January 12

, 2 0 1 6

TO : U

. S

. D E PA R T M E N T O F T R

AN SP O R T A T IO N

D O C K

ET M AN A G E M E N T S Y S T EM

1 2 0 0 N ew J ers e y A v en u e S E

Wash ing t o n

, D C 2 0 5 9 0

FR O M : MICHAEL	L.	WINALSKI

81	Magnolia	Drive

Leola,	PA	17540

Michael.Winalski@icloud.com

RE: R equest f or E x e m p ti o n Per P L 11 2

- 95 § 3 33 f rom 1 4 C F R 61. 1 13 ( a ) and ( b), 14 C F R 91

. 103,

14 C F R 9 1.109, 14 C F R 9 1.119, 14 C F R 9 1.121, 14 C F R 91. 1 51 ( a )

, 14 C F R 9 1.405 ( a )

, 14 C F R

91.407 ( a ) ( 1 )

, 1 4 C F R 91. 4 09 ( a ) ( 2 ) , 14 C F R 91. 4 17 ( a ) and ( b )

T h ese docum e n ts have b e e n	e nc l o sed	as	at t a chm e n ts to pro vi d e	a dd i tio n al r efe r e nc e o f

sa f ety, m a i n t en a nc e a n d u se o f s U A V und er c on s i d e r ation f o r t h i s p etit i o n ’ s r e qu est for

e xe m p tion o f a bo v e :

• DJ I	Pha n t o m 3 S afety G u i d e lin es

• DJ I	Pha n t o m 3	U s er M a nu al

D ear	Sir o r M a d a m :

This d o c u m ent se r v es as a p e t iti o n a n d req u e s t f o r ex e m p t i o n o f t h e a bo v e ci t ed se c t i o n o f T i tle 1 4 CFR

f o r my s el f

, Michael	L.	Winalski, h ereina f t er re f erred to as “ the p e titi o n e r ”

, f o r s o le pu r p o ses o f c o ndu cting

c o m m ercial aer i al ph o t o g r a ph y

, v i d e o g ra ph y

, a n d	 su r v e y o p er a ti o n s u si n g	 a s m all U nm a nn ed A i rcraft

Syst e m ( sU A S)	in	a r eas th a t c o u ld p o ssi b ly f all und er F AA c o n t r o lled	ai r sp a ce.

This p e t i ti o n p r o v i d es n ec e ssary i n f o r m at i o n t o j u s tify an e x e m p ti o n fr o m the a b o v e r ef e ren c ed Fe d eral

Aviat i o n R e gu lat i o n s.



### THE	s U AS

T h e p e t i t ioner is t h e sole owner a n d so l e p il o t	in c o m ma n d (PI C ) of	a D JI Pha nt om 3 Standard

m u l t i

- r o t or / q u a d c o pt er w i t h 4 c ar b o n f i b er p r o p ell e rs,	onb o ard c am e r a

, gim b al a n d o n

- b o ar d

f lig h t c ont r ol s y s t ems th at u ses G PS a n d gr o un d m o vem e n t f or s t a b ili z a t i on pu r p os e s

, as w ell as

ma nu al i np u t c ont r ol s y s t ems, s u c h as t h ose f o u n d i n r e m o t e c ont r ol ( RC ) un i t s. T h e P h a n t om	3

is o p e r a t e d b y w ay o f	RC within	5.725	GHz

– 5.825	GHz	frequency	range

.U. S

. D O T DO C K

ET S Y ST E

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PA G E 2

JANUARY 12

, 2 0 1 6

T h e P h a n t om 3 h as a bu il t

- in f u n c t ionali t y t h at c an lim i t t h e h eig h t a b o v e gr o u n d level ( AGL ), limit

t h e d i s t a n c e b e t w e en said airc r a f t a n d P I C

, t h e r e f o r e r e s t ric t i n g i t s o p e r a t i on un d er C lass B

, C

, a n d

D	air s p ace. T h e ai r c ra f t al s o p r ovi d es t h e a b ili t y t o “ r e t u rn t o h o m e ” ( R TH) t oward th e PIC	a n d

l a n d if c onn e c t i o n t o t h e RC is lo s t f or m o re t h an 10 sec o nd s.

T h e a i rcra f t w eig h s i n a t	1, 2 16 gra m s (2.68 l b s

. ) w h ile c arryi n g b a tt e ry	a n d c am e ra gim b al. I t h as

a maxim u m s p eed o f 1 6 me t e rs p e r seco n d a t 0 w i n d (ju s t u n d er 3 0 kn o t s )

. It is p ower e d b y

Li th i u m P olym e r b a t t e r y w h i c h s u p p lies el e c t ric p ower t o t h e 4 o n

- b o a rd b r u s h l ess m o t o r s.

Y o u may	r e f er t o th e e n c los e d a tt a c h ed d oc u ments p e r t a i n i n g t h e D JI	P h a nt om 3 U s er M a nu a l

, f or m o r e s p eci f ic d e t ails.

It is w arr a n t e d b y p e t i t io n er th a t n o ch a n ges t o t h e aircr a f t w ill b e ma d e t o s u c h ma n uf ac t u r e r ’s

s p eci f i c a t i o ns

.



### THE U AV P IL OT IN COM M AND ( P I C)

Basis	for	Request for	Exemption	Relief	from	certain	requirements	of	Section	§61.113(a)	and	(b),

entitled	 Private	 pilot	 privileges	 and	 limitations:	 To	 the	 extent	 necessary	 to	 allow	 a	 Pilot	 in

Command	 (PIC)	holding	a	private	pilot	or	higher	level	certificate,	as	well	as	an	a irman	medical

certificate,	 and	 who	 has	 demonstrated,	 by	 meeting	 minimum	 flight

- hour	 and	 currency

requirements	 is	 reques ted.	 The	 training	 and	 knowledge required	 for	 Commercial	 pilots	 of

conventional	aircraft	would	not	necessary	make	a	Commercial	pilot	safe to	operate	a	UAS.	Here,

the	risk	to	the	public	is	mitigated	because	the	small	size	of	the	UAS	prevents	carrying	a	pilot	or

passengers	or	any	cargo	other	than	a	camera.	As	Pilot	In	Command	(PIC),	Visual	Observer	(VO)

and	crew	will	always	remain	on	the	groun d,	the	level	of	safety	is	thereby	greater	than	what	can

be	achieved	in	traditional	aircraft.

The	FAA	has	previously	declared	 that	additional	manned	airship	experience	of	a	commercially

certified	 pilot	 would	 not	 correlate	 to	 the	 airmanship	 skills	 necessar y	 for	 similarly	 proposed

operations	in	previously	issued	exemptions	to	this	regulation	through	Exemption	Nos.	11062	and

11138.	Granting	exemption	here	will	permit	UAS	operation	and	will	mitigate	potential	hazards	to

the	public	without	being	unduly	burdenso me	to	the	operation	of	the	UAS.	Therefore,	exemption

from	14	C.F.R.	§61.113	to	allow	commercial	operation	of	the	UAS	is	sought.

I,	 Michael	 Winalski,	 the	 PIC,	 am	 able	 to safely	 operate	 the	 DJI	 Phantom	 3 UAS	 in	 a	 manner

consistent	 with	 this	 exemption,	 incl uding	 evasive	 and	 emergency	maneuvers	 and	maintaining

appropriate	distances	from	people,	vessels,	vehicles	and	structures.	I,	Michael	Winalski	requests

an	exemption	 from	the	limitations	of	§61.113	as	an	equivalent	level	of	safety	can	be	achieved

through	ex tensive	flight	experience	in	piloting	the	UAS.U. S

. D O T DO C K

ET S Y ST E

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JANUARY	12,	2016



### THE O PERATI O NS REV I EW

T h e s U AS o p e r a t i o n s s c o p e w ill b e t o p r ovi d e a e r i al p h o t os, vi d e o s, a n d s u rve y i n g services t o t h e

ge n e r al p u b lic sec t o r s, g ov e r n m e nt al, r e s id e n t ial	or c o m me r c ial, a n d p a r t i c u larly p e r t ai n i n g t o

r e al e s t a t e p r o p e r t ies, g e n e r al events, ac t iv i t ies a n d s u rveys.

Ope r a t i o n s u nd e r th is e x em p t i o n r e q u est i s ac c e pt e d b y t h e p e t i t i o n e r t o p r o g r am or opera t e

aircra f t t o p r event i t f r o m f l y i n g 4 0 0 f e e t	or m o r e AGL or 1, 5 00 f e e t a w ay f r o m PIC.U. S

. D O T DO C K

ET S Y ST E

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JANUARY	12,	2016

B e f o r e eve r y	opera t i on a n d t h e r e f o r e t a k e o f f

, P IC a n d VO w ill r e view t h e a ircra f t ’s c h ec k lis t s ( as

f ound u n d er ma n uf ac t u r er p r o vi d ed d oc u m e nt a t i o n s,	as w ell as c ont a i n e d h e r e i n t h e a t t ach e d

d oc u m e nts ) a n d s u rvey	ar e a t o d etermi n e if w e a th er / w i n d / c l o u d c ondi t i o n s a r e s u i t a b l e f or

f lig h t a n d t o d e t e r mi n e em e rge n c y la n d i n g si t e s

. All n e ar b y p e rso n s w ill b e du lly n o t i f i e d a n d

ma d e a w are of a n y f lig h t o p e r a t i o n s

. Flig h t s w ill n ot t a k e p lace ov e r d e n se l y p opul a t ed ar e as n or

p riva t e p r o p e r t y w i t h out owne r ’s	or oc c up a n t ’s p e r missio n

. A f t er la n d i n g, f lig h t o p e r a t i o n s w ill

n ot b e c o n si d e r ed c o mp l e t e, u n less a t h o r o u gh p h y s i c al i n s p ec t i o n of all a ircra f t p a r t s, b a t t e r i es

a n d c a m e r a is f i n ali z e d t o d e t e r m i n e if a n y	m a i n t e n a n c e is n e e d e d

.

In c o mp aris o n w i t h m a nn e d f l i g ht s, s U AS a r e l ess d a n ge r o u s, h e n c e w o u ld n o t a f f ect s a f e t y

a d versely. We t a k e i n t o ac c o u n t t h e f oll o w i n g, w h i c h j u s t i f ies	o u r n e ed f or exem p t i o n o f t h e

r ef e r e n c ed FA R ’s sect i ons	a n d r u l i n g s :

• T h e aircr a f t c arri e s a n d u ses n o e x p losive m a t e r ia l s or c o m b u s t i b le l i qu i d fu els of a n y k i n d

.

• T h e s U A V

, less t h an 3 l b s

. of t o t al aircr a f t w eig h t w i t h b a t t e r y	a n d c a m e r a gim b a l

, w ould

c a u se mi n i mal d am a ge i n t h e event o f f lig h t f ail u r e

.

• T h e s U AV o p e r a t i o n al p r op e r t ies w ill all o w t o o p e r a t e t h e same u n d er a d e f i n e d a n d

c o n t r o l l ed	ar e a f or t a k e o ff

, f l i g h t a n d l a n d i n g.

• T a k e of f s, f li g h t s a n d l a n d i n gs w ill b e r e s t ric t e d t o small ar e a w h e r e all n e a r b y p e o p le may

a n d c a n b e a w are	of f li g h t o p e r a t io n s in p r o g r ess.

• All f lig h t s b y PIC w ill b e gin a n d r e main m o re t h an 5

- mile r a d i u s of a n y air p o r t

,

u n less	a pp r o v e d b y	Flig h t S t a nd ar d s	Servi c es, Gr o u n d / T ower C o n t r o ls.

• All f li g ht s w ill b e mai n t a i n ed w i t h vi s u al l i n e of	sig h t (VLOS) o f b oth, PIC	a n d VO

• Vis u al a n d ve r b al c ont a c t w ill b e mai n t ai n ed a t all t imes o f f li g h t	o p e r a t i o n s b e t w e e n PIC

a n d VO t o d e t e c t a n d a void p oss i b le m i d air h a z ar d s, s u c h as t r e es, f ol i age, ov e r h e ad

t ra n smissi o n l i n es, t owe r s, b ir d s, a n i m als or other o b j e c t s.

All as p ec t s	of opera t i o n s w ill b e c o n d u c t e d w i t h th e u t m o st c o n si d e r a t io n f or sa f e t y. P r e f li g h t

, f lig h t

, a n d p ost f lig h t sa f e t y assessme n t c ontin u i t y a n d th e i nh e r e n t ly r e du c e d risk o f f l y i n g	a	s U AS

(w h en c o mp a r e d t o t ra d i t i o n al m a n n ed a ircra f t f or vi d e o

, p h oto a n d s u rveys) th e p e t i t ion e r w ill b e

a b le t o p r o v i d e a gre at er level	of	sa f e t y.U. S

. D O T DO C K

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JANUARY	12,	2016



### THE B E N EFIT	TO P U BL IC	INTERE S T

B y th e FAA g r a n t i n g t h is exem p t i o n

, i t w ill p r ovi d e a p rac t i c al a n d e c o n o m i c al b e n e f it t o

c o n s u me r s i n g e n e r al, i n th e p etiti o n e r ’s t e r ri t o r y o f o p e ra t i o n w i th i n th e C o m m o n w e a l t h o f the

United	 States	 of	 America

. B y p r o v i d i n g	 other al t e r n a t ives t o t r a d i t io n al f o r ms	 of a e r ial

v i d e o gr a ph y

, ph o t og r a ph y, a n d s u rve y s

, w e all c an b e n e f it	ec o n o m i c ally	a n d risk w ise.

T h ese k ey a e r ial s U AV ch arac t e r is t i c s m a k e t h ese services m o re ac c essi b l e t o smal l er b u si n esses,

small a n d f a mily ow n ed	agric u l t u ral o p e ra t i o n s, s u rveyi n g h o m e owne r s a n d c ondo associa t i o n s

, j u st t o n ame a f ew	as e x am p les. All t h is, in t u rn i n c r e ases p ub l ic b e n ef i t a s	a w h ol e

.



### IN CONCL US I O N

T h e p etiti o n er s h all s a t i s f y all c ri t e r ia as es t a b li s h ed in S ec t i o n 3 33 o f t h e Re f o r m	Act of 2 0 1 2

,

i n c l ud i ng : si z e

, w eig ht ,	 s p e ed

, f lig h t w i th i n VL O S, d is t a n c e f r o m	 PIC, d i s t a n c e f r om air p o rt s,

o p e r a t ional c a p a b ili t i es, p r e ve n t ive a n d s a f e t y m a i nt e n a n c e, a n d b e n ef i t t o th e p u b lic in ge n e ral.

Als o

, in ac c o rd a n c e w i t h F AA’s a n n ouncem e n t of M arch 2 3 r d

, 2 0 1 5, t h e p e t i t i o n er w ill a p p ly f or

a C e rt i f i c a t e of	Waiv e r or A u t h o r i z a t ion f o r a n y a n d all f lig h t s a b ove 2 0 0 f e et AGL.

T h ese q u ali f i c a t io n s j u s t i f y gra n t i n g t h e p e t i t io n er

, Michael	L.	Winalski, w i t h a n exe m pt i on t o th e

s t a t e d s ec t i o n s o f Ti t l e 1 4 C FR. In a d d i t i o n

, t h e r e qu e s t s	of t h is p e t i t i on a re very	similar a n d n o

d i f f e r e n t t o n u me r o u s o th er b u si n esses ( c o rp o r a t io n s, LL C ’s or i n d ivi d u a l s), all o f w h o m h ave

r e c eived S ec t i o n 3 33	exem p t io n s f or u se of c o m p ara b le aircra f t f or simi l ar o p e r a t i o n s.

I a pp r e c i a t e all yo u r eff o r t s a n d s h o u ld you r e q u i r e c o n t a c t i n g m e, t h e p e t i t ioner, you may d o so

at e

- m ail: Michael.Winalski@iCloud.com

. Th a n k you very m u c h f or	yo u r c o n s i d e r a t i o n

.

B est Regar d s,

Michael	L.	Winalski

T h e p e t i t i o n er