**Petitioning	for	Exemption	under	Section	333 :	R** **equesting	FAA	authorization	to**

**operate	a	UAS	for	civil	(non -**  **governmental)	purposes	other	than	for	recreation or	hobby.**  **UAS	Operator:** James	Sheppard	PhD,	on	behalf	of	San	Diego	Zoo	Global **Role	of the	Unmanned	Aircraft	System**  San	Diego	Zoo	Global	will	use	the	UAS	solely	for	the	purpose	of	acquiring high

resolution data (remote	sensing	imagery)	on	the landscape s	that	comprise	critical habitat	for	the	endangered	species	that we	are	working	to	conserve	and	restore. We seek	to	deploy	our	UAS	on	a	wide	range	of landscapes	to	collect	information	on habitat	variables,	such	as	vegetation,	rocks	and	water.	Our	UAS	will	mostly	be deployed	in	remote	locations,	far	from	human	habitation. The	data our UAS	will collect	will	significantly	enhance	our	conservation	research	and	will	directly conservation	management	strategies	for	endangered	species	and	their	habitats. **UAS	Platform** Type: PrecisionHawk Lancaster Aircraft	serial	number:	14HE03057 The PrecisionHawk La ncaster UAS is	a	small,	robotic	plane	that	can	collect extremely	high

- resolution,	remote	sensing	data	with	minimal	effort (http://www.precisionhawk.com) .	The	aircraft	itself is	lightweight	(1.3	kilograms) and	measures less	than	1	meter	from	nose	to	tail, with	a 1 .5

- meter wingspan .	The UAS	is silent	(runs	on	brushless	electric	motors)	and	is	designed	to	be	extremely easy	to	use.	The UAS automatically	computes	flight	paths,	survey	parameters, takeoff and	landing	paths,	as	well	as	other	vital	information usin g	a	suite	of	onboard sensors	(including humidity,	temperature,	p ressure, and	i ncident	Light) .	Users	are never	required	to	manually	generate	plot	mission	paths	or	build	flight	plans	based off	of	weather	conditions.	Instead,	the	aircraft	will	automatically	a dapt	to	its	current environment
. The	artificial	intelligence	that	operates	all	elements	of	the	UAV	and	makes	aerial	and data	decisions	throughout	the	PrecisionHawk	system via	a 720	MHz	dual

- core	Linux CPU,	eliminates	the	need	for	a	technical	operator. The UAS automatically detects weather	conditions while	flying and	creates	its	own	optimal	flight	path. In	addition, the	aircraft	is	equipped	with	advanced	diagnostic	capabilities,	enabling	it	to autonomously monitor	all	facets	of	the	mission	from	power	consum ption	to airframe	fatigue	to	survey	quality. The	UAS	c ontinually	monitors	itself	while	in flight:	checking	battery	life,	operational	weather/wind	limitations,	structure	cracks and	other	internal	performance	checks

. The UAS	o perates	at	altitudes	below	that of manned	aviation,	and	in	order	to	acquire	remote	sensing	data	of	sufficient resolution	for	our	conservation	research	we	will	always	operate	it	<	200	ft

.Fight	checks	for	all	UAS	survey	operations	will	be	conducted	using	the	following

checklist	sequences : **Pre	Flight	Checks** 1. A	site	survey	will	be	initially	conducted	to	ensure	that	the	flight	mission	area is	free	of	obstacles	and	obstructions	and	an	appropriate	distance	away	from buildings	and	roads. 2. Meteorological	conditions	will	be	surveyed	to	check	that wind	speeds	are below	25	m/s	and	temperatures	are	above

- 30°C.	The	UAS	is	capable	of operating	successfully	in	rain	and	snow. 3. A	spectrum	analysis	will	be	conducted	on	the	ground	station	link	to	the	UAS 10	minutes	prior	to	launch	to	confirm	that	no	spikes	o ver - 75db	occur	on control	frequency	900 MHz span. 4. The	UAS	platform	will	be	checked prior	to	each	launch	for	visible	signs	of damage,	such	as	cracks	on	the	body	or	propeller	or	moisture	and	debris. 5. The	UAS	battery	health	and	e lectrical	connections will	be inspected	for	any damage. 6. The	Mission	Planner software, l aptop	to	Ground	Station connection, and Ground	Station wireless	link to UAS	will	be	tested	prior	to	launch	via	a	suite of	diagnostic	checks.	LED indicators	on	the	UAS will	signify	if	telemetry packets	are	being	sent	and	received, and	will	show power	status
. 7. LED indicators	on	the	UAS	will	show	whether	sufficient	GPS	fixes	have	been made. If the	GPS connection	<	5 satellites , takeoff cannot	be	performed

. 8. The	Mission	Plan ner	software	will	provide	a	m ap on	the	operator’s	laptop that will	display the real

- time	updated location of	the	UAS overlaid	on	a	geo

referenced	map at	GPS	level	accuracy. 9. A	final	pre

- launch	check	will	be	made	of	the	UAS	battery voltage to	ensure that	it	registers	12.6V. 10. A	final	weather	check	will	be	made,	and	then	the	surrounding	area	and airspace	will	be	confirmed	ready	for	launch. All	persons will	be	made	to remain	a	minimum	of	7m	from the takeoff site	(30m	if	not	under our	control)

. 11. If the	survey	area	is under	ATC	control,	take	off	clearance	will	be	requested. 12. The	UAS landing	approach will	be	confirmed, including	a	minimum	landing approach	of	200m,	and	a	maximum crosswind of 10m/s

. 13. Autonomous	take	off	mode	will	be	selected,	the	operator	will	call	“clear”, then	the	UAS	propellers	will	engage	5	seconds	after	an	OK	button	is	pressed on	the	airframe.	The	portside	of	the	fuselage	will	flash	all	of	its	LED	lights indicating	imminent	motor	spool

- up. 14. Following	the	hand	launch,	the	UAS	will	automatically	climb	at	an	angle	of	15 degrees	with	an	unobstructed	takeoff	length	of	40m.15. Take	off	time	will	be	recorded	in	the	UAS	maintenance	documents.

**Post	Take -**  **Off	Checks** 1. The	UAS is	stable	immediately	following	launch.	It	will	climb	to	indicated altitude,	gather	weather	conditions,	and	then	apply	survey	path,	landing when	finished.	Altitude	is	+/

- 10m	in	flight 2. The Mission	Planner	software	and	ground	station	remote	link	to	the	UAS	will enable	airspeed	and	altitude	to	be	continually	checked	by	the	operator via	a laptop	feed	to	e nsure that the	aircraft	has	a	positive	airspeed	>	10m/s	and its altitude	is sufficient.
**Pre -**  **Landing	Checks** 1. The	landing	area	will	be	checked	to	ensure	that	it	is	clear. All	persons	must remain	a	minimum	of	7m	from takeoff site	(30m	i f	not	under our	control)

. 2. The	programmed	landing	area	will	be	updated	if	necessary.	The	operator	will call	“clear”. The	UAS will	be	emitting	an	audible	tone	alerting	tho se	in	the area	of	its	position. 3. The	descent	angle	flown	by	the	UAS	will	depend	on	the approach	length. P rior	to	contact	with	the	ground (~	1

- 3m	above	ground	level) the	propellers on	the	UAS will	stop spinning. 4. L an ding	time	will	be	recorded	i n the UAS	maintenance	documents

. **Post -**  **Flight	Checks** 1. The	UAS	will	be	turned	off	and	the	battery	pack	will	be	removed,	checked	for any	damage/swelling,	and	placed	on	a	charger. UAS	battery	usage	will	be recorded	in	a battery	maintenance	log. 2. The	UAS	will	be	checked	for	damage,	including	cracks	and	chips	in	the	body, wings,	or	propeller.	Any	damage/repairs	carried	out	will	be	recorded	i n the UAS	maintenance	log. **Radio	Frequency	(RF)	sp ectrum	used	for	control	of	the**  **UAS** The	control	data	link	used	to	connect	the	UAS	to	the	Mission	Planner	software	and the	manual controller	uses	the	900MHz	spectrum. **Qualifications	of	UAS	PIC** The	PIC (James	Sheppard	PhD)	has completed	a	two

- day	intensive	training	course on	the	safe	and	effective	operation	of	the	PrecisionHawk	Lancaster	UAS	platform and he	possesses	a	C ertificate	of T raining	after	completing	the	PrecisionHawk online	education	program. The PIC	( operator) of	the	UAS	possesses	a valid	and current	Medical	Certificate	Second	C lass (GX

- 1824955)

.**Operation	of	the	Unmanned	Aircraft**

We	will	conduct	extensive	pre

- flight	plann ing and	checks using	geographic information	software	and	the	UAS	proprietary	Mission	Planner	software	to	identify and	avoid	potential	flight	risks,	such	as	roads,	airports,	and	power	lines.	We	will	not operate the	UAS	in	areas	where	potential	flight	risks are	high, and	we	will	fly	at sufficient	distances	from populated areas.	Our	UAS	will	be	used	exclusively	to acquire	geospatial	data	of	habitats	and	landscapes	that	are	mostly	remote	and unoccupied. Before each takeoff,	we	will	conduct	an	extensive preflight	check	to	examine	all aspects	of	the	aircraft	and	surrounding	area,	and	check	for	any	structural deficiencies	or	flight	risks

.
 Maximum operating	s peed of	the	UAS :		25	m/s
 O perating	a ltitude of	the	UAS : <200	ft
 Maximum	flight	time of	the	UAS : Up	to	45	min.
 Maximum	surface	wind	for	takeoff:		12m/s	(23.3	Kts)
 Maximum	operating	temperature:		+60°C
 Minimum	operating	temperature: - 30°C
 The	UAS	will	continually	transmit	data	on	its	location,	height,	flight	trajectory, and	wind	speed	to	the	operator	via	the	ground	station	link.
 The	UAS	will	be	deployed	exclusively	to	collect	geospatial	data	a n d	imagery of	habitats	and landscapes	that	are remote	and	located	away	from populated areas .  The	UAS	will	not	be	deployed	in	the	proximity	of	any	airports. During	flight,	the	UAS	will	be	continually	monitored	by	the	aircraft	operator	and	an observer	and	will	never	fly	beyond	sightline.	The	UAS	will	al so	continually	transmit data	on	its	location,	height,	flight	trajectory,	and	wind	speed	to	the	operator	via	the ground	station	link.	As	soon	as	it	becomes	available,	we	will	outfit	our	UAS	with	the forthcoming	LATAS	system	that	will	broadcast	the	location of	the	aircraft	while	it	is in	operation: http://flylatas.com