § 91.319(c) to operate over dens ely populated areas or in congested airways using the following aircraft having experimental airworthiness certificates: Gulfstream II (N105TB), Boeing 707 (N404PA), Dassault Falcon 20 (N448TB), Dassault Falcon 20 (N20NY), DeHavilland Twin Otter DHC-6 (N 63AR), and Cessna 206 Stationair (N232MT), subject to the conditions and limitations below.

Conditions and Limitations

1. Operations under this exemption are limited to contracts with agencies of the United States Federal Government, such as the Department of Defense.

2. Before all initial operations conducted under each new contract or amendment to an existing contract described in Condition/ Limitation No. 1, the following information
must be submitted to the FAA Eastern Region Flight Standards Division (AEA200)—

a. Scope of the operation, that is, a genera l description of the purpose, duration, geographic location, type of aircraft, modi fication to those ai rcraft, altitudes, and airspeeds anticipated, and why the operation is in the public interest; and

b. Name, address, and telephone number of the contracting agen t of the Federal Government agency administering the contract.

3. Operations under this exemption are limited to aircraft initially certificated as standard category.

4. All aircraft must be listed with an approval for use by the FAA Manufacturing Inspection Office (ANE-180), New Engla nd Region headquarters, 12 New England Executive Park, Burlington, Massachusetts 01803, and the Boston Flight Standards District Office (FSDO), One Cra nberry Hill, Suite 402, Lexington, Massachusetts 02421-7394, before the initia l flight under this exemption or each3

time an aircraft is added to or deleted fr om the list. The pet itioner shall mail a copy of this exemption to both ANE-180 and the Boston FSDO.

5. Before the operation under this exempti on, all proposed modifications to aircraft
must be submitted to both ANE-180 a nd the Boston FSDO for FAA approval.

6. MIT must obtain revised operating limitations issued in the aircraft listed for the
airworthiness certificates issued for each aircraft covered by this exemption, as amended, to continue conducting op erations under the exemption.

7. Only personnel and equipment essential to the flight may be on board during operations under this exemption.

8. No aircraft may be operated under this ex emption until it has b een flight tested outside congested airways and not over densely popul ated areas and has shown
that—

a. The aircraft is controll able throughout its normal range of speeds and throughout all the maneuv ers to be executed;

b. The aircraft has no hazardous operating ch aracteristics or design features; and

c. All flightcrew personnel have been th oroughly briefed concerning the aircraft modification, flight test in detail, an d any changes to the aircraft’s flight characteristics. Additionally, changes outside the aircraft’s performance envelope specified by the FAA-approve d flight manual must be placarded.

9. Notwithstanding the experimental nature of the internal and external electronic modifications made for the specific purpose of research and development, no aircraft may be operated under this exemption unless it is maintained in accordance with the appropriate requirements in 14 CFR for standard category aircraft.

10. Pilots must hold at least a commercial pilo t certificate with an instrument rating and, if required, the appropriate type rating.

11. To act as pilot in command (PIC) of an ai rcraft under this exemption, pilots must
have at least 50 hours in the t ype of aircraft (if a type ra ting is required) and at least
10 hours in the make and model of aircraft.

12. Aircraft that would require two pilots if certificated in standard category must have a
PIC and second in command who are curr ent and qualified in accordance with part 61.

13. Aircraft operated under this exemption mu st maintain an en route altitude of no lower than 7,000 feet above ground le vel over densely populated areas. Additionally, where possible, aircraft operating under visual meteorological conditions must avoid flight s over congested areas.4

14. MIT must request approval from the appropr iate FAA air traffic control facility for all flights into a congested airway.

15. For all high speed operations that do not meet the provisions of § 91.117, MIT must receive approval from the FAA FSDO havi ng jurisdiction over the area where the operation will be conducted.

16. For all low-level operations that fail to meet the provisions of §§ 91.119(b) or (c),
MIT must receive a waiver from the FAA FSDO having jurisdiction over the area where the operation will be conducted.

The Effect of Our Decision

This exemption terminates on August 31, 2017, unless sooner superseded or rescinded.

Sincerely,

//s//

John S. Duncan Director, Flight Standards Service

Enclosure: Exemption No. 5210N