Mr. Austin Evans

145 S. Country Club Dr. Kenansville, NC 28349

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing pursuant of an exemption to 14 CFR 61.113(a) and (b), 91.7(a), 91.119(c), 91.121, 91.151(a)(1), 91.405(a), 91.407(a)(1), 91.409(a)(1) and (2), and 91.417(a) and (b) , to req uest that New Heights Filmworks can operate its unmanned aerial system ( UAS ) commercially in airspace regulated by the FAA. New Heights Filmworks is the product of high

- demand for aerial videography. Its owner and operator, Mr. Austin Evans, is a commercia l videographer who purchased a UAS, a DJI Phantom 3 Advanced, in June 2015. It was originally purchased for recreational videography, but an increasing demand for aerial video from Mr. Evans’ client base has led him to pursue commer cial exempti on for his UAS. Mr. Evans has been safely operating his UAS for more than five months now, making sure to follow all guidelines of recreational flying set forth by the FAA.

REGARDING THE UNMANNED AIRCRAFT AND ITS OPERATION :

When flying, Mr. Evans always makes use of various safety features to ensure he stays within the FAA’s guidelines and creates no adverse impact to the safety of others . Features used include setting a maximum altitude of 400 feet, so that the aircraft will stop itself from ascending to an altitude higher than the law permits. Mr. Evans always operates the aircraft within his line

- of

sight, or with a designated spotter, and he makes use of the flight data on his remote’s display to constantly monitor altitude, distance from himself, spee d, location, etc. The remote controller’s display also shows a high

- definition live

- feed from the UAS ’ s onboard camera, so that if visual line

- of

- sight was somehow lost, it can be regained quickly. If visual line

- of

- sight was lost, and the video feed was l ost, Mr. Evans has set up the aircraft’s autonomous “Return to Home” feature so that the aircraft will ascend or descend to 120 feet, return to a designated home point as established by GPS coordinates, and descend straight down to a safe, controlled landi ng. The aircraft will not reach speeds higher than 35 miles per hour, but is mostly operated while hovering in place or moving between 1

- 20 miles per hour. Mr. Evans utilizes GPS at all times during flights, to ensure the safety of the aircraft, the safety of others, and to record flight data for observation.

The UAS is powered solely by battery, and is never operated when battery power drops below 20 percent. The remote controller’s display shows battery percentage of the aircraft and the remote controlle r at all times, and it shows a graphic of how much flight time remains before the battery’s charge falls to 30 percent. Before each flight, the aircraft’s firmware is updated, the aircraft is inspected and calibrated before it leaves the ground. While flyi ng for clients of New Heights Filmworks, Mr. Evans will record video of live events such as weddings and street festivals, and he will also record video for promotional use, such as real estate, golf courses, and car dealerships. While filming such events and locations, the aforementioned safety procedures will be followed without exception, to ensure the safety of the aircraft, people, property, and the environment.REGARDING PUBLIC INTEREST:

Granting this exemption would be in the interest of th e public in multiple ways. Mainly , it allows clients of New Heights Filmworks to receive high

- quality aerial footage that could otherwise only be obtained by a helicopter. Making use of a UAS such as the DJI Phantom 3 Advanced, instead of a helicopter or airplane, is not only more cost

- effective, but also minimizes carbon emissions by utilizing batt ery power instead of fuel. The use of a UAS is also less invasive of others’ space in terms of noise pollution. Overall, the small environmental impact of the DJI Phanto m 3 Advanced relative to traditional aircraft systems will improve the quality of life of those in the area the aircraft will be flown, both short

- term and long

- term.