Andrew Fabitz

3052 N. Humboldt BLVD.

Milwaukee, WI 53212

ajfabitz@gmail.com

www.bitzproductions.com

Exemption Request Pursuant to Section 333 of the FAA Reform Act and Part 11 of the 

Federal Aviation Regulations from: 14 CFR 21 subpart H 

14 CFR 45.23(b) 

14 CFR 61.113(a) and (b) 

14 CFR 91.7(a) 14 CFR 91.9(b)(2) 

14 CFR 91.103 

14 CFR 91.109 

14 CFR 91.119(c) 

14 CFR 91.121 

14 CFR 91.151(a)

14 CFR 91.203 (a) and (b) 

14 CFR 91.405 (a) 

14 CFR 91.407 (a) (1) 

14 CFR 91.409 (a)(1) and (2) 

14 CFR 91.417(a) and (b) 

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

Act”) and 14 CFR Part 11, Andrew Fabitz, operator of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), 

hereby applies for an exemption from the listed Federal Aviation Regulations (“FARs”) to 

allow commercial operation of designated UAS, provided such operations are conducted 

within and under the conditions outlined herein or as may be established by the FAA as 

required by Section 333. Commercial operation of an UAS, as described herein, which are 

equipped with camera(s) and sensors, would provide professional services in the following 

areas: 

1. Aerial photography and/or video for public and/or private use including real estate, 

architecture, land surveying, mapping, engineering and other related professional 

activities. 
2. Aerial video and/or photography for public and/or private use including television, 

public events, weddings, cinematography and newsgathering. 

3. Aerial inspection/photography/video of residential/commercial structures under 

contract with the owners or local government authority. 

4. Aerial inspection/photography/video of residential/commercial utility infrastructure 

including but not limited to electrical power lines, wind turbines and cell towers. 

5. Aerial video/photography or providing live video feed to assist with search and rescue 

operations in cases of an emergency or natural disaster only when the local authorities or 

government has requested it by contract or donation. 

6. Aerial video/photography of special events like concerts and music festivals under 

contract by the band or festival promoter.

7. Aerial video/cinematography/photography for film on closed set.

8. Aerial video/photography for golf courses.

9. Training to persons individually or belonging to both private and/or public 

organizations to increase awareness and improve safety for current and future UAS 

operations within the NAS. 

As described fully below, the requested exemption would permit the operation of 

designated UAS as set forth in this document under controlled conditions in the NAS that 

would be a) limited b) controlled c) predetermined and d) safe. Approval of this exemption 

would increase public awareness of UAS operations and enhance safety to aid in fulfilling 

the Secretary of Transportation’s (the FAA Administrator’s) responsibilities to “....establish 

requirements for the safe operation of such aircraft systems in the national airspace 

system.” 

I plan to operate a UAS, the DJI PHANTOM 3 Professional which is comprised of an 

unmanned aircraft (UA or Phantom 3) and a transportable ground station. The Phantom 3 

is referred to as a quad-copter with a maximum gross weight of about 3 pounds. It is 

equipped with four rotors that are driven by electric motors powered by batteries. The UA 

has a maximum airspeed of 16 m/s 

OPERATING PARAMETERS

I will abide by the following additional operating conditions under this exemption, which 

ensures a level of safety at least equal to existing rules: 

 -Operate UAS below 300 feet and within radius distance of 1000 feet from the controller 

to aid in direct line of sight visual observation; 

 -Obtain permission from the owner/controller of any vessels, vehicles and structures 

when operations may be conducted closer than 500 feet to any such vessels, vehicles or 
structures; I will conduct a safety assessment of the risk of operating closer to those objects 

and determine that it does not present undue hazard;

 -Operate the UAS for no longer than 30 minutes per flight 

 -Land UAS prior to manufacturer’s recommended minimum level of battery power; 

 -Operate UAS during daylight hours only within visual line of sight (VLOS);

 -Use the UAS’ global positioning system (GPS) flight safety feature whereby it hovers and 

then lands slowly if communication with remote control pilot is lost;

 -Conduct all operations under the flight safety protocols (including posting a warning 

sign reading: “Attention Aerial Photography in Progress – Remain Back 150 feet”) 

contained in the operating documents and will actively analyze flight data and other 

sources of information constantly update and enhance safe protocols;

 -Contact respective airports if operations will be within 5 miles to advise them of my 

estimated flight time, flight duration, elevation of flight and other pertinent information;

 -Always obtain all necessary permissions prior to operation; have procedures in place to 

abort flights in the event of safety breaches or potential danger;

 -Only operate in safe environments that are strictly controlled, are away from power 

lines, elevated lights, airports, densely populated areas (defined by areas depicted in 

“yellow” on VFR charts and through obtaining information regarding congested areas from 

the local Flight Standards District Office (FSDO); inspections and protocols, during which 

safety carries primary importance (reference PHANTOM Flying Flow Chart and User 

Manual).

AnyPICoperatingourUASwillhaveaccumulatedandlogged,inamannerconsistent with14CFR 

61.51(b),25hoursoftotaltimeasaUASrotorcraftpilotincludingatleast 10hoursloggedasaUAS 

pilotwitha multirotorUAS.ThePICwillalsohaveaccumulatedandloggedaminimumof5hoursas 

aUASpilotoperatingthesamemakeand modelofUAStobeusedforoperations.Inadditiontothe 

hourrequirements,thePICwillaccomplish3take-offsandlandingsinthepreceding90days(for 

currencypurposes) priortoanyflight. 

SPECIFIC EXEMPTIONS REQUESTED

Giventhesize,weight,speed,andlimitedoperatingareaassociatedwiththeUA,we feelan 

exemptionfrom14CFRpart21,SubpartH(AirworthinessCertificates)and§ 

91.203(a)and(b)(Certificationsrequired),subjecttocertainconditionsandlimitations, 

iswarrantedandmeetstherequirementsforanequivalentlevelofsafetyunder14CFR part11and 

Section333ofP.L.112d95(Section333). 

Irequestanexemptionfrom§45.23MarkingoftheaircraftbecausetheUAwillnot 

haveacabin,cockpitorpilotstationonwhichtomarkcertainwordsorphrases.Further, the twoinchletteringisdifficulttoplaceonsuchasmallaircraftwithdimensionssmaller 
thantheminimalletteringrequirement.Regardlessofthis,wecanmarktheUASinthe 

largestpossibleletteringbyplacingthe word“Experimental”onitsfuselageasrequired 

by§45.29(f)sothatanyonewillseethemarkings. 

Irequestanexemptionfrom§91.7(a)whichprohibitstheoperationofanaircraft 

withoutanairworthinesscertificate,sincethereiscurrentlynocertificateapplicableto 

ouroperation,this regulationisinapplicable. 

Irequestanexemptionfrom§§91.405(a),91.407(a)(1),91.409(a)(2)and91.417(a) and(b) 

Maintenanceinspectionssincetheyonlyapplytoaircraftwithanairworthiness 

certificate.However,asasafetyprecautionwewillperformapreflightinspectionofthe 

UASbeforeeachflightasoutlined intheattachedoperatingdocuments. 

Irequestanexemptionfrom§91.9(b)(2)whichrequiresanaircraftflightmanualin theaircraft, 

howeversincetherearenopilotsorpassengersonboardtheaircraftand givenitssize,this 

regulationisinapplicable.Webelieveanequivalentlevelofsafety 

willbeachievedbymaintainingasafety/flightmanualwiththeUASgroundstation.

Irequestanexemptionfrom§91.119whichprescribessafealtitudesfortheoperation 

ofcivilaircraft,butitallowshelicopterstobeoperatedatloweraltitudesincertain 

conditions.Wewillnot operateourUASabovethealtitudeof300feetaboveground 

level(AGL)andwillalsoonlyoperatein safeareasawayfromthepublicandtraffic, 

thus“providingalevelofsafetyatleastequivalenttoor belowthoseinrelationtominimum 

safealtitudes.”Giventhesize,weight,maneuverability,andspeedoftheUAS,an 

equivalentorhigherlevelofsafetywillbeachieved.

Irequestanexemptionfrom§91.121Altimetersettingsasitisinapplicablesincethe 

UASutilizeselectronicGPSwithabarometricsensor.

Irequestanexemptionfrom§91.151(a)FuelrequirementsforflightinVFRconditions. 

TheUAVis100%electricandtwolowbatteryalertsareissuedd pertheoperating 

documents,theUAVwillbelandedatthefirstalert.Also,myflightswilllast under 30 

minuteseach,andtheUAShasanautomatedfunction,whichresultsinimmediate 

landingwhenalowbatteryisdetected.ThePIC willnotbeginaflightunless(considering 

windandforecastweatherconditions)thereisenough powertoflytothefirstpoint 

ofintendedlandingand,assumingnormalcruisingspeed,landtheUA with30%battery 

powerremaining. 

PUBLIC INTEREST

Aerialphotographyandvideographyforrealestate, golf courses, mapping, special events, 

inspections, weddings, and film areprovenstrategiestoenhance marketingefforts, increase 

business success, reduce safety risks, and give an overall better look to a finished 

product.Theindustryisnotnew. In real estate, 

untilrecentlyitwasconductedthroughtheuseofcostlymannedaircraft,aprohibitive 

businessactivityforsmallcompanies.BygrantingthisexemptionIwouldbeabletoprovideafford

ableservices to real estate companies while also marketing myself in various other areas.
Further,the smallUASwill posenothreattothepublicgivenitssmallsizeandlackofcombustible 

fuelwhencompared 

tolargermannedaircraft.Additionally,theoperationofourUASwillminimizeharmtotheenviron

ment economicgrowthbyprovidinginformationtocompanies andthepublic 

lookingtorelocateorbuildinthemetroareasweservice.Publicandprivateeventsservicedbymyb

usinessenhancevibrancy andaddculture to thecommunity anditscitizens. 

SUMMARY

Iwillcomplywithallofthefollowingconditionsandlimitationsshouldthisexemption 

beprovided: 

1)Operationswillbelimitedtothefollowingaircraftdescribedintheoperatingdocuments,which

is aquad-rotoraircraftweighing2.8pounds:Phantom 3 Unmanned AircraftSystem. 

2)TheUAwillnotbeflownatanindicatedairspeedexceeding50knots. 

3)TheUAwillbeoperatedatanaltitudeofnomorethan400feet abovegroundlevel 

(AGL),Allaltitudes reportedtoATCmustbeinfeetAGL. 

4)TheUAwillbeoperatedwithinvisuallineofsight(VLOS)ofthePilotInCommand 

(PIC)atalltimes. 

5)Alloperationswillutilizeavisualobserver(VO).TheUAwillbeoperatedwithinthe 

visuallineofsight(VLOS)oftheVOatalltimes.TheVOandPICwillbeabletocommunicate 

verballyatalltimes. ThePICwillbedesignatedbeforetheflightandwillnot 

transferhisorherdesignationforthedurationoftheflight.ThePICwillensurethatthe 

VOcanperformthefunctionsprescribedintheoperatingdocuments. 

6)TheoperatingdocumentswillbeaccessibleduringUASoperationsandmadeavailable tothe 

Administratoruponrequest.Anyrevisionstotheoperatingdocumentswill 

bepresentedtotheAdministratoruponrequest. 

7)Priortoeachflight,thePICwillinspecttheUAStoensureitisinaconditionforsafe 

flight.IftheinspectionrevealsaconditionthataffectsthesafeoperationoftheUAS,the 

UASwillnotbeoperateduntilthenecessarymaintenancehasbeenperformedandthe 

UASisfoundtobeinaconditionforsafeflight.TheGroundControlStationwillbeincluded 

inthepreflightinspection.Allmaintenanceandalterationswillbeproperlydocumented 

intheaircraft records. 

8)AnyUASmaintenanceoralterationsthataffecttheUASoperationorflightcharacteristics, 

e.g.replacementofaflightcriticalcomponent,willundergoafunctionaltestflight. 

ThePICwhoconductsthefunctionaltestflightwillmakeanentryintheaircraftrecords.

9)Thepre-flightinspectionsectionintheoperatingdocumentswillaccountforalldiscrepancies, 

i.e.inoperablecomponents,items,orequipment,notalreadycoveredinthe 

relevantsectionsoftheoperatingdocuments. 
10)WewillfollowtheUASmanufacturer’saircraft/component,maintenance,overhaul, 

replacement,inspection,andlifelimitrequirements. 

11)Wewillcarryoutmaintenance,inspections,andrecordkeepingrequirements,inaccordance 

withtheoperatingdocuments.Maintenance,inspection,andalterationswillbe 

notedintheaircraftrecords,includingtotalflighthours,descriptionofworkaccomplished, 

andthesignatureoftheauthorizedpersonreturningtheUAStoservice. 

12)EachUASoperatedwillcomplywithallmanufacturerSafetyBulletins. 

13)Anauthorizedpersonwillmakeanentryintheaircraftrecordofthecorrectiveaction taken 

againstdiscrepanciesdiscoveredbetweeninspections. 

14)UASoperationswillbeconductedbyaPICpossessingatleastaprivatepilotcertificate andat 

leastacurrentthird-classmedicalcertificate.ThePICwillalsomeetthe 

flightreviewrequirementsspecifiedin14CFR61.56inanaircraftinwhichthePICis 

ratedonhisorherpilotcertificate.

15)Priortooperationsconductedforthepurposeofaerialvideography/photographyandfor 

real estatelistingvideosandpublicandprivateeventsandsimilaroperations,thePICwillhave 

accumulated andlogged,inamannerconsistentwith14CFR61.51(b),aminimumof25 hoursof 

totaltime asaUASrotorcraftpilotincludingatleast10hoursloggedasaUAS pilotwithamultirotor UAS. 

16)Priortooperationsconductedforthepurposeofaerialvideography/photographyandfor 

realestatelistingvideosandpublicandprivateeventsandsimilaroperations,thePICwillhave 

accumulated andlogged,inamannerconsistentwith14CFR61.51(b),aminimumoffive

hoursasUAS pilotoperatingthemakeandmodeloftheUAStobeusedinoperations. 

ThePICwillaccomplishthree take-offsandlandingsinthe preceding90days. 

17)ThePICwillnotoperatetheUASforthepurposeofaerialvideography/photographyandfor 

real estatelistingvideosandpublicandprivateeventsandsimilaroperations,unlessthePIC has 

demonstratedandloggedinamanner consistentwith14CFR61.51(b),theability 

tosafelyoperate theUASinamannerconsistentwiththeoperatingdocuments,including 

evasiveandemergency maneuversandmaintainingappropriatedistancesfrom 

people,vessels,vehiclesandstructures. 

18)UASoperationswillnotbeconductedduringnight,asdefinedin14CFR1.1.Alloperationswill 

beconductedundervisualmeteorologicalconditions(VMC). 

19)TheUAwillnotoperatewithin5nauticalmilesofanairportreferencepointasdenoted ona 

currentFAA-publishedaeronauticalchart. 

20)TheUAwillnotbeoperatedlessthan500feetbeloworlessthan2,000feethorizontally 

fromacloudorwhenvisibilityislessthan3statutemilesfromthePIC. 

21)IfaUAlosescommunicationsorlosesitsGPSsignal,itwillreturntoapredetermined 

locationwithintheplannedoperatingareaandlandorberecoveredinaccordance 

withtheoperatingdocuments. 
22)ThePICwillabortaflightintheeventofunpredictedobstaclesoremergenciesin 

accordancewiththeoperatingdocuments. 

23)ThePICwillnotbeginaflightunless(consideringwindandforecastweatherconditions) 

thereis enoughpowertoflyatnormalcruisingspeedtotheintendedlanding 

pointandlandtheUAwith 30%batterypowerremaining. 

24)WewillobtainanAirTrafficOrganization(ATO)issuedCertificateofWaiverorAuthorization 

(COA)priortoconductinganyoperations,andalsorequestaNoticetoAir-man(NOTAM)notmore 

than72hoursinadvance,butnotlessthan48hourspriorto theoperation. 

25)Beforeconductingoperations,theradiofrequencyspectrumusedforoperationand 

controlof theUAwillcomplywiththeFederalCommunicationsCommission(FCC)or 

otherappropriate governmentoversightagencyrequirements. 

26)Thedocumentsrequiredunder14CFR91.9and91.203willbeavailabletothePIC 

attheGroundControlStationoftheUASanytimetheUASisoperating.Thesedocuments 

willbemadeavailableto theAdministratororanylawenforcementofficialuponrequest. 

27) TheUAwillremainclearandyieldtherightofwaytoallmannedaviationoperations and 

activitiesatalltimes. 

28)TheUASwillnotbeoperatedbythePICfromanymovingdeviceorvehicle. 

29)TheUAwillnotbeoperatedovercongestedordenselypopulatedareas. 

30)Flightoperationswillbeconductedatleast500feetfromallnonparticipatingpersons, 

vessels, vehicles,andstructuresunless: 

a.Barriersorstructuresarepresentthatsufficientlyprotectnonparticipatingpersons from 

theUAand/or debrisintheeventofanaccident.Wewillensurethatnonparticipating 

personsremainundersuchprotection.Ifasituationariseswherenonparticipating 

personsleavesuchprotectionandarewithin500feetoftheUA,flightoperationsmust 

ceaseimmediatelyand/or; 

b.Theaircraftisoperatednearvessels,vehiclesorstructureswheretheowner/controller 

ofsuchvessels,vehiclesorstructureshasgrantedpermissionandthePIChas 

madeasafetyassessmentoftheriskofoperatingclosertothoseobjectsanddetermined 

thatitdoesnotpresentanunduehazard,and; 

c.OperationsnearertothePIC,VO,operatortraineesoressentialpersonsdonot 

presentanunduehazardtothosepersonsper§91.119(a). 

31)Alloperationswillbeconductedoverprivate orcontrolled-accesspropertywithpermission 

fromthelandowner/controllerorauthorizedrepresentative.Permissionfrom 

landowner/controllerorauthorizedrepresentativewillbeobtainedforeachflighttobe 

conducted. 

32)Anyincident,accident,orflightoperationthattransgressesthelateralorvertical 

boundariesof 

theoperationalareaasdefinedbytheapplicableCOAwillbereportedtotheFAA'sUASIntegration 
Office(AFSd80)within24hours.AccidentswillbereportedtotheNationalTransportationSafety

Board(NTSB)perinstructionscontainedontheNTSBWebsite:www.ntsb.gov.

If you have any questions or need any further information, please contact me at 

ajfabitz@gmail.com or (262) 389-9756.

Sincerely,

Andrew Fabitz