0 K · tiTATD AT SAL I NA AV I AT I ON :; 0 (I) U.S. Departm e nt of Tr a n s portation Docke t Management Syste m 1 200 New Jersey Ave. , SE Washington, DC 20590 Decemb e r I 8 , 20 14

Re: Exemption R eq ue s t under Section 333 of the FAA R eform Ac t and P art II of the Fede ra l Aviation R eg ul ations fr om 14 C .F.R Part 21; 14 C.F .R Part 27; 14 C .F .R 45.23 (b); 6 1.11 3 (a) & (b); 9 1. 7 (a); 9 1. 9 (b) (2); 91. 109; 9 1.11 9; 9 1.1 2 1 ; 9 1.1 5 1 (a); 9 1. 203 (a) & (b); 91.405 ( a) ; 91.407 (a) (I ); 9 1. 409 (a) (2); 9 1.417 (a) & (b) Dear Si r or Madam , P

ur suant to Sec ti o n 333 of th e FAA M ode mi zat ion and Reform Act of2012 (the ' ·Reform Act"" ) a nd 14 C FR P ar t II , Kansas State Unive rsi t y (KSU) seeks exemption from the Federal Aviati o n Regulations de t ai led below for K SU U nm ann ed A irc raft Sys t ems (UAS) fl igh t traini ng ope ration s. T he mission ofK-State Salina 's Unmanned Aircraft Sys tems Pr og ram Office (UAS PO ) i s t o facilitate a nd promote proper training of c r ew m e mb ers for th e sa f e inco rpo rati o n of UAS int o th e Na ti o nal Ai r space Sys te m (NAS)

. K SU u ses ex t e ns i ve prior expe ri ence ope ratin g a nd ma int a inin g UAS to conduc t flights within th e NAS a nd to es t ab li sh opera ti o na l g uid el in e s, po li cies , and procedures. With proper b ackground ex perienc e and practices a lr eady in place , KSU w ill ensure pro per UAS training is prov id ed to ope rators of th e next gene rat ion of aeria l ve hicl es , thus se ttin g a benchmark to e n s ur e a sa f e env iro nment t o the pub li c and othe r user s of th e NAS. KSU currently ope rat es a Part 141 mann ed av iati o n sc hool , accredited by th e Avia ti o n Accreditati on Board lnt e mational (AAB I ). With the impending UAS commercial indu s try l oo ming , KSU ' s v is i o n i s to incorporate a si mil ar flight sc hoo l pro g ram t o tra in UAS crew m e mb ers. Thi s tra inin g will provide th em with significan t hand s-o n fli g ht training in additi on to o ur c urrent academic UAS program. KSU believes it is in the public 's best int e r e s t t o provide UAS opera t ors wi th rea l wo rld fli g ht expe rience in preparation for a ca r ee r in th e comme rcial UAS industry. Thi s exem pti on will permit KSU to safe ly opera t e sma ll UAS under controlled co nditi o n s in the NAS fo r the purposes o f Oight training. Ap prova l of thi s exe mpti on will enhance safe t y and fulfill th e Sec r e t

a r

y of T ran s portation ' s ( th e I' /\A Administrator ' s) responsibili ti es t o "

... es tabli s h r eq uire m e nt s for th e safe operation of s uch a ir craft sys te ms in th e na tional airspace syste m" Cons iste nt with Sec tion 333(c) of th e R efor m Act. The name and address o f the peti tioner is: K

ansas State Unive rsity Attn: Mark B lank s , UAS Pro gram Manager Phon e: 785-826-7170Email: mblank s @ ksu

. ed u Address: 2310 Cen t e nniaJ Rd, Salina , KS 67401 Throughout this exempt ion document , KSU addresses the clear direction of Secti on 333 of th e Reform Act , by providing an equivaJent (or better) level of safety for each regulation requirin g an exemp tion. Prior to eac h mission tasks se t forth in the KSU Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) wi ll be performed to ensure proper Not ices to Aim1en (N O T AMs) a r e filed, weather exceeds a ll minimum co nditions , flight batteries are t ested, landing and takeoff distances are appropriate , and aircraft performance i s sufficie nt. Each VAS flown w ill be operated in accordance with an accompanied Aircraft Flight Manual (AFM). For flight training operat ions, KSU plans o n providing training with a fleet of the fo ll owing typ es of fixed wing aircraft: the KSU-manufactured Crow, th e 3DR Ae ro and Aero -M and the UA V Factory Penguin B. Additionally , KSU will provide flight training on the 3DR X8 and X8-M multi-rotor platforms. All KSU UAS training operations will be conducted under normal conditions at a speed und er 50 knots , and pose a minimum safety risk to persons or prop e rty on the ground. Operations wi ll occur at or be low 400 feet above ground leve l (AGL) , except for the Pe nguin B , which will operate at or below a ce ilin g of I , 200 feet AGL; operating thi s gas powered aircraft pos es lower risk at higher altitudes

. In all cases UAS operations will be in accordance wit h parameters prescribed in the appropriate COA. The UASs will be operated strictly within visual lin e - of

- sig ht (VLOS) within a predetermined s terile a rea described in the coniidential KSU Sta ndard Operating Procedures (SOP). These procedures will e n s ure that all KSU UAS will "ope rate safe l y in the national airspace system

. " Each fli g ht will be conducted with a Pilot-in-Command (PIC), a ground-based Visual Observer (VO), and an Externa l P il ot (EP). Instructor Pilot (s) w ill be part of the c rew composition as appropriate. These roles follow the requirements of FAA Policy N 8900.1 Volume 16. Regulations from which an exem ption is r eques t ed : 14 CFR Part 21 14 CFR61. 113 (a) & (b) 14 CFR 61.3 (d)(2)(i ii) 14 CFR 9 1.7 (a) 14 CF R 91.9 (b) (2) 14 CFR 9 1.10 9 14 CFR 91.119 14 CFR 91.121 1 4 CF R 91.151 (a) 14 CFR 91.203 (a) & (b) 14 CF R 91.405 (a) 14 CFR 91.407 (a) (1) 14 CF R 91.409 (a) (2) 14 CFR 91.417 (a) & (b)

2Ksu·s eq ui va lent leve l o f sa f ety is de fin ed for eac h r egula ti on seek in g exe mpti o n below. 14 C FR Part 21 B ase d o n the proposed UAS being lim i t e d in s ize, weight , spee d , o pe ratin g capabilities , and opera tin g wi th i n VLOS und er th e g uid e l ines es tab l is he d in the K SU SO Ps, KSU be l ieves th at an ai r worthiness certificate is no t necessary to e ns ure a n equivale nt level of safe ty to manned aircraft operations. Pr ecede nt i n this maner is estab l ished in Re g ul atory Docke t No. F AA

- 20 14- 0353 (page 2)

. 14 CF R 6 1.11 3 ( a ) und ( b ) 14 CF R 6 1.11 3 (a) a nd (b) s tate th at: (a) E xcep t as provided in para gra ph s (b) through ( h ) of thi s sec ti o n. no pe rso n who hold s a pri vate pilot cert ificate ma y ac t as pilot in co mmand of an ai rcraft that is ca rrying passengers o r pro perty for co m pe nsa ti o n or hire; no r m ay tha t person. for compensati o n o r h i re , ac t as pilot in co mmand of an ai r craft. (b) A pri va te pilot may, for compensation or hire, act as pilot in com mand of an ai r craft in connection with any busin ess or emp loyment if: ( 1) The fl ight is only incidenta l to that business or emp loyment; and (2) The aircraft do es not ca r ry pa sse nge r s or prope rt y f o r co mpen sa tion or hir e. Sect i ons 61. 1 13 (a) & (b) limit private pi l o t s to non-commercial opera ti ons. ll owcver provided in recent docu m entation , it has been determined that the private pil ot and commercial pilot certifications m eet the same basi c knowledge of airspace through gro und schoo l and not fli ght tra ining (See Re g ul ato r y Docket No

. FAA

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- 17). A com m ercial pi lo t 's ce rtifi cat ion ens ures th a t a pilot is able to safe ly commercially o pera t e a manned a irc raf t , no t a sUAS. App ly in g manned co mm e rcial pilot certification r eq uirem e nt s do not s ig nifi can tl y add to th e safety of sUAS ope rati o ns. KS U's S O Ps, ho weve r, will ensure UAS pil o t s are tra in ed to conduct sUAS operation s with an eq ui valent level of sa fety to th e tra inin g advantages obtained by a ce rtiticated co mm e r cia l pilot fo r manned o pera ti o ns. All KSU UAS pi l o t

s wi ll possess a Pri vate Pilot Ce rtifi ca t e a nd current C lass II medical. Students a n d non-current UAS ope rat ors may participate in UAS opera t ions under the s up er vis i on of an app rop riate ly qualified UAS Fl ig ht In s truct or. I n addition to the prece din g , KSU w ill maintain an equiva lent le ve l of sa fety b y th e s tandards set forth in the KSU SO P and aircraft s pec i fic AfMs. 14 CF R 61. 3( d )(2 )( iii ) 14 CFR 6 1.3 (d)(2)(iii) s tat es that , " no person other th an the holder of a fli g ht instructor ce r tifi ca t e iss ued under this part with the approp ri ate ra ting on that cer tifi cate m ay - End orse a pi lo t l ogbook to show training give n ."

3KS U r equ es ts exe mpt ion f rom this regu l ation bec ause our UA S fl ight in s truct o rs may not hold an F /\A-i ss u ed fli g ht in s tru c t o r certificate. K SU will ac h ieve an eq uival ent le ve l or sa f e t

y by fo ll owi ng th e r equ ir emen t s fo r fl igh t in structo rs a s set fo rth by th e K SU SOP. 14 CF R 9 1. 7(a) Th e r eg u la tion require s that no person may operate a civ il aircraft un less it is in airworthy condition. As th er e will be no airworthiness certificate iss ued f o r th e a i rcr a ft , s ho u ld this exe mpti on be g rant ed, no FAA r eg ulat o r y s tand ard will exist for determining a ir wo rthin ess. Gi ven th e s ize of the ai r c raft and th e r eq uirement s contained in the KS U SOP , an equ iva len t le ve l o f safe ty will be prov id e d. 1 4 CF R 9 1. 9 (b) ( 2 ) Thi s sec ti on r efe rs t o th e c ivi l aircraft fli g ht manual documentation , o f which s tat es that "an A i rpl a ne o r Rotorcraf t Fli g ht Manual i s r eq uired by §2 1.5 of thi s c hapter unless there is available in th e a irc raft a current , approved Airplane or Rotorcraft Flight Manual or the manual provided for in § 12 1.1 4 l {b)

. ' ' As s t a t

ed in Exempt io n No. I I 066 , R eg ul atory D ocke t No. F A/\

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- 0353: "The o riginal int en t of the se r eg ulation s was to display an aircraft's airworthiness, ce rtification , and r eg istrati o n docum e nt s so they w o u ld b e easily ava il able to in s pectors and passe ngers. " KSU 's s UAS arc sma ll in nature and will not carry passengers. An equ iva lent l eve l of safety will be acc ompli s hed by following the FA A · s Memorandum subjec t " Interpretation regarding whe th er ce rt a in required document s may be kept at an unmanned airc raft's co ntro l statio n," da t ed Augus t 8, 20 14. Th ere for e all d oc um e ntation requ i red for flight will be k e pt at th e Ground Co ntr o l S tation (GCS). 1 4 CFR 9 1.10 9 Thi s sec tion provides th a t no person may ope rate a c i v il air c ra ft (exce pt a mann ed free ballo on) that is being us e d for flight instruction unl ess th at a i rcraft has full y functioning dual control s. Fo r no n-G CS trainin g and EP t r ain i ng mi ss ion s, th e PIC and the s tudent wi ll use a " buddy bo x" sys t em that utilizes two transmitters. The tra n sm i tt e r of the stude nt ( trainer tran s mitter or bu ddy box) is co n nec t ed by a t raine r cable t o ano th er tran s mitte r (m aster transmitter) co ntrolled by the PI C in structo r . Th e PIC Instructor is abl e to co ntr o l the VAS with his or her tran s mitter then flip a switch to turn contro l over to the student and flip the switch again to reclaim co ntrol. In this way , th e PI C I ns tru cto r can eas il y demonstrate h ow to fly t he UAS or r escue the UAS if the s tud en t makes a poor aero nautica l decision without passing th e sa m e tran smitt e r back and forth (w hi ch co uld re s ult in delays and crashes.) When cond uctin g training on pl at f o rm s th at ut i li ze a GCS (a com put e r, tabl et, or means other than a radio transmitter as their primary source of control), K SU will provid e an equivalent leve l of safe ty t o 91. 109 by utili z ing the ab ili ty to ove r ride autonomou s con tro l via a sw itch located on a radi o tran s mitter

. When thi s sw itch is act iv at e d, control is tran s f e rre d from th e autopilo t to the trans mitt er, imm ed ia t e l

y taking th e au top il o t ou t of the loop. In thi s c ir cu ms tan ce. the UAS i s contro ll ed in the sam e manner as a basic rad io controlled (R C) aircraft. The Pl C will be l oca t ed at the GCS while th e EP and th e VO main ta in co ntinuou s visual line of sight (VLOS) of th e 4airc r aft at all times. J fa c ir cumstance dictate s, the PIC can command th e EP t o take imm ed iate control of the ai rcraft

. P'u rth c r clarification ca n be r eviewed in th e KSU SOP. 14 CFR 91.119(c) Section 9 1.1 19 establishes safe altitudes for operation of civil aircraft. Sec ti on 9 1.1 19 (d) a ll ows he l icopte rs to be operated a t less than th e minimums prescr i bed, prov ided the person ope rating the he li cop t e r comp li es with any route or altitudes prescribed for helicopters by th e FAA. As thi s exemption is for small UASs that nom1ally operate be low 400 AGL , an exe mption is needed to aJiow such operation s. The UASs will be operated in remote areas, where non-participating persons will not be exposed to operations without their pr e-obtained consent. The eq uivalent level of sa fety will be ach ieve d given th e s i ze, weig ht , and speed of the UAS as well as th e location where it is operated. No flight will be tak e n without the permission of the prop erty owner or loc a l officia ls. Compared to flight operatio ns with aircraf t or rotorcraft weighing far more than the maximum 551bs. p roposed herein , any risk assoc iated wi th these operations is far less than those presently presented wi th conventional aircraft operating at or below 400 AGL. In addition, the low-altitude limitati ons will ensure sepa ration between these smaii-UAS operations and the operations of conventiona l aircraft that mu st comply with Section 9 1.1 19. All KSU CO As provide an equivalent le ve l of safety by establishing a safe operational area while a sterile e n vi ron m ent is ma intained according to the KSU SOP. KSU also conducts several mi ssions at locations within a gated and steri le env i ronment operated by the Kan sas Department of Emergency Management (KDEM). 14 CFR 91. 121 This regulation requires that each person operat in g an airc raft s ha ll maintain the c rui si ng altitud e o r flight level of that airc raft, as the case may be, by reference to "t he current reported a ltimet er sening of a station along the route and within I 00 nautical miles of the aircraft. , . The KSU Crow and Penguin B can comply with th is CFR. However the other UAS used for trainin g do not have thi s capab ili ty. They will be configured to provide a lti tude information to the PIC via a digitally encoded teleme tr ic down link data feed , which will be displayed for the PI C on a ground based On-Sc r een Display (OSD). Prior to each flight , the PIC will initiate a ze ro altitude point and confirm the accuracy. 14 CFR 91. 1 5 l(a) T his sec tion is in r egard to fuel requirements f or flight i n VP'R condi ti o ns. It states: (a) No person may begin a fligh t in an airplane under VFR con diti ons unless (co nsiderin g wind and forecast weathe r conditions) there is enough fuel to fly to the first po int of intended landin g and , assuming normal c rui si ng speed

- ( I) During the day , to fly after that fo r at l eas t 30 minutes. The 3DR X8. 3DR X8-M , 3D R Aero. 30R Aero-M, and KSU Crow use electrically powered engines. These UAS operations will be limited to a minimum voltage described in KSU's SOP to 5ensure appropriate re se rve power is avai l able to main t ain an equ i valent leve l of s af e ty. An OSO will co ntinu a ll y provide a vo lt age read ou t o f the cu rre nt battery he a lth to the PI C. In addition to thi s display. a minimum voltage sett ing will be programmed into the aircraft's parameters before each night as a backup. If the PIC fails to land th e aircraft before the allotted minimum voltage is reached , th e UAS will autonomously return to the launch position. Thi s r eq u es t e d e xe mpti o n requ es t applies only to electrically powered UAS o nl y; KSU is not requesting a n exemption for th e Penguin B UAS as it is powered by an internal co mbustion engine and can co mpl y with this CFR. 1 4 CF R 9 1.20 3 (a) a nd (b) The r egu lati o n s tat es: (a) Exce pt as provided in 91

. 715 , no per so n may operate a civi l aircraft unless it has th e following: ( I) An app ropriate and current airwo rthine ss ce rtificate

.. . (b) No person ma y operate a civil a irc raft unle ss the ai rwo rthine ss certifica te r equ ired by paragraph (a) of thi s sec ti on or a s pec ial flight authorization issued under 91.715 is display e d at the cabin or cockpit entra nce so that it is l eg i ble to passengers or crew. As s ta t ed in Exemption No. II 066, Regulatory Docket No. F AA-20 14

- 035 3. ·'The original int ent of th ese regulations was to display an aircraft's airworthiness certificate and r eg is tration do cuments so they wou ld be easily available to inspectors and passengers:· Given that K SU UAS are sn1all in nature and will not carry passengers , an eq ui va l e nt lev e l of safe t y will be accompli s hed by fo ll owing the FAA's Memorandum subject " Interp r etat ion regarding whether certain required documents may be kept at an unmanned aircraft's control station," dated Augu st 8 , 20 14. Th erefo r e all documentation r equired f or flight will be kept at th e GCS. 14 CFR 91.4 05 (a); 407 (a) ( 1 ); 4 09 (a) (2); 4 17( a ) & ( b ) : These regu lat i ons requi r e that an aircraft opera t o r o r owner "sha ll have that aircraft inspect e d as pr

escribed in subpart E of this part and shall between r equired inspecti ons , exce pt as prov i ded in paragraph (c) of thi s sec ti on. have discrepancies repaired as prescribed in part 43 o f this chapter

... , ·· and o th ers s hall inspect o r maintain the aircraft in compliance wi th Part 43. Since th ese sect ion s and Part 43 apply only to airc raft with an a irworthin ess ce rtificate , these section s s hould not apply to KSU UAS. However , maintenance will be Jogged and conducted in accordance with each aircraft-specific AFM. These procedure s will ensure an equivalent lev e l of safe t y is achieved. If a s ign ificant mechanic a l failure arises, th e UAS will be comma nd ed t o imm edia t ely land at a predetermined s afe locati o n . As prov id ed in th e AFM, th e PIC will e nsure that the UAS is in pro per working condition prior to each fli g ht , a ll required ma int e nan ce has been performed, and that the log of maintenanc e preformed is cu r r ent. Furthermore prior to each flight , th e PIC will conduct a thorough preflight inspection in accordance with KSU's SOP and aircraft spec ifi c AFM, and will have the final authority to determine aircraft air·worth iness. In su mm ary, the size, weight, speed, and operational capability or KSU's UAS do not pose a ha zard to u sers of the nati onal airspace syste m or the public, nor do they pose a th r eat to national secu rit y. The operations t o be conducted by KSU as stated in thi s exemption request will be

6conducted w ithin VLOS and w ithin areas as s pecifi e d in th e aircraft s pec ifi c COAs. The ab ilit y to tr a in UAS crewmembe rs at KS U is in t he public ' s be st int e re st. K SU s ucc essf ull y se t a precede nt o f exce llenc e with o ur manned aircraft training prog ram s that ex t e nd s into UAS op era tion s. KSU 's sa ti sfac tion of t he criteria set by Section 333 ofthe FAA Mod erni zat ion and Re form Act of2012 pro v id es justification for the grant ofthe requested exemp ti o ns a ll owi ng sta nd ardi ze d fl ig ht tr ainin g. S in ce r e l

y.

# ~~ Mark Bl ank s UAS Prog r am Mana ge r Appli e d Avia ti on R esea r ch Ce nt e r Kansa s S tate Univers ity

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