July 9

, 2015

Exemption No. 12002 Regulatory Docket No. FAA

– 20 15

– 1226

Mr. Kenneth J. McCormick

Vice President

Advanced Aviation Solutions LLC

2066 South Varian Place Boise, ID 83709

Dear Mr. McCormick :

This letter is to inform you that we have granted your request for exemption. It transmits our decision, explains its basis, and gives you the conditio ns and limitations of the exemption, including the date it ends.

By letter dated April 27 , 2015 , you petitioned the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on

behalf of Advanced Aviation Solutions LLC (hereinafter petitioner or operator) for an exemption. The petitioner requested to operate an unmanned ai rcraft system (UAS) to

conduct crewmember training, aerial surveying, aerial photography, agriculture, wildlife and forestry monitoring, wild lan d firefighting support, patrolling, aerial inspection, real estate surveying, and mapping operations.

See Appendix A for the petition submitted to the FAA des cribing the proposed operations and

the regulations that the petitioner seeks an exemption

.

The FAA has determined that good cause exists for not publishing a summary of the petition in the Federal Register because the requested exemption would not set a precedent, and any delay in acting on this petition would be detrimental to the petitioner

.2

Airworthiness Certification

The UAS proposed by the petitioner are the DJI Phantom 2 Vision+, DJI Phantom 2, DJI Inspire 1, DJI S1000+, and DJI S900

.

The petitioner requested relief from 14 CFR part 21, C ertification procedures for products and parts, Subpart H

— Airworthiness Certificates

. In accordance with the statutory criteria provided in Section 333 of P ublic Law 112

− 95 in reference to 49 U

. S

. C

. § 44704, and in consideration of the size, weight, speed, and limited operating area associated with the

aircraft and its operation, the Secretary of Transportation has determined that this aircraft

meets the conditions of Section 333. Therefore, the FAA finds that the requested relief from

14 CFR part 21

, C ertification procedures for products and parts, Subpart H

— Airworthiness Certificates , and any associated noise c ertification and testing requirements of part 36, is

not necessary.

The Basis for Our Decision

You have requested to use a UAS for aerial data collection 1

. The FAA has issued grants of exemption in circumstances similar in all material respects to those presented in your petition. In Grants of Exemption No s

. 11062 to Astraeus Aerial ( see Docket No. FAA−2014−0352), 11109 to Clayco, Inc. ( see Docket No. FAA

− 2014

− 0507), 11112 to VDOS Global, LLC ( see Docket No. FAA−2014−0382), and 11213 to Aeryon Lab s , Inc. ( see Docket No. FAA−2014−0642), the FAA found that the enhanced safety achieved using an unmanned aircraft (UA) with the specifications described by the pe titioner and carrying no passengers or crew, rather than a manned aircraft of significantly greater proportions, carrying crew in addition to flammable fuel, gives the FAA good cause to find that the UAS operation enabled by this exemption is in the public interest.

Having reviewed your reasons for requesting an exemption, I find that

—

 They are similar in all material respects to relief previously requested in Grant of Exemption Nos. 11062, 11109, 11112, and 11213 ;

 The reasons stated by the FAA for granting Exemption Nos. 11062, 11109, 11112, and

11213 also apply to the situation you present; and

 A grant of exemption is in the public interest.

1 Aerial data collection includes any remote sensing and measuring by an instrument(s) aboard the UA. Examples include imagery (photography, video, infrared, etc.), electronic measurement (precision surveying, RF analysis, etc.), chemical measurement (particulate measurement, etc.), or any other gathering of data by

instruments aboard the UA.3

Our Decision

In consideration of the foregoing, I find that a grant of exemption is in the public interest. Therefore, pursuant to the authority contained in 49 U.S.C. 106(f), 40113, and 44701, delegated to me by the Administrator, Advanced Aviation Solutions LLC is granted an exemption from 14 CFR §§ 61.23(a) and ( c ), 61.101(e)(4 ) and (5), 61.113(a), 61.315(a)

, 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 the extent necessary to allow the petitioner to operate a UAS to perform

aerial data collection

. This exemption is subject to the conditions and limitations listed

below.

Conditions and Limitations

In this grant of exemption, Advanced Aviation Solutions LLC is hereafter referred to as

the operator.

Failure to comply with any of the conditions and limitations of this grant of exemption will be grounds for the immediate suspension or rescission of this exemption.

1. Oper ations authorized by this grant of exemption are limited to the DJI Phantom 2 Vision+, DJI Phantom 2, DJI Inspire 1, DJI S1000+, and DJI S900 when weighing

less than 55 pounds including payload. Proposed operations of any other aircraft will requi re a new petition or a petition to amend this exemption

.

2. Operations for the purpose of closed

- set motion picture and television filming are

not permitted.

3. The UA may not be operated at a speed exceeding 87 knots (100 miles per hour). The exemption holder may use either groundspeed or calibrated airspeed to determine compliance with the 87 knot speed restriction. In no case will the UA be operated at airspeeds greater than the maximum UA operating airspeed recommended by the

aircraft manufacturer.

4. The UA must be operated at an altitude of no more than 400 feet above ground level (AGL). Altitude must be reported in feet AGL.

5. The UA must be operated within visual line of sight (VLOS) of the PIC at all times. This requires the PIC to be able to use human vision unaided by any device other than corrective lenses, as specified on the PIC’s FAA

- issued airman medical certificate or

U.S. driver’s license.

6. All operations must utilize a visual observer (VO). The UA must be operated within

the visual line of sight (VLOS) of the PIC and VO at all times. The VO may be used to satisfy the VLOS requirement as long as the PIC always maintains VLOS4

capability. The VO and PIC must be able to communicate verbally at all times ;

e lectronic messaging or texting is not permitted during flight operations. The PIC must be designated before the flight and cannot transfer his or her designation for the duration of the flight. The PIC must ensure that the VO can perform the duties required of the VO.

7. This exemption an d all documents needed to operate the UAS and conduct its operations in accordance with the conditions and limitations stated in this grant of exemption, are hereinafter referred to as the operating documents. The operating

documents must be accessible during UAS operations and made available to the Administrator upon request. If a discrepancy exists between the conditions and limitations in this exemption and the procedures outlined in the operating documents,

the conditions and limitations herein take precedence and must be followed. Otherwise, the operator must follow the procedures as outlined in its operating documents. The operator may update or revise its operating documents. It is the operator’s responsibility to track such revision s and present updated and revised documents to the Administrator or any law enforcement official upon request. The operator must also present updated and revised documents if it petitions for extension or amendment to this grant of exemption. If the oper ator determines that any update or revision would affect the basis upon which the FAA granted this exemption, then the operator must petition for an amendment to its grant of exemption. The FA A’s UAS Integration Office (AFS− 80) may be contacted if questio ns arise regarding updates or revisions to the operating documents.

8. Any UAS that has undergone maintenance or alterations that affect the UAS operation or flight characteristics, e.g.

, replacement of a flight critical component, must undergo

a functional test flight prior to conducting further operations under this exemption. Functional test flights may only be conducted by a PIC with a VO and must remain at

least 500 feet from other people. The functional test flight must be conducted in such

a manner s o as to not pose an undue hazard to persons and property.

9. The operator is responsible for maintaining and inspecting the UAS to ensure that it is in a condition for safe operation.

10. Prior to each flight, the PIC must conduct a pre

- flight inspection and de termine the UAS is in a condition for safe flight. The pre

- flight inspection must account for all potential discrepancies, e.g.

, inoperable components, items, or equipment. If the inspection reveals a condition that affects the safe operation of the UAS, the aircraft is prohibited from operating until the necessary maintenance has been performed and the UAS is found to be in a condition for safe flight.

11. The operator must follow the UAS manufacturer’s maintenance, overhaul, replacement, inspection, and li fe limit requirements for the aircraft and

aircraft components.5

12. Each UAS operated under this exemption must comply with all manufacturer safety bulletins.

13. Under this grant of exemption, a PIC must hold either an airline transport, commercial, private, recreational, or sport pilot certificate. The PIC must also hold a current FAA airman medical certificate or a valid U.S. driver’s license issued by a
state, the District of Col u mbia, Puerto Rico, a territory, a possession, or the Federal government. The PIC must also meet the flight revi ew requirements specified in

14 CFR § 61.56 in an aircraft in which the PIC is rated on his or her pilot certificate.

14. The operator may not permit any PIC to operate unless the PIC demonstrates the ability to safely opera te the UAS in a manner consistent with how the UAS will be operated under this exemption, including evasive and emergency maneuvers and maintaining appropriate distances from persons, vessels, vehicles and structures. PIC qualification flight hours and cu rrency must be logged in a manner consistent with

14 CFR § 61.51(b). Flights for the purposes of training the operator’s PICs and VOs (traini ng, proficiency, and experience

- building) and determining the PIC’s ability to safely operate the UAS in a manner consistent with how the UAS will be operated under this exemption are permitted under the terms of this exemption. However, training operations may only be conducted during dedicated training sessions. During

traini ng, proficiency, and experience

- buildin g flights, all persons not essential for flight operations are considered nonparticipants, and the PIC must operate the UA with appropriate distance from nonparticipants in accordance with 14 CFR § 91.119.

15. UAS operations may not be conducted during night, as defined in 14 CFR § 1.1. All operations must be conducted under visual meteorological conditions (VMC). Flights under special visual flight rules (SVFR) are not authorized.

16. The UA may not operate within 5 nautical miles of an airport reference point (ARP) as denoted in the current FAA Airport/Facility Directory (AFD) or for airports not denoted with an ARP, the center of the airport symbo l as denoted on the current

FAA

- published aeronautical chart, unless a letter of agreement with that airport’s

man agement is obtained or otherwise permitted by a COA issued to the exemption holder. The letter of agreement with the airport management must be made available to the Administrator or any law enforcement official upon request.

17. The UA may not be operated le ss than 500 feet below or less than 2,000 feet horizontally from a cloud or when visibility is less than 3 statute miles from the PIC.

18. If the UAS loses communications or loses its GPS sign al, the UA must return to a

pre

- determined location within the pr iv ate or controlled

- access property.

19. The PIC must abort the flight in the event of unpredicted obstacles or emergencies.6

20. The PIC is prohibited from beginning a flight unless (considering wind and forecast weather conditions) there is enough available power for the UA to conduct the intended operation and to operate after that for at least five minutes or with the reserve power recommended by the manufacturer if greater.

21. Air Traffic Organization (ATO) Certificate of Waiver or Authorization (COA). All operations shall be cond ucted in accordance with an ATO

- issued COA. The exemption holder may apply for a new or amended COA if it intends to conduct operations that cannot be conducted under the terms of the attached COA

.

22. All aircraft operated in accorda nce with this exemption must be identified by serial number, registered in accordance with 14 CFR part 47, and have identification (N− Number) markings in accordance with 14 CFR part 45, Subpart C. Markings must be as large as practicable.

23. Documents used by the operator to ensure the safe operation and flight of the UAS and any documents required under 14 CFR §§ 91.9 and 91.203 must be available to the PIC at the Ground Control Station of the UAS any time the aircraft is operating.

These documents must be made available to the Administrator or any law enforcement official upon request.

24. The UA must remain clear and give way to all manned aviation operations and

activities at all times.

25. The UAS may not be operated by the PIC from any moving device or vehi cle.

26. All Flight operations must be conducted at least 500 feet from all nonparticipating persons, vessels, vehicles, and structures unless:

a. Barriers or structures are present that sufficiently protect nonparticipating persons

from the UA and/or debris in the event of an accident. The operator must ensure that nonparticipating persons remain under such protection. If a situation arises where nonparticipating persons leave such protection and are within 500 feet of the UA, flight operations must cease imm ediately in a manner ensuring the safety of nonparticipating persons ; and

b. The owner/controller of any vessels, vehicles or structures has granted permission for operating closer to those objects and the PIC has made a safety assessment of

the risk of operating closer to those objects and determined that it does not present an undue hazard.

The PIC, VO, operator trainees or essential persons are not considered nonparticipating persons under this exemption.7

27. All operations shall be conducted over privat e or control led

- access property with permission from the property owner/controller or authorized representative. Permission from property owner/controller or authorized representative will be obtained for each flight to be conducted.

28. Any incident, accide nt, or flight operation that transgresses the lateral or vertical boundaries of the operational area as defined by the applicable COA must be reported

to the FA A's UAS Integration Office (AFS− 80) within 24 hours. Accidents must be reported to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) per instructions

contained on the NTSB Web site: www.ntsb.gov

.

If this exemption permits operations for the purpose of closed

- set motion picture and television filming and production, the following additional conditions and limitations apply.

29. The operator must have a motion picture and television operations manual (MPTOM) as documented in this grant of exemption.

30. At least 3 days before aerial filming, the operator of the UAS affected by this exemption must submit a written Plan of Activities to the local Flight Standards District Office (FSDO) with jurisdiction over the a rea of proposed filming. The 3

- day notification may be waived with the concurrence of the FSDO. The plan of activ ities must include at least the following:

a. Dates and times for all flights;

b. Name and phone number of the operator for the UAS aerial filming conducted under this grant of exemption;

c. Name and phone number of th e person responsible for the on

- scene operation of the UAS;

d. Make, model, and serial or N− Number of UAS to be used;

e. Name and certificate number of UAS PICs involved in the aerial filming;

f. A statement that the operator has obtained permission from property owners

and/or local officials to conduct the fil ming production event; the list of those who gave permission must be made available to the inspector upon request;

g. Signature of exemption holder or representative; and

h. A description of the flight activity, including maps or diagrams of any area, city,

town , county, and/or state over which filming will be conducted and the altitudes essential to accomplish the operation.

31. Flight operations may be conducted closer than 500 feet from participating persons consenting to be involved and necessary for the filming production, as specified in the exemption holder’s MPTOM.

Unless otherwise specified in this grant of exemption, the UAS, the UAS PIC, and the UAS operations must comply with all applicable parts of 14 CFR including, but not limited to,

parts 45, 47, 61, and 91.8

This exemption terminates on July 31, 2017 , unless sooner superseded or rescinded.

Sincerely,

John S. Duncan Director, Flight Standards Service

Enclosures1 of 6

U.S. Department of Transportation Docket Management System 1200 New Jersey Ave., SE Washington, DC 20590

Re: Exemption Request Under Section 333 of the FAA Reform Act and Part 11 of the Federal Aviation Regulations

Dear Sir or Madam:

Pursuant to Section 333 of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 (the “Reform Act”)
and 14 C.F.R. Part 11, Advance Aviation Solutions LLC, seeks an exemption from Federal Aviation Regulations (“FARs”) detailed below for the DJI Phantom 2 Vision+, DJ I Phantom 2, DJI Inspire 1, DJI S1000+, and DJI S900

.

The requested exemption would support an application for a commercial Certificate of

Authorization (COA) to use th e system to support ; crewmember training, aerial surveying, aerial photography, agri culture, wildlife and forestry monitoring, wild land firefighting support, patrolling, aerial inspection, real estate surveying, and mapping operations. By approving these exemptions, the FAA will create benefits to industries benefiting from applications of using

multi

- rotor UA Systems and the environment which are ultimately in the public interest. 1

Each DJI UAS weighs less than 55 lbs. fully loaded, will be operated at a speed no more than 87 knots, carry neither a pilot nor passenger, carry no explo sive materials or flammable liquids, and operate exclusively within an approved COA airspace. All DJI UA Systems use a radio frequency spectrum for operation and control that complies with Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) requirements and has int egrated safety features as described within user manuals for each DJI UAS. The UAS are equipped with redundant safety mechanisms allowing them to operate safely after experiencing certain

- flight failures. If a lost

- link event occurs, including the loss o f ground communications and/or the loss of a GPS signal, the UAS have the ability to perform a pre

- coordinated, predictable, automated flight maneuver and return to a predetermined location within a designated security parameter for landing. The UAS furth er have the ability to abort a flight in the event of unpredicted obstacles or emergencies. The aircraft will be operated in the field with both a Pilot in Command (PIC) and a ground

- based Visual Observer (VO) in accordance with FAA Order 8900.1, vol. 16 " Unmanned Aircraft Systems" with the following additional restrictions:

- All operations will be conducted IAW the Air Traffic Organization (ATO) Certificate of Waiver or Authorization (COA).

- All UAS operations will remain clear of manned aviation operat ions and activities at all times.

- All operations will occur at altitudes no more than 400' AGL

- Operations will be operated over private property with the permission of the land owner

- The UAS will not be operated by a PIC from any moving device.

1 We will provide an explanation of equivalent level of safety for each exemption request, but will point back to the benefits to agriculture and the environment to justify why the requests are in the public interest.2 of 6

- The aircraft will not be operated within 5 NM of an airport or heliport unless prior coordination with ATC or airport management is made.

- Operations will be limited to day, visual meteorological conditions

- Aircraft will remain within Visual Line of Sight of the PIC and VO at all times.

- While the aircraft is airborne, the VO will be positioned within voice distance to the PIC

The PIC and VO will meet the requirements outlined in FAA Order 8900.1, volume 16, chapter 4

. The PIC will hold at least a recreational or sport pilot certificate. Additionally, the PIC will perform maintenance on the system and will complete a course of maintenance instruction as part of their initial training. Due to the simplicity of the system, we do not anticipate the n eed for a supplemental pilot.

We submit that the combination of the aircraft's light weight, historically demonstrated flight performance, fully qualified flight crew and strict operation under the guidelines established in 8900.1, the FAA can have confid ence that the operation will have an equivalent or greater level of safety of manned aircraft performing the same mission.

The name and contact information of the applicant is :

Advanced Aviation Solutions

Attn: Stephen C. Edgar

Ph: 208

- 412

- 9651

Email: Steve @adavso.com

The regulations from which the exemption is requested are as follows:

- 14 CFR Part 21

- 14 CFR 91.203

- 14 CFR 45.23, 45.29

- 14 CFR 91.9

- 14 CFR 61.113, 61.133

- 14 CFR 91.109, 91.119

- 14 CFR 91.121, 91.151

- 14 CFR Subpart E (91.40 1

- 91.417)

- 14 CFR 91.103(b)

We are prepared to modify or amend any part of this request to satisfy the need for an equivalent level of safety. We look forward to working with your office. Please contact us at any time if you require additional inform ation or clarification.

Sincerely,

Ronald E. Looney

Chief Pilot

Advanced Aviation Solutions3 of 6

Appendices: A. Exemption Request and Equivalent Level of Safety

B. Privacy Issues C. Safety Assessment

D. Maintenance Procedures

E. User Manuals F. Training Program G. Aviation ExperiencePROPRIETARY INFORMAT ION

- NOT FOR PUBLIC RELEA SE

Date: 20150 516 Revision: 1.0 Revision:1. 0
Page 4 of 4

PROPRIETARY INFORMATION

- NOT FOR PUBLIC RELEASE