As a news agency, Star News Corporation is petitioning the FAA to consider our entity for exemption 

for an UA. We, Star News Corporation, must meet the requirements of 14 CFR § 11.81. We will do that 

by adhering to the following required policies, per the FAA:

1. In order to fly safely and protect life and limb, Star News has a policy that we do not, under any 

circumstances, fly the UA directly over the heads of individuals on the ground. This prevents 

the craft from accidentally losing power and dropping straight down and striking an individual. 

We also have rotor guides on the UA which prevent the rotors from accidentally striking a 

person mid-flight, in the event the UA were to drop due to power loss or mechanical failure. 

Star News also does not fly the UA within 20 feet horizontally of an individual, in order to 

protect life and limb should the controls of the UA malfunction.

2. Star News maintains its UA daily with pre-flight inspections, which include testing and 

inspection of the rotors and rotor guides for looseness or wear, battery charge and maintenance 

for sufficient flight time, controller wear and tear and functionality, and video feed from the 

UA's onboard flight camera to ensure quality of video for appropriate distance control from 

individuals.

3. The radio frequency spectrum of the Star News UA is 5.728GHz-5.8GHz. A small on-board 

camera allows the Star News PIC to operate the UA at a safe distance from lives and property,

as well as record news and commercial footage for broadcast. Star News policy states that the 

UA is not operated under any circumstances if the video feed from the camera is not sufficient 

for flight, so that we can maintain a safe distance from individuals on the ground.

4. Star News has one individual trained to fly our single UA, and we always use a secondary

individual for backup visuals to make sure that we are not near power lines, cable lines, or any

type of structure that may be damaged or damage the UA. Our PIC has 14 months of flight 

experience with our UA, and regularly practices his skills outside our facility in an empty, 

unused parking lot away from people and property. Our PIC also has the technical skills to 

maintain out UA, should any failure of any type occur pre-flight or while in the air.

5. The medical standards for our PIC include 20/20 vision (aided or unaided by glasses or 

contacts), as well as acute hearing in case the UA makes any abnormal noise that would indicate 

a malfunction of the UA midflight. We do not allow the PIC to fly the craft under the influence 

of any substance, legal or otherwise, including prescription medicines, nor do we allow the PIC 

to operate the craft under the influence of alcohol. The PIC understands that while in control of 

the Star News UA, he is responsible for the UA, any property that may be damaged by the UA, 

as well as any individuals that may be harmed by improper flight of the UA, and therefore will 

be clear and in control of himself and the UA at all times.

6. The Star News UA is well-maintained before and after flight, and the standard set by Star News 

Corporation provides for the safe flight and operation of the UA around both property and 

individuals on the ground. We believe our standards for safe flight, especially our distance 

requirements, allow for us to safely operate out UA without fear of harm of property or life.

7. The maximum operational distance for our UA is 300m; however, as a news organization, we 

never operate at that distance from the object we are recording. The highest we have ever been 

would be far less than the 300m maximum, and would probably be closer to the 100' range; 

however, that is a rarity as we desire the best video footage possible. We also prefer to maintain 

visual contact with the UA as a safety precaution in case the UA loses contact with the 

controller on the ground. The maximum operating speed is 15m/s, although, again, as a news 

organization, we do not operate at high speeds – or even medium speeds – in order to get 

footage for news stories or commercial production. The use of the UA requires steady flight for 

the best video we can obtain in order to produce news and commercials, and speed of flight is 

never a factor in getting the best video possible.
8. The intended use of the UA is for news scenes – motor vehicle accidents, crime scenes, and the 

like, as well as for commercial production – overhead angular shots of car sales lots, businesses, 

et cetera. Again, we do not fly over occupied or populated areas in order to minimize the 

hazards to human life and property. Should an accident scene require a “lifeflight” to remove 

injured individuals from the scene, our policy is to land the UA as soon as possible, and to stay

grounded until the “lifeflight” is safely in the air and away from the scene.

9. We do not have a major airport in the area of our city or county. We have a small airport that 

houses small aircraft locally, but we do not operate anywhere in the area of that airport – it 

being some distance outside our normal area of coverage in distance, and located within the 

countryside.

10. Star News policy dictates that two individuals are in control of our UA – the PIC, and a second 

person who maintains visual contact with the UA. We believe two sets of eyes are better than 

one in every case. The individual not in control of the UA is also responsible for keeping an eye 

on the ground for people who may walk underneath the flight of the craft, as well as power lines 

or other hazards that the UA may come into contact with during flight.

11. Our pre-flight safety risk assessment includes visual inspection of all moving parts of the UA, 

as well as pre-flight testing of those moving parts, including the rotors. Star News also inspects 

the batteries of the UA for sufficient charge and the ability to hold charge during flight, and 

regularly replaces those batteries if they do not meet our standards of safety. Also, the rotor 

guards of the craft are regularly checked and maintained for safety to prevent the rotors from 

coming into contact with individuals or property.

12. We do not have any Flight Standards District Offices within our area of use.

Star News Corporation

dba WMDV/WGSR

909 Commonwealth Boulevard

Martinsville, VA 24112

(276) 656-3900

Owner: Azile Roark

(276) 638-5496

Manager: Charles Roark

(276) 358-1724