2 UNI TE D S T

A TE S OF AM E RICA D E P A R T M E NT OF T RANSPO R T A T ION F E D E RAL A

VI A T ION ADMINIS T R A

T ION W ASHING T ON, DC

Regulatory Docket No.

_______________ ___________ ___

IN T H E M A

TTER O F T H E P ETITI O N FO R EXE MP TI O N OF :

Ahmed Jamal Khan FO R AN EXE MP TI O N SEE K ING RELIEF F R O M T H E RE Q UIRE M ENTS O F

TITLE 14 O F T H E C O DE O F F EDERAL RE G UL A TI O NS SECTI O NS 61. 1 13(a) & (b), 91.7(a), 91.121, 91.151(b), 91.405(a), 91.407(a)(1), 91.409(a)(1) & (a)(2), AND 91.417(a) & (b) C O NCERNING C O MMERCIAL OP ER A TI O N O F DJI Phantom 3 Professional UNMANNED AIRCRA F T SYSTE M S P URSUANT T O SECTI O N 333 O F THE FAA MODERNIZATION AND REFORM ACT OF 2012

(PUBLIC LAW 112

- 95)

Sub mitt ed on May 8 , 2015

Ahmed Jamal Khan 848 N Rainbow Blvd. Suite 3618 Las Vegas , Nevada , 89107 714

- 721

- 73933 T ABLE O F C O NTENTS
Page

G L OSSA R

Y OF ABBR E VI A

T IONS......................................................................

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SUMMA R

Y

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### . IN T RODUC T ION AND IN TE R E S T S OF P ET I T ION E R..................................

. ..................4

BACKGROUND.....................................................................................................

. ...............4

BASIS FOR P ET I T ION..........................................................................................

. ...............5

NAME AND ADDR E SS OF P ET I T ION E R...............................................

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T HE SP E CIFIC S E C T IONS OF 14 C. F .R. FROM WHICH Ahmed Jamal Khan S EE KS E X E MP T ION.........................................................................

. ...... .. . ........ ......8

T HE E X TE NT OF R EL I E F Ahmed Jamal Khan S EE KS AND T HE R E ASON Ahmed Jamal Khan S EE KS T HE R EL I E F....................

.... ....................... ... ........... 1 1

T HE R E ASONS WHY GRAN T ING Ahmed Jamal Khan’s R E QU E ST WOU L D BE IN T HE PUB L IC IN TE R E ST

.................................................. ... .......15

T HE R E ASONS WHY GRAN T ING T HE E X E MP T ION WOU L D NOT ADV E RS E L

Y AFF E CT SAF ET Y

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SUMMA R

Y T H A T CAN BE PUB L ISH E D IN T HE F E D E RAL R E GIS TE R...

.. ... ..34

ANY ADDI T IONAL INFORM A T ION, VI E WS, OR ARGUM E N T S AV AI L AB L E T O SUPPO R

T Ahmed Jamal Khan’s R E QU E S T

... ...... ...... .... ..........34

CONC L USION.............................................................

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APP E NDIC E S............................................................................

....... .. .......364 G L O SSA R

Y O F ABBREVI A

TI O NS

AGL Above Ground L evel

AOI Area of In t erest

A T C A i r T ra f f i c Con t rol

A T O A i r T ra f f i c O r gan i za ti on

A V Aer i al V eh i c l e

CFR Code of Federal R e gu l a ti ons

COA C e r ti f i ca t e Of Au t hor i za ti on

F AA Federal A v i a ti on Ad mi n i s t ra ti on

F AR Federal A v i a ti on R e gu l a ti on

GCS Ground Con t rol S t a ti on

GPS G l obal Pos iti on i ng Sys t em

GLONASS Global Navigation Satellite System

L OL L oss Of Li nk

NAS Na ti onal A i rspace Sys t em

NO T AM No ti ce T o A i r m an

PIC P il ot In Co mm and

Sec ti on 333 F AA Modern i za ti on and R e form Act of 2012 (FMRA) Sec ti on 333

SO Safe t y Observer

SOP S t andard Opera ti ng Procedures

UA Un m anned A i rcraft

UAS Un m anned A i rcraft Sys t em

VFR V i sual F li ght Ru l es

V L OS V i sual Li ne Of S it e

VMC V i sual Me t eoro l og i cal Cond iti ons

V T OL V er ti cal T ake

- O f f and L and i ng5 SUMMA R

Y

Ahmed Jamal Khan seeks exe m p ti on from t he requ i re m en t s of 14 C. F .R §§61. 1 13(a)

& (b), 91.7(a), 91.121, 91.151(b), 91.405(a), 91.407(a)(1), 91.409(a)(1) & (a) (2), and
91.417(a) & (b), t o opera t e an Un m anned A i rcraft Sys t em pursuant t o Sec ti on 333 of t he

F AA Modern i za ti on and R e form Act of 2012 (FMRA). T h i s exe m p ti on w il l per mi t t o

opera t e an Un m anned A i rcraft Sys t em (UAS) for t he co mm erc i al purpose of conduc ti ng

aer i al v i deo and pho t ography of cons t ruc ti on s it es, real es t a t e and l andscape over cer t a i n

areas of t he Un it ed S t a t es.

INTR O DUCTI O N AND INTERESTS O F T H E P ETITI O NER

Ahmed Jamal Khan prov i des h i s c li en t s w it h formal exper ti se and strong know l edge

i n advanced pho t ography and v i deo so l u ti ons t o allow an i ncrease of e f f i c i enc y , produc ti v it y

and e f fec ti veness in converting leads, prospecting, and solution selling. Ahmed Jamal Khan

has over 8 years of exper i ence i n D igital /Analog and Video Photography T echno l og y

. H e

has over 10 years recrea ti onal and hobby exper i ence i n a l l aspec t s of aer i al v i deo and
pho t ograph y

. T he ob

j ec ti ve of Ahmed Jamal Khan’s aer i al v i deo and p ho t ography

opera ti ons i s t o prov i de h i gh qua lit y im ag i ng for a var i e t y of co mm erc i a l , pub li c, and

res i den ti al uses, spec i f

i ca ll y t a r ge ti ng:

Aerial film photography and production

Cons t ruc ti on s it es before, after and surveillance

Real

- estate Appra i sa l s and Marketing

Aer i al acqu i s iti ons

Incr ease public awareness and safety6 6 BACKGROUND

Un m anned A i rcraft Sys t e m s: DJI Phantom 3 professional UAS

Ahmed Jamal Khan seeks an exe m p ti on t o opera t e the DJI sys t e m for co m pensa ti on or h i re

w it h i n t he ( NAS )

. T he DJI Phantom 3 professional is a ver ti cal t akeof f and l and i ng (V T O L )

Un m anned A i rcraft (UA) w it h Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS) and Ground

Con t rol S t a ti on (GCS) utilizing a 2.400 GHz R em o t e Con t rol sys t e m with a computer tablet

. T he
DJI Phantom 3 professional has a m ax im um gross we i ght of approx im a t e l y 2 pounds 13.2 ounces,

wh il e hav i ng a w i d t h of 24 i nches and a he i ght of 9 i nches, and a m ax im um speed of

approx im a t e l y 31 kno t s. T he DJI Phantom 3 professional (UA) i s equ i pped w it h four m a i n ro t ors;

u tili z i ng Lit h i um P o l y m er ba tt er i es t o power t he e l ec t r i c m o t ors.

T he DJI Phantom 3 professional (UA) t hat w il l be opera t ed by Ahmed Jamal Khan w il l be

reg i s t ered i n accordance w it h 49 U.S.C. 44103, R eg i s t ra ti on of Ai r cra f t , as we l l as 14 C. F

.R Part
47, Ai r cra f t R eg i s t ra ti o n , and m arked i n accordance w it h 14 C. F .R. Part 45, Iden tifi ca ti on and

R eg i s t ra ti on Mark i n g

.
BASIS FOR PETITION

Pe titi one r , Ahmed Jamal Khan , pursuant t o t he prov i s i ons of t he Federal A v i a ti on

R e gu l a ti ons(14 C. F

.R. § 1 1.61) and t he F

AA Modern i za ti on and R e form Act of 2012 (FMRA),

Sec ti on 333, Spec i al R u l es f or C e r t a i n Unmanned Ai r cra f t Sys t em s , hereby pe titi ons t he

Ad mi n i s t ra t or t o co mm erc i a ll y opera t e t he DJI Phantom 3 professional (UA) i n t he Na ti onal

A i rspace Sys t em (NAS), and for an exe m p ti on from t he requ i re m en t s of 14 C. F .R §§ 61. 1 13(a) &
(b), 91.7(a), 91.121, 91.151(b), 91.405(a), 91.407(a)(1), 91.409(a)(1) & (a)(2), and 91.417(a) &
(b). In cons i dera ti on of t he speed, we i gh t , s i ze, and limit ed opera ti ng area assoc i a t ed w it h t he

un m anned a i rcraft and it s opera ti on, Ahmed Jamal Khan’s opera ti on of the DJI Phantom 37 7

professional (UA) m ee t s t he cond iti ons of FMRA Sec ti on 333 and t herefore, w il l not requ i re an

a i rwor t h i ness cer ti f

i ca t e i n accordance w it h 14 C. F .R. Part 21, Subpart H.

Accord i ng l y

, Ahmed Jamal Khan reques t s re li ef from Sec ti ons 91.405(a), 91.407(a)(1),
91.409(a)(1) & (a)(2), and 91.417(a) & (b), as t hese sec ti ons set for t h requ i re m en t s for

m a i n t enance t hat on l y app l y t o a i rcraft w it h an a i rwor t h i ness cer ti f i ca t e.

Ahmed Jamal Khan sub mit s t hat t he reques t ed re li ef i s proper s i nce an equ i va l ent l evel of

safe t y w il l be ensured. Ahmed Jamal Khan w il l use exper i enced personnel or t echn i c i ans t o perform m a i n t enance, a lt era ti ons, or preven ti ve m a i n t enance on t he UAS's us i ng t he m e t hods,

t echn i ques, and prac ti ces prescr i bed i n t he opera ti ng docu m en t s ( i .e., Mon t h l y Ma i n t enance L og,

and DJI Phantom 3 Professional UAS Ins t ruc ti on Manua l ). Fur t her m ore, Ahmed Jamal Khan w il l

docu m ent and m a i n t a i n a l l m a i n t enance records for t he DJI Phantom 3 Professional UAS.

R eli ef from cer t a i n requ i re m en t s of Sec ti on 61. 1 13(a) and (b), en titl ed P r i va t e p il ot

pr i v il eges and li m it a ti ons: Pil ot i n comman d
, i s reques t ed by Ahmed Jamal Khan t o t he ex t ent

necessary t o a ll ow a P il ot i n Co mm and (PIC) ho l d i ng a pr i va t e p il ot or h i gher l evel cer ti f i ca t e, as

we l l as an a i r m an m ed i cal cer ti f i ca t e, and who has de m ons t ra t ed, by m ee ti ng mi n im um f li gh t

hour and current requ i re m en t s, t hat t he PIC i s ab l e t o safe l y opera t e t he DJI Phantom 3

Professional UAS i n a m anner cons i s t ent w it h t h i s exe m p ti on, i nc l ud i ng evas i ve and e m e r gency

m aneuvers and m a i n t a i n i ng appropr i a t e d i s t ances from peop l e, vesse l s, veh i c l es and s t ruc t ures.

Ahmed Jamal Khan seeks re li ef from Sec ti on 91.7(a), en titl ed C i v i l a i r cra f t a i rwor t h i nes s ,
because t he DJI Phantom 3 Professional (UAS) do not requ i re an a i rwor t h i ness cer ti f i ca t e i n

accordance w it h 14 C. F

.R. Part 21, Subpart H. As such, Ahmed Jamal Khan sub mit s t hat he w il l

ensure t hat t he DJI Phantom 3 Professional ( UAS ) are i n an a i rwor t hy cond iti on, pr i or t o every

f li gh t , by de t er mi n i ng t hat t he UAS are i n co m p li ance w it h t he opera ti ng docu m en t s ( i .e., Mon t h l y8 8

Ma i n t enance L og, and DJI Ph antom 3 Professional Ins t ruc ti on Manua l ), and t hat t he a i rcraft are i n

a cond iti on for safe f

li gh t

.
Ahmed Jamal Khan a l so seeks an exe m p ti on from t he requ i re m en t s of Sec ti on 91.121,

en titl ed Alti me t er Se tti ng s , as t he DJI Phantom 3 Professional UAS’s will not have a t yp i cal

baro m e t r i c a ltim e t er onboard. Howeve r , a ltit ude i nfor m a ti on of t he DJI Phantom 3 Professional

UAS w il l be prov i ded t o t he PIC v i a G l obal Pos iti on i ng Sys t em (GPS) equ i p m ent and Global
Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS) and radio co mm un i ca ti ons t e l e m e t ry da t a link, wh i ch

down li nks from t he UAS t o t he GCS for ac ti ve m on it or i ng of t he f li ght pa t h. T h i s a ltit ude

i nfor m a ti on, co m b i ned w it h Ahmed Jamal Khan opera ti on of t he DJI Phantom 3 Professional UAS

w it h i n v i sual li ne of s i gh t , at or be l ow 400 feet AG L , w il l ensure a l evel of safe t y equ i va l ent t o

Sec ti on 91.121.

Add iti ona ll y

, Ahmed Jamal Khan seeks an exe m p ti on from t he requ i re m en t s of Sec ti on
91.151(b), en titl ed F uel r equ i r emen t s f or fli ght i n VF

R cond iti on s

. Ahmed Jamal Khan sub mit s

t hat safe t y w il l not be a f

fec t ed by opera ti on of t he DJI Phantom 3 Professional UAS dur i ng day li ght hours i n v i sual m e t eoro l og i cal cond iti ons (VMC) under v i sual f li ght ru l es (VFR), w it h
enough ba tt ery power t o f l y for a t o t al dura ti on of approx im a t e l y 13 mi nu t es for t he i n t ended pho t o

shoot and, assu mi ng nor m al cru i s i ng speed, t o f l y af t er t hat for at l east 2.5 mi nu t es for recovery

and l and i ng.

In accordance w it h 14 C. F .R. § 1 1.81, Ahmed Jamal Khan prov i des t he fo ll ow i ng

i nfor m a ti on i n support of it s pe titi on for exe m p ti on:

A. Name And Add r ess O f The P et i t i oner ; T he na m e and address of t he Pe titi oner and po i nt of con t act i s:

Ahmed Jamal Khan 848 Rainbow Blvd., Suite 3681 Las Vegas, Nevada 714

- 721

- 7393 Em a il : JK6101@aol.com9 9

B. The Spec i f

i c Sect i ons of 14 C. F

.R. F r om Wh i ch Ahmed Jamal Khan seeks Ex e mpt i on

1. Ahmed Jamal Khan Seeks Ex e mpt i on F r om The Requ i r ements O f Sect i on 61. 1 13(a) And (b).

Sec ti on 61. 1 13, en titl ed Pr i va t e p il ot pr i v il eges and limit a ti ons: Pil ot i n command
, subsec ti ons (a) and (b) prescr i be t he fo ll ow i ng, i n re l evant par t :
(a) No person who ho l ds a pr i va t e p il ot cer ti f i ca t e m ay act as a p il ot i n co mm and (PIC) of

an a i rcraft t hat i s carry i ng passengers or proper t y for co m pensa ti on or h i re; nor m ay t hat person, for co m pensa ti on or h i re, act as PIC of an a i rcraf t

. (b) A pr i va t e p il ot m a y

, for co m pensa ti on or h i re, act as PIC of an a i rcraft i n connec ti on
w it h any bus i ness or e m p l oy m ent i f

—
(1) T he f li ght i s on l y i nc i den t al t o t hat bus i ness or e m p l oy m en t ; and

(2) T he a i rcraft does not carry passengers or proper t y for co m pensa ti on or h i re.

2. Ahmed Jamal Khan Seeks Ex e mpt i on F r om The Requ i r ements O f Sect i on 91.7(a)

Sec ti on 91.7, en titl ed C i v i l a i r cra f t a i rwor t h i nes s , subsec ti on (a), s t a t es t he fo ll ow i ng:
(a) No person m ay opera t e a c i v i l a i rcraft un l ess i t i s i n an a i rwor t hy cond iti on.

3. Ahmed Jamal Khan Seeks Ex e mpt i on F r om The Requ i r ements O f Sect i on

91.121.

Sec ti on 91.121, en titl ed A ltim e t er se tti ngs, subsec ti on (a), s t a t es t he fo ll ow i ng, i n par t :
(a) E ach person opera ti ng an a i rcraft sha l l m a i n t a i n t he cru i s i ng a ltit ude or f li ght l evel of

t hat a i rcraf

t , as t he case m ay be, by reference t o an a ltim e t er t hat i s se t , when opera ti ng

-- (1) B el ow 18,000 feet MS L , t o

-- ( i ) T he current repor t ed a ltim e t er s ett ing of a s t a ti on a l ong t he rou t e and w it h i n 100

nau ti cal mil es of t he a i rcraf t ;10 10 ( ii ) If t here i s no s t a ti on w it h i n t he area prescr i bed i n paragraph (a)( 1)( i ) of t h i s

sec ti on, t he current repor t ed a ltim e t er se tti ng of an appropr i a t e ava il ab l e s t a ti on ; or
( iii ) In t he case of an a i rcraft not equ i pped w it h a rad i o, t he e l eva ti on of t he
depar t ure a i rport or an appropr i a t e a ltim e t er se tti ng ava il ab l e before depar t ure.

4. Ahmed Jamal Khan Seeks Ex e mpt i on F r om The Requ i r ements O f Sect i o n 9 1.151(b)

Sec ti on 91.151, en titl ed F uel r equ i r emen t s f or fli ght i n VF

R cond iti on s , subsec ti on (b),

s t a t es t he fo ll ow i ng: (b) No person may beg i n a fli ght i n a r o t o r cra f t under VF

R cond iti ons un l ess
(cons i der i ng w i nd and f

o r ecast w e a t her cond iti ons) t he r e i s enough f

uel t o fl y t o t he
fi rst po i nt of i n t ended l and i ng and, assum i ng normal cru i s i ng speed, t o fl y a ft er t hat
f or at l east 20 m i nu t es.

5. Ahmed Jamal Khan Seeks Ex e mpt i on F r om The Requ i r ement O f Sect i o n 91.405(a)

Sec ti on 91.405, en titl ed Ma i n t enance r equ i r e d , subsec ti on (a), s t a t es t he fo ll ow i ng: E ach owner or

opera t or of an a i rcraf

t

— (a) Sha l l have t hat a i rcraft i nspec t ed as prescr i bed i n subpart E of t h i s part and sha l l

between requ i red i nspec ti ons, except as prov i ded i n paragraph (c) of t h i s sec ti on, have

d i screpanc i es repa i red as prescr i bed i n part 43 of t h i s chap t er[.]

6. Ahmed Jamal Khan Seeks Ex e mpt i on F r om The Requ i r ements O f Sect i on 91.407(a)(1)

Sec ti on 91.407, en titl ed Opera ti on a ft er ma i n t enance, p r

even ti ve ma i n t enance, r

ebu il d i ng, or

a lt era ti o n , subse ct ion (a)(1), s t a t es t he fo ll ow i ng:
(a) No person m ay opera t e any a i rcraft t hat has unde r gone m a i n t enance, preven ti ve

m a i n t enance, rebu il d i ng, or a lt era ti on un l ess

— (1) It has been approved for re t urn t o serv i ce by a person au t hor i zed under §43.7 of t h i s chap t e r

.11 11 7. Ahmed Jamal Khan Seeks Ex e mpt i on F r om The Requ i r ements O f

Sect i ons 91.409(a)(1) And 91.409(a)(2).

Sec ti on 91.409, en titl ed Inspec ti on s , subsec ti on (a), s t a t es t he fo ll ow i ng:
(a) E xcept as prov i ded i n paragraph (c) of t h i s sec ti on, no person m ay opera t e an a i rcraft

un l ess, w it h i n t he preced i ng 12 ca l endar m on t hs, i t has had

– (1) An annual i nspec ti on i n accordance w it h part 43 of t h i s chap t er and has been approved

for re t urn t o serv i ce by a person au t hor i zed by § 43.7 of t h i s chap t er or
(2) An i nspec ti on for t he i ssuance of an a i rwor t h i ness cer ti f i ca t e i n accordance w it h part 21

of t h i s chap t e r

.
8. Ahmed Jamal Khan Seeks Ex e mpt i on F r om The Requ i r ements O f Sect i ons 91.417(a) And
91.417(b).

Sec ti on 91.417, en titl ed Ma i n t enance r eco r d s , subsec ti ons (a) and (b), s t a t e t he fo ll ow i ng:
(a) E xcept for work perfor m ed i n accordance w it h §§ 91.4 1 1 and 91.413, each reg i s t ered

owner or opera t or sha l l keep t he fo ll ow i ng records for t he per i ods spec i f i ed i n paragraph
(b) of t h i s sec ti on:
(1) R e cords of t he m a i n t enance, preven ti ve m a i n t enance, and a lt era ti on and records of t he

100

- hou r , annua l , progress i ve, and o t her requ i red or approved i nspec ti ons, as appropr i a t e,

for each a i rcraft ( i nc l ud i ng t he a i rfra m e) and each eng i ne, prope ll e r , ro t o r , and app li ance of

an a i rcraf t

. T he records m ust i nc l ude

— ( i ) A descr i p ti on (or reference t o da t a accep t ab l e t o t he Ad mi n i s t ra t or) of t he work
perfor m ed; and
( ii ) T he da t e of co m p l e ti on of t he work perfor m ed; and
( iii ) T he s i gna t ure, and cer ti f i ca t e nu m ber of t he person approv i ng t he a i rcraft for

re t urn t o serv i ce.12 12 (2) R e cords con t a i n i ng t he fo ll ow i ng i nfor m a ti on:
( i ) T he t o t al tim e i n serv i ce of t he a i rfra m e, each eng i ne, each prope ll e r , and each

ro t o r

. ( ii ) T he current s t a t us of li fe

- limit ed par t s of each a i rfra m e, eng i ne, prope ll e r , ro t o r , and app li ance.
( iii ) T he tim e s i nce l ast overhaul of a l l it e m s i ns t a ll ed on t he a i rcraft wh i ch are

requ i red t o be overhau l ed on a spec i f i ed tim e bas i s.
( i v) T he current i nspec ti on s t a t us of t he a i rcraf t , i nc l ud i ng t he tim e s i nce t he l ast

i nspec ti on requ i red by t he i nspec ti on program under wh i ch t he a i rcraft and it s

app li ances are m a i n t a i ned.
(v) T he current s t a t us of app li cab l e a i rwor t h i ness d i rec ti ves (AD) and safe t y

d i rec ti ves i nc l ud i ng, for each, t he m e t hod of co m p li ance, t he AD or Safe t y d i rec ti ve

nu m ber and rev i s i on da t e. If t he AD or safe t y d i rec ti ve i nvo l ves recurr i ng ac ti on,

t he tim e and da t e when t he next ac ti on i s requ i red.
(v i ) Cop i es of t he for m s prescr i bed by § 43.9(d) of t h i s chap t er for each m a j or

a lt era ti on t o t he a i rfra m e and curren tl y i ns t a ll ed eng i nes, ro t ors, prope ll ers, and

app li ances.
(b) T he owner or opera t or sha l l re t a i n t he fo ll ow i ng records for t he per i ods prescr i bed:
(1) T he records spec i f

i ed i n paragraph (a)(1) of t h i s sec ti on sha l l be re t a i ned un ti l t he work

i s repea t ed or superseded by o t her work or for 1 year af t er t he work i s perfor m ed
(2) T he records spec i f

i ed i n paragraph (a)(2) of t h i s sec ti on sha l l be re t a i ned and

t ransferred w it h t he a i rcraft at t he tim e t he a i rcraft i s so l d.13 13 (3) A li st of defec t s furn i shed t o a reg i s t ered owner or opera t or under § 43. 1 1 of t h i s chap t er sha l l be re t a i ned un ti l t he defec t s are repa i red and t he a i rcraft i s approved for re t urn

t o serv i ce.

C. The Ext e nt O f Re li ef Ahmed Jamal Khan Seeks And The Reason Ahmed Jamal Khan

Seeks The Re li ef.

1. Ext e nt O f Re li ef Ahmed Jamal Khan Seeks And The Reason Ahmed Jamal Khan

Seeks Re li ef F r om Sect i on 61. 1 13(a) And (b).

R eli ef from Sec ti on 61. 1 13(a) and (b) en titl ed P r i va t e p il ot pr i v il eges and li m it a ti ons: Pil ot

i n comman d
, i s reques t ed t o t he ex t ent necessary t o a ll ow a PIC ho l d i ng a pr i va t e p il ot or h i gher

l evel cer ti f

i ca t e, as we l l as a current and va li d a i r m an m ed i cal cer ti f i ca t e, and who has m et cer t a i n

f li gh t

- hour and currency requ i re m en t s, t o conduct t he proposed UAS f li ght opera ti ons for

co m pensa ti on or h i re.

T h i s re li ef i s reques t ed s i nce t he limit a ti ons set for t h i n Sec ti on 61. 1 13(a) and (b) s t a t e t hat

a pr i va t e p il ot m a y

, for co m pensa ti on or h i re, act as PIC of an a i rcraft i n connec ti on w it h any

bus i ness or e m p l oy m ent i f: (1) T he f li ght i s on l y i nc i den t al t o t hat bus i ness or e m p l oy m en t ; and (2)

T he a i rcraft does not carry passengers or proper t y for co m pensa ti on or h i re.

As set for t h m ore fu ll y be l o w , Ahmed Jamal Khan sub mit s t hat an equ i va l ent l evel of

safe t y w il l be m a i n t a i ned because no PIC w il l be a ll owed t o opera t e t he DJI Phantom 3

Professional UAS un l ess t hat PIC has m et cer t a i n f li gh t

- hour and current requ i re m en t s,

de m ons t ra ti ng t hat t he PIC i s ab l e t o safe l y opera t e e it her t he DJI Phantom 3 Professional UAS i n

a m anner cons i s t ent w it h t he opera ti ons spec i f i ca ti ons as descr i bed i n t h i s exe m p ti on, i nc l ud i ng

evas i ve and e m e r gency m aneuvers, as we l l as m a i n t a i n i ng appropr i a t e d i s t ances from peop l e,

vesse l s, veh i c l es and s t ruc t ures.14 14 Fur t he r , Ahmed Jamal Khan sub mit s t hat a l l f li gh t s of the DJI Phantom 3 Professional

UAS conduc t ed by t he PIC pursuant t o t he grant of t h i s Pe titi on: (1) w il l be i nc i den t al t o Ahmed

Jamal Khan’s bus i ness; and (2) w il l not carry passengers or proper t y for co m pensa ti on or h i re.

2. Extent of Re li ef Ahm e d J a ma l Kh a n Seeks And The Reason Ahmed Jamal Khan

Seeks Re li ef F r om Sect i on 91.7(a).

R eli ef from Sec ti on 91.7(a) en titl ed C i v i l a i r cra f t a i rwor t h i nes s , i s reques t ed t o t he ex t ent

requ i red t o a ll ow Ahmed Jamal Khan t o de t er mi ne t hat t he DJI Phantom 3 Professional UAS's are

i n a i rwor t hy cond iti on pr i or t o every f li ght by ensur i ng t hat t he UAS i s i n co m p li ance w it h t he

opera ti ng docu m en t s ( i .e., t he Mon t h l y Ma i n t enance L og and DJI Phantom 3 Professional

m anua l s)

Ahmed Jamal Khan seeks t he reques t ed re li ef because t he DJI Phantom 3 Professional UA S

do not requ i re an a i rwor t h i ness cer ti f i ca t e i n accordance w it h 14 C. F .R. Part 21, Subpart H.

T herefore, Ahmed Jamal Khan w il l ensure t hat t he DJI Phantom 3 Professional UAS are i n

a i rwor t hy cond iti on based upon it s co m p li ance w it h t he opera ti ng docu m en t s ( i .e., Mon t h l y

Ma i n t enance L og, and DJI Phantom 3 Professional Ins t ruc ti on Manua l ) pr i or t o every f li gh t , and

fur t he r , de t er mi ne t hat t he a i rcraft are i n cond iti on for safe f li gh t , as s t a t ed i n t he cond iti ons and

limit a ti ons be l o w

.

3. Ext e nt O f Re li ef Ahmed Jamal Khan Seeks And The Reason Ahmed Jamal Khan Seeks

Re li ef F r om Sect i on 91.121.

R eli ef from Sec ti on 91.121, en titl ed A ltim e t er se tti ngs, m ay be requ i red t o a ll ow f li ght

opera ti ons of t he DJI Phantom 3 Professional UAS's, wh i ch u tili ze a baro m e t r i c pressure senso r , GPS equ i p m en t , and a rad i o co mm un i ca ti ons t e l e m e t ry da t a li nk t o down li nk a ltit ude i nfor m a ti on15 15 from t he UA t o t he PIC at t he ground con t rol s t a ti on (GCS). S i nce t he F AA requ i res t hat any

a ltit ude i nfor m a ti on concern i ng UAS opera ti ons be repor t ed t o a i r t ra f f i c con t rol ( A

T C) i n feet
above ground l evel (AG L ), Ahmed Jamal Khan seeks t he reques t ed re li ef because t he DJI

Phantom 3 Professional UAS a ltim e t er m ay be set on t he ground t o zero feet AG L , ra t her t han t he

l ocal baro m e t r i c pressure or f i e l d a ltit ude, before each f li gh t

. Cons i der i ng t he limit ed a ltit ude of

t he proposed opera ti ons, re li ef from 14 CFR 91.121 i s sought t o t he ex t ent necessary t o co m p l y

w it h t he app li cab l e cond iti ons and limit a ti ons s t a t ed be l o w

. As m ore fu ll y set for t h here i n, an

equ i va l ent l evel of safe t y w il l be m a i n t a i ned s i nce t he DJI Phantom 3 Professional UAS are

equ i pped w it h a baro m e t r i c pressure sensor and GPS equ i p m en t , wh i ch au t o m a ti ca ll y ensures t hat
a ground l evel pressure se tti ng w il l be es t ab li shed pr i or t o each f li gh t , and prov i des t he PIC w it h

a ltit ude i nfor m a ti on of t he UA on t he heads

- up d i sp l ay of t he GCS.

4. Ext e nt O f Re li ef Ahmed Jamal Khan Seeks And The Reason Ahmed Jamal Khan Seeks

Re li ef F r om Sect i on 91.151(b).

R eli ef from Sec ti on 91.151(b) en titl ed Fuel requ i re m en t s for f li ght i n VFR cond iti ons, i s

reques t ed t o t he ex t ent requ i red t o a ll ow f li gh t s of t he ba tt ery powered DJI Phantom 3 Professional

UAS dur i ng day li ght hours i n v i sual m e t eoro l og i cal cond iti ons (VMC), under v i sual f li ght ru l es
(VFR), for a t o t al dura ti on of 13 mi nu t es t o t he f i rst po i nt of i n t ended l and i ng and, assu mi ng

nor m al cru i s i ng speed, t o f l y af t er t hat for at l east 2.5 mi nu t es. Ahmed Jamal Khan seeks t he

reques t ed re li ef because w it hout an exe m p ti on from Sec ti on 91.151(b), t he f li ght tim e dura ti on of

t he ba tt ery powered DJI Phantom 3 Professional UAS w il l severe l y cons t ra i n t he prac ti ca lit y of

any aer i al v i deo or s til l pho t o f li ght opera ti ons t hat Ahmed Jamal Khan proposes t o conduct

pursuant t o t h i s Pe titi on.16 16 S i gn i f i can tl y , as set for t h be l o w , t he t echn i cal spec i f i ca ti ons of t he DJI Phantom 3

Professional UAS
, t he DJI Phantom 3 Professional UAS opera ti ng docu m en t s and Ahmed

Jamal Khan’s proposed opera ti ng limit a ti ons, ensure t hat Ahmed Jamal Khan w il l safe l y

opera t e t he ba tt ery powered DJI Phantom 3 Professional UAS dur i ng day li ght hours i n v i sual

m e t eoro l og i cal cond iti ons (VMC), under v i sual f li ght

ru l es (VFR), w it h enough ba tt ery power t o f l y for a t o t al dura ti on of 10 mi nu t es t o t he f i rst

po i nt of i n t ended l and i ng and, assu mi ng nor m al cru i s i ng speed, t o f l y af t er t hat for at l east

2.5 mi nu t es.

5.Ext e nt O f Re li ef Ahmed Jamal Khan Seeks And The Reason Ahmed Jamal Khan Seeks

Re li ef F r om Sect i ons 91.405(a), 91.407(a)(1), 91.409(a)(1) & (a)(2), And 91.417(a) & (b).

S i nce Sec ti ons 91.405(a), 91.407(a)(1), 91.409(a)(1) & (a)(2), and 91.417(a) & (b) on l y

app l y t o a i rcraft w it h an a i rwor t h i ness cer ti f i ca t e, Ahmed Jamal Khan reques t s re li ef from

t hese Sec ti ons because t he DJI Phantom 3 Professional UAS do not requ i re a i rwor t h i ness

cer ti f i ca t es. As set for t h m ore fu ll y be l o w , t he DJI Phantom 3 Professional UAS's m eet t he

cond iti ons of FMRA Sec ti on 333 for opera ti on w it hout an a i rwor t h i ness cer ti f i ca t e.

Accord i ng l y

, Ahmed Jamal Khan w il l use t ra i ned t ech n i c i ans t o perform m a i n t enance,

a lt era ti ons, or preven ti ve m a i n t enance on t he UAS us i ng t he m e t hods, t echn i ques, and

prac ti ces prescr i bed i n t he UAS opera ti ng docu m en t s ( i .e., t he Aer i al Opera ti ons Manua l
,
Mon t h l y Ma i n t enance L og, and DJI Phantom 3 Professional UAS Ins t ruc ti on Manua l ).

Fur t her m ore, Ahmed Jamal Khan w il l docu m ent and m a i n t a i n a l l m a i n t enance records for t he

DJI Phantom 3 Professional UAS

.17 17 D. The Reasons Why G rant i ng Ahmed Jamal Khan Request W ou l d Be In The Inte r est;

That Is H ow It W

ou l d B e nef

i t The P ub li c As A Who l e

Gran ti ng t he present Pe titi on w il l fur t her t he pub li c i n t erest by a ll ow i ng Ahmed Jamal

Khan t o safe l y

, e f f i c i en tl y , and econo mi ca ll y perform aer i al v i deo and pho t ography of

cons t ruc ti on s it es, real es t a t e, and l andscape over cer t a i n areas of t he

Un it ed S t a t es.

Add iti ona ll y

, use of t he DJI Phantom 3 Professional UAS w il l decrease conges ti on of

t he NAS, reduce po ll u ti on, and prov i de s i gn i f i cant benef

it s t o t he econo m y . No t ab l y , t he

benef it s of Ahmed Jamal Khan’s proposed opera ti on of t he DJI Phantom 3 Professional UAS

w il l be rea li zed w it hout im p li ca ti ng any pr i vacy i ssues.

1. The P ub li c W il l B e nef i t F r om Dec r eased Congest i on O f The NAS.

T he DJI Phantom 3 Professional UAS are ba tt ery powered and serve as a safe, e f f i c i en t , and

econo mi cal a lt erna ti ve t o t he m anned a i rcraft t rad iti ona ll y u tili zed

t o ob t a i n aer i al im ager y . By reduc i ng t he a m ount of m anned a i rcraft needed t o perform aer i al

acqu i s iti ons, an exe m p ti on a ll ow i ng t he use of t he DJI Phantom 3 Professional UAS

wou l d reduce t he a m ount of m anned a i rcraft i n t he NAS, reduce no i se and a i r po ll u ti on, as we l l

as i ncrease t he safe t y of li fe and proper t y i n t he a i r and on t he ground.

Fur t her m ore, by reduc i ng t he nu m ber of m anned a i rcraft opera ti ng i n t he NAS,

conges ti on around a i rpor t s caused by arr i v i ng and depar ti ng a i rcr aft w il l be reduced. T he DJI

Phantom 3 Professional UAS do not requ i re an a i rport t o t akeo f f or l and. Li kew i se, a reduc ti on

of m anned a i rcraft conduc ti ng aer i al v i deo and pho t ography mi ss i ons wou l d resu l t i n fewer

a i rcraft t hat m ust be hand l ed by a i r t ra f f i c con t rol dur i ng t he ground, t akeo f f, depar t ure, arr i va l
,
and l and i ng phases of f

li ght opera ti ons.18 18 2. The P ub li c W il l B e nef i t F r om The Safety And Eff i c i ency O f The DJI Phantom 3

Professional UAS

.
Condu cti ng aer i al acqu i s iti ons w it h t he DJI Phantom 3 Professional UAS i ns t ead of

m anned a i rcraf

t , w il l grea tl y benef

i t t he pub li c by dras ti ca ll y reduc i ng

t he l eve l s of a i r and no i se po ll u ti on genera t ed dur i ng t rad iti onal aer i al v i deo and s til l
pho t ography f

li ght opera ti ons. By us i ng ba tt ery power and e l ec t r i c m o t ors, t he DJI Phantom 3

Professional UAS produce no a i r po ll u ti on, and i s the m ost v i ab l e env i ron m en t a ll y consc i ous

a lt erna ti ve t o t he cab i n c l ass, s i x cy li nder i n t ernal co m bus ti on eng i ne a i rcraft t hat are t yp i ca ll y

u tili zed for aer i al v i deo and pho t ography wh il e burn i ng approx im a t e l y 20

- 30 ga ll ons per hour

of l eaded av i a ti on fue l

. T he Phantom 3 Professional UAS, wh il e reduc i ng t he carbon foo t pr i nt

of aer i al acqu i s iti ons, a l so e limi na t es no i se po ll u ti on, as t he UA's are prope ll ed by ba tt ery powered e l ec t r i c m o t ors, ra t her t han an i n t ernal co m bus ti on eng i ne.
By us i ng t he DJI Phantom 3 Professional UAS t o perform aer i al acqu i s iti ons, t he

subs t an ti al r i sk t o li fe and proper t y i n t he a i r and on t he ground, wh i ch i s usua ll y assoc i a t ed

w it h t rad iti onal m anned a i rcraft f li ght opera ti ons, w il l be subs t an ti a ll y reduced or co m p l e t e l y

e limi na t ed. As i de from t he l ack of f li ght crew m e m bers l oca t ed onboard t he a i rcraf t , t he DJI

Phantom 3 Professional UAS (we i gh i ng approx im a t e l y 2 pounds 12 ounces and respec ti ve l y , at

t he i r m ax im um gross we i gh t s w it h respec ti ve l y (and w it h no fuel on board) has l ess phys i cal

po t en ti al for co ll a t eral da m age t o li fe and proper t y on t he ground, and i n t he a i r , co m pared t o

t he m anned a i rcraft t hat t yp i ca ll y conduct s imil ar opera ti ons (we i gh i ng approx im a t e l y 6,000
pounds, and a fuel capac it y of 180 ga ll ons

3. P erform i ng Aer i al V

i deo and P hotography O perat i ons W i th The DJI Phantom

Professional UAS ' s W il l B e nef i t The E c onom y .19 19 In add iti on t o be i ng safe and e f f i c i en t , t he DJI Phantom 3 Professional UAS are a l so an

econo mi cal a lt erna ti ve t o us i ng m anned a i rcraft t o conduct s imil ar aer i al opera ti ons. As such,

opera ti on of t he DJI Phantom 3 Professional UAS w il l a ll ow Un it ed S t a t es based co m pan i es,

li ke Ahmed Jamal Khan’s t o re m a i n co m pe tit i ve and con t r i bu t e t o grow t h of t he U.S. econo m y

. Spec i f i ca ll y , w it h t he r i s i ng cost of av i a ti on fuel and t he E nv i ron m en t al Pro t ec ti on Agency
(“ E P A”) regu l a t ory ac ti ons phas i ng out l eaded av i a ti on fue l s, U.S. owned and opera t ed

co m pan i es m ust adopt new and a lt erna ti ve t echno l ogy i n order t o re m a i n co m pe titi ve. Opera ti ng t he ba tt ery powered DJI Phantom 3 Professional UAS i s one such t echno l ogy t hat

not on l y a ll ows co m pan i es grea t er opera ti onal f l ex i b ilit y co m pared t o m anned a i rcraf t , but

prov i des such f

l ex i b ilit y w it hout t he h i gh opera ti onal cost of a t rad iti onal m anned a i rcraf t

. By opera ti ng t he DJI Phantom 3 Professional UAS , co m pan i es such as Ahmed Jamal

Khan’s can re m a i n co m pe titi ve and prof it ab l e and t herefore, prov i de grea t er j ob s t ab ilit y t o

e m p l oyees and con t rac t ors, wh i ch w il l u ltim a t e l y con t r i bu t e t o grow t h of the U.S. econo m y

.
I m proved f

i nanc i al perfor m ance of U.S. co m pan i es, t hrough co mm erc i al use of t he DJI

Phantom 3 Professional UAS , prov i des a s t ab l e workforce t hat i ncreases consu m er spend i ng,

im proves l oca l , s t a t e, and federal t ax revenues and a ll ows co m pan i es t o i nvest i n research and

deve l op m ent i n order t o re m a i n co m pe titi ve bo t h i n t he Un it ed S t a t es and abroad.

4. The r e A r e No P r i vacy Issues.

S imil ar t o t he m anned aer i al acqu i s iti on f li ght opera ti ons t hat have been conduc t ed for
decades, Ahmed Jamal Khan’s proposed opera ti on of t he DJI Phantom 3 Professional UAS

w il l not im p li ca t e any pr i vacy i ssues. Spec i f i ca ll y , t he Phantom 3 Professional UAS w il l be

opera t ed on l y i n co m p li ance w it h opera ti ng docu m en t s ( i .e. Aer i al Opera ti ons Manua l
,
Mon t h l y Ma i n t enance L og, and t he DJI Phantom 3 Professional UAS Ins t ruc ti on Manua l 's)

wh i ch requ i res proper t y owner in vo l ve m ent as we l l as l ocal l aw enforce m ent no ti f i ca ti on, and20 20 i n accordance w it h t he Federal A v i a ti on R e gu l a ti ons, i nc l ud i ng t he mi n im um a ltit ude

requ i re m en t s of 14 C. F

. R. § 91. 1 19.

E. The Reasons Why G rant i ng The Ex e mpt i on W ou l d Not Adverse l y Affect Safet y , O r

H ow The Ex e mpt i on W

ou l d P r ov i de A L e vel O f Safety At L e ast Equal T o That P r ov i ded
By The Ru l e F r om Wh i ch Ahmed Jamal Khan Seeks Ex e mpt i on.

1. Reasons Why The DJI Phantom 3 Professional UAS Meet The Cond i t i ons O f

The F AA Modern i zat i on and Reform Act of 2012 ( F MRA) Sect i on 333.

In cons i dera ti on of t he s i ze, we i gh t , speed, and limit ed opera ti ng area assoc i a t ed w it h t he

un m anned a i rcraft and it s opera ti on, Ahmed Jamal Khan’s opera ti on of t he DJI Phantom 3

Professional UAS m eet the cond iti ons of FMRA Sec ti on
333, and w il l not requ i re an a i rwor t h i ness cer ti f i ca t e i n accordance w it h 14 C. F .R. Part 21,
Subpart H. Sec ti on 333 prov i des au t hor it y for a UAS t o opera t e w it hout a i rwor t h i ness

cer ti f i ca ti on and se t s for th requ i re m en t s for cons i der i ng whe t her a UAS w il l crea t e a hazard t o

users of t he NAS or t he pub li c, or o t herw i se pose a t hreat t o na ti onal secur it y . Spec i f i ca ll y ,
FMRA Sec ti on 333 s t a t es t he fo ll ow i ng, i n par t :
(a) In Genera l

. -- No tw it hs t and i ng any o t her r equ i r ement of t h i s sub titl e, and not l a t er t han 180 days a

ft er t he da t e of enac t

ment of t h i s A c t

, t he Sec r e t ary of T ranspor t a ti on sha l l de t erm i ne i

f cer t a i n unmanned a i r

cra f t sys t ems may opera t e sa

f e l y i n t he na ti onal

a i rspace sys t em be

f o r e comp l e ti on of t he p l an and ru l emak i ng r equ i r ed by sec ti on 332 of t h i s A ct or t he gu i dance r equ i r ed by sec ti on 334 of t h i s A c t (b) A ssessment of Unmanned Ai r cra f t Sys t ems.

-- In mak i ng t he de t erm i na ti on under subsec ti on (a), t he Sec r

e t ary sha l l de t erm i ne, at a m i n i mum

— (1) Which t

ypes of unmanned a i r

cra f t sys t ems, i

f an y , as a r esu l t of t he i r s i ze, w ei gh t

, speed, opera ti onal capab ilit y , p r ox i m it y t o a i rpor t

s and popu l a t ed a r

eas, and opera ti ons within visual line of sight do not c r ea t e a haza r

d t o users of t he na ti onal

a i rspace sys t em or t he pub li c or pose a t h r eat t o na ti onal secur it

y; and (2) Whether a cer tifi ca t e of wa i ve r , cer tifi ca t e of au t hor i za ti on, or a i rwor t h i ness
cer tifi ca ti on under sec ti on 44704 of titl e 49, Un it ed S t a t es Cod e , i s r equ i r ed f or t he opera ti on of unmanned a i r cra f t sys t ems i den tifi ed under paragraph (1). (c) R equ i r

emen ts f or Sa f e Opera ti on.

-- If t he Sec r

e t ary de t erm i nes under t h i s sec ti on t hat cer t a i n unmanned a i r cra f t sys t ems may opera t e sa

f e l y i n t he na ti onal a i rspace21 21 sys t em, t he Sec r

e t ary sha l l es t ab li sh r

equ i r emen t s f or t he sa f e opera ti on of such a i r

cra f t sys t ems i n t he na ti onal a i rspace sys t em.

In seek i ng t h i s exe m p ti on, Ahmed Jamal Khan sub mit s t hat t he DJI Phantom 3

Professional UAS UAS's can opera t e safe l y i n t he NAS pursuant t o FMRA Sec ti on 333, as

de m ons t ra t ed by: (a) t he charac t er i s ti cs of t he DJI Phantom 3 Professional UAS ; (b) t he p il ot

cer ti f i ca ti on requ i re m en t ; and (c) t he spec i f i c opera ti ng limit a ti ons.

a. The Spec i f

i cat i ons O f The DJI Phantom 3 Professional UAS Demonstrate Its Safe

Character i st i cs.

T he Phantom 3 Professional UAS do not crea t e a hazard t o users of t he NAS or t he
pub li c, or o t herw i se pose a t hreat t o na ti onal secur it y cons i der i ng it s s i ze, we i gh t , speed, and

opera ti onal capab ilit y

.
i

. T echn i cal Spec i f

i cat i ons O f The DJI Phantom 3 Professional UAS.

T he t echn i cal spec i f

i ca ti ons of t he DJI Phantom 3 Professional UAS are set for t h by t he

DJI Phantom 3 Professional UAS Spec i f i ca ti ons and Da t a Shee t , a tt ached here t o as

E xh i b i t A and B.

ii

. The DJI Phantom 3 Professional UAS Autonomous Fli ght And Nav i gat i o n Modes

Enab l e The UAS ' s T

o Rema i n W i th i n A Def

i ned O perat i onal A r ea.

T he Phantom 3 Professional UAS m ay be opera t ed i n bo t h m anual and fu ll y

au t ono m ous f

li ght m odes. T he DJI Phantom 3 Professional m ay be opera t ed i n m anual

f li ght m ode on l y

. A co m p l e t e d e scr i p ti on of t he f li ght and nav i ga ti onal m odes of t he

DJI Phantom 3 Professional UAS i s prov i ded at pages 23

- 32 of t he DJI Phantom 3

Professional UAS and pages 8 & 1 1

.
I ii

. The Phantom 3 Professional UAS a r e Des i gned F or Automat i c Return T o H ome P o i nt

O r H over In The Ev e nt O f Loss O f The Cont r ol L i nk O r Nav i gat i on.22 22 When t he Con t rol Li nk i s l os t , t he DJI Phantom 3 Professional UAS w il l re m a i n

s t a ti onary i n f

li gh t , for 3 seconds or m ore. If, af t er 3 seconds, t he DJI Phantom 3

Professional due not reacqu i re con t rols li nk da t a from t he GCS, t he UAS w il l assu m e

t hat t he Con t rol Li nk i s l ost and t he UAS w il l re t urn t o t he ho m e pos iti on ( i .e., fa il safe

m ode) v i a GPS, and w il l descend t o t he t akeo f f pos iti on and shu t down. A co m p l e t e

descr i p ti on of t he Fa il safe Func ti ons of t he DJI Phantom 3 Professional UAS are set

for t h at pages 22 t hrough 32 DJI Phantom 3 Professional UAS User Manua l s, a tt ached

here t o as E xh i b i t C

.
i v . The DJI Phantom 3 Professional UAS a nd Its O perat i on.

A co m p l e t e descr i p ti on of t he opera ti on and spec i f i ca ti ons of t he DJI Phantom 3

Professional and f

li ght con t rol sof

t ware i s prov i ded at pages 22 t hrough 32 of t he DJI

Phantom 3 Professional User Manual

. T he DJI Phantom 3 Professional UAS User

Manua l s are a tt ached here t o as E xh i b it s D.

b. Fli ght O perat i ons O f DJI Phantom 3 Professional UAS a r e L i m i ted T o The L i ne O f

S i ght O f A Cert i f

i cated Pil ot i n Command W i th A Safety O bserve r .
Ahmed Jamal Khan w il l on l y u tili ze cer ti f i ca t ed p il o t s who possess a current and va li d

a i r m an m ed i cal cer ti f

i ca t e t o act as a p il ot i n co mm and (PIC) of t he DJI Phantom 3

Professional UAS

. Add iti ona ll y , a safe t y observer w il l ass i st a l l p il o t s dur i ng f li ght tim e.

c. Fli ghts O f DJI Phantom 3 Professional UAS W il l Be Conducted P ursuant T o Spec i f i c

O perat i ng L i m i tat i ons.

In seek i ng t h i s exe m p ti on, Ahmed Jamal Khan proposes t o co mm erc i a ll y opera t e DJI

Phantom 3 Professional UAS for t he spec i al purpose of conduc ti ng aer i al v i deo and
pho t ography over cer t a i n areas of Un it ed S t a t es, pursuant t o t he fo ll ow i ng spec i f i c opera ti ng

limit a ti ons:23 23 1. Opera ti ons au t hor i zed by t h i s grant of exe m p ti on w il l be limit ed t o t he fo ll ow i ng

a i rcraft descr i bed i n t he opera ti ng docu m en t s, ro t orcraft UAS's we i gh i ng l ess t han 55 pounds m ax im um gross we i gh t : DJI Phantom 3 Professional UAS Un m anned A i rcraft Sys t e m s. Proposed opera ti ons of any o t her a i rcraft w il l requ i re a new pe titi on or a
pe titi on t o a m end t h i s gran t

. 2. UAS opera ti ons under t h i s exe m p ti on w il l be limit ed t o conduc ti ng opera ti ons for t he purpose of aer i al v i deo and pho t ograph y

. 3. T he UA m ay not be f

l own at an i nd i ca t ed a i rspeed exceed i ng 20 kno t s. 4. T he UA m ust be opera t ed at an a ltit ude of no m ore t han 400 feet above ground l evel (AG L ), as i nd i ca t ed by t he procedures spec i f i ed i n t he opera ti ng docu m en t s un l ess a
spec i al request i s m ade and approved by A T C. A l l a ltit udes repor t ed t o A T C m ust be i n feet AG L

. 5. T he UA's m ust be opera t ed w it h i n v i sual li ne of s i ght (V L OS) of t he PIC at a l l tim es. T h i s requ i res t he PIC t o be ab l e t o use hu m an v i s i on una i ded by any dev i ce o t her t han

correc ti ve l enses, as spec i f i ed on t he PIC ’ s F

AA

- i ssued a i r m an m ed i cal cer ti f i ca t e. 6. T he use of f

i rst person v i ew (FPV) by t he PIC or safe t y observer (SO) i s not
per mitt ed.
7. A l l opera ti ons m ust u tili ze a safe t y observer (SO). T he SO m ay be used t o sa ti sfy t he
V L OS requ i re m ent as l ong as t he PIC a l ways m a i n t a i ns V L OS capab ilit y

. T he SO and
PIC m ust be ab l e t o co mm un i ca t e verba ll y at a l l tim es. El ec t ron i c m essag i ng or t ex ti ng i s not per mitt ed dur i ng f

li ght opera ti ons. T he PIC m ust be des i gna t ed before t he f li ght
and cannot t ransfer h i s or her des i gna ti on for t he dura ti on of t he f li gh t

. T he PIC m ust

ensure t hat t he SO can perform t he func ti ons prescr i bed i n t he opera ti ng docu m en t s. 8. T he SO m ust not perform any o t her du ti es beyond ass i s ti ng t he PIC w it h see i ng and

avo i d i ng o t her a i r t ra f

f i c and o t her ground based obs t ac l es / obs t ruc ti ons and i s not
per mitt ed t o opera t e t he ca m era or o t her i ns t ru m en t s. 9. T he opera ti ng docu m en t s and t he grant of exe m p ti on m ust be access i b l e dur i ng UAS

opera ti ons and m ade ava il ab l e t o t he Ad mi n i s t ra t or upon reques t . If a d i screpancy ex i s t s be t ween t he cond iti ons and limit a ti ons con t a i ned i n t he grant of exe m p ti on and t he procedures ou tli ned i n t he opera ti ng docu m en t s, t he cond iti ons and limit a ti ons

con t a i ned i n t he grant of exe m p ti on t ake precedence and m ust be fo ll owed. O t herw i se,
t he opera t or m ust fo ll ow t he procedures as ou tli ned i n it s opera ti ng docu m en t s. T he

opera t or m ay upda t e or rev i se it s opera ti ng docu m en t s. It i s t he opera t o r ’ s respons i b ilit y24 24 t o t rack such rev i s i ons and present upda t ed and rev i sed docu m en t s t o t he Ad mi n i s t ra t or
upon reques t

. T he opera t or m ust a l so present upda t ed and rev i sed docu m en t s i f i t
pe titi ons for ex t ens i on or a m end m ent t o t he grant of exe m p ti on. If t he opera t or de t er mi nes t hat any upda t e or rev i s i on wou l d a f fect t he bas i s upon wh i ch t he F AA

gran t ed t he exe m p ti on, t hen t he opera t or m ust pe titi on for a m end m ent t o it s grant of

exe m p ti on. T he F

A A ’ s UAS In t egra ti on O f

f i ce (AFS

- 80) m ay be con t ac t ed i f ques ti ons

ar i se regard i ng upda t es or rev i s i ons t o t he opera ti ng docu m en t s. 10. Pr i or t o each f

li ght t he PIC m ust i nspect t he UAS t o ensure t hat i t i s i n a cond iti on for safe f li gh t . If t he i nspec ti on revea l s a cond iti on t hat a f fec t s t he safe opera ti on of t he UAS, t he a i rcraft i s proh i b it ed from opera ti ng un ti l t he necessary m a i n t enance has been perfor m ed and t he UAS i s found t o be i n a cond iti on for safe f li gh t

. T he Ground
Con t rol S t a ti on m ust be i nc l uded i n t he pref li ght i nspec ti on. A l l m a i n t enance and

a lt era ti ons m ust be proper l y docu m en t ed i n t he a i rcraft records.
1 1. Any UAS t hat has unde r gone m a i n t enance or a lt era ti ons t hat a f fect t he UAS

opera ti on or f

li ght charac t er i s ti cs, e.g. rep l ace m ent of a f li ght cr iti cal co m ponen t , m ust unde r go a func ti onal t est f li gh t

. T he PIC who conduc t s t he func ti onal t est f li ght m ust

m ake an en t ry i n t he a i rcraft records.
12. T he pre

- f

li ght i nspec ti on m ust account for a l l po t en ti al d i screpanc i es, e.g. i noperab l e co m ponen t s, it e m s, or equ i p m en t , not a l ready covered i n t he re l evant

sec ti ons of t he opera ti ng docu m en t s. 13. T he opera t or m ust fo ll ow t he UAS m anufac t ure r ’ s a i rcraf t/ co m ponen t ,

m a i n t enance, overhau l ; rep l ace m en t , i nspec ti on, and li fe limi t requ i re m en t s. 14. T he opera t or m ust carry out it s m a i n t enance, i nspec ti ons, and record keep i ng
requ i re m en t s, i n accordance w it h t he opera ti ng docu m en t s. m a i n t enance, i nspec ti on,

a lt era ti ons, and s t a t us of rep l ace m en t/ overhaul co m ponent par t s m ust be no t ed i n t he

a i rcraft records, i nc l ud i ng t o t al tim e i n serv i ce, descr i p ti on of work acco m p li shed, and

t he s i gna t ure of t he au t hor i zed person re t urn i ng t he UAS t o serv i ce. 15. E ach UAS's opera t ed under t h i s exe m p ti on m ust co m p l y w it h a l l m anufac t urer Safe t y Bu ll e ti ns. 16. T he au t hor i zed person m ust m ake an en t ry i n t he a i rcraft record of t he correc ti ve

ac ti on t aken aga i nst d i screpanc i es d i scovered be t ween i nspec ti ons. 17. T he PIC m ust possess at l east a pr i va t e p il ot cer ti f i ca t e and at l east a current t h i rd

c l ass m ed i cal cer ti f

i ca t e.25 25 18. T he opera t or m ay not per mi t any PIC t o opera t e un l ess t he PIC m ee t s t he opera t o r ’ s
qua li f i ca ti on cr it er i a and de m ons t ra t es t he ab ilit y t o safe l y opera t e t he UAS i n a m anner

cons i s t ent w it h how t he UAS w il l be opera t ed under t he exe m p ti on, i nc l ud i ng evas i ve and e m e r gency m aneuvers and m a i n t a i n i ng appropr i a t e d i s t ances from persons, vesse l s, veh i c l es and s t ruc t ures. PIC qua li f i ca ti on f li ght hours m ust be l ogged i n a m anner

cons i s t ent w it h 14 C. F

.R. §61.51(b). F li gh t s for t he purposes of t ra i n i ng t he opera t o r ’ s PIC's are per mitt ed under t he t er m s of t he exe m p ti on. Howeve r , t ra i n i ng opera ti ons

m ay on l y be conduc t ed dur i ng ded i ca t ed t ra i n i ng sess i ons. Dur i ng t ra i n i ng, prof i c i enc y , and exper i ence

- bu il d i ng f li gh t s, a l l persons not essen ti al for f li ght opera ti ons are

cons i dered nonpar ti c i pan t s, and t he PIC m ust opera t e t he UA w it h appropr i a t e d i s t ance from nonpar ti c i pan t s i n accordance w it h 14 C. F .R. §91. 1 19.
19. UAS opera ti ons m ay not be conduc t ed dur i ng n i gh t , as def i ned i n 14 C. F

.R. §1.1.
A l l opera ti ons m ust be conduc t ed under v i sual m e t eoro l og i cal cond iti ons (VMC). If
f li ght at n i ght i s requ i red, a spec i al request w il l be m ade at t he F AA o f f i ce c l osest t o proposed area of opera ti ons. F li gh t s under spec i al v i sual f li ght ru l es (SVFR) are not

au t hor i zed.
20. T he UA m ay not opera t e w it h i n 5 nau ti cal mil es of an a i rport reference po i nt as deno t ed on a current F

AA pub li shed aeronau ti cal chart un l ess a l e tt er of agree m ent w it h

t hat a i rpor t ’ s m anage m ent i s ob t a i ned, and t he opera ti on i s conduc t ed i n accordance

w it h a NO T

AM as requ i red by t he opera t o r ’ s COA. T he l e tt er of agree m ent w it h t he

a i rport m anage m ent m ust be m ade ava il ab l e t o t he Ad mi n i s t ra t or upon reques t

. 21. T he UA m ay not be opera t ed l ess t han 500 feet be l ow or l ess t han 2,000 feet
hor i zon t a ll y from a c l oud or when v i s i b ilit y i s l ess t han 3 s t a t u t e mil es from t he PIC.
22. If t he UA l oses co mm un i ca ti ons or l oses it s GPS s i gna l
, i t m ust re t urn t o a pre

de t er mi ned l oca ti on w it h i n t he p l anned opera ti ng area and l and or be recovered i n accordance w it h t he opera ti ng docu m en t s. 23. T he PIC m ust abort the f li ght i n t he event of unpred i c t ed obs t ac l es or e m e r genc i es i n accordance w it h t he opera ti ng docu m en t s. 24. T he PIC i s proh i b it ed from beg i nn i ng a f li ght un l ess (cons i der i ng w i nd and forecast

wea t her cond iti ons) t here i s enough power t o f l y at nor m al cru i s i ng speed t o t he
i n t ended l and i ng po i nt and l and t he UAS w it h 25% ba tt ery power re m a i n i ng. 25. T he

opera t or m ust ob t a i n an A i r T ra f f i c O r gan i za ti on ( A

T O) i ssued C e r ti f

i ca t e of W

a i ver or Au t hor i za ti on (COA) pr i or t o conduc ti ng any opera ti ons under t he grant of exe m p ti on.26 26 T h i s COA w il l a l so requ i re t he opera t or t o request a No ti ce t o A i r m an (NO T AM) not

m ore t han 72 hours i n advance, but not l ess t han 48 hours pr i or t o t he opera ti on. A l l

opera ti ons sha l l be conduc t ed i n accordance w it h a i rspace requ i re m en t s i n the A T O
i ssued COA i nc l ud i ng c l ass of a i rspace, a ltit ude l evel and po t en ti al t ransponder

requ i re m en t s. 26. A l l a i rcraft opera t ed i n accordance w it h t he exe m p ti on m ust be i den ti f i ed by ser i al

nu m be r , reg i s t ered i n accordance w it h 14 C. F .R. part 47, and have i den ti f i ca ti on (N

Nu m ber) m ark i ngs i n accordance w it h 14 C. F .R. part 45, Subpart C. Mark i ngs m ust be

as l a r ge as prac ti cab l e. 27. Before conduc ti ng opera ti ons, t he rad i o frequency spec t rum used for opera ti on and

con t rol of t he UAS m ust co m p l y w it h t he Federal Co mm un i ca ti ons Co mmi ss i on (FCC)

or o t her appropr i a t e govern m ent overs i ght agency requ i re m en t s. 28. T he docu m en t s requ i red fewer t han 14 C. F .R. 91.9 and 91.203 m ust be ava il ab l e t o
t he PIC at t he Ground Con t rol S t a ti on of t he UAS any tim e t he UAS i s opera ti ng. T hese
docu m en t s m ust be m ade ava il ab l e t o t he Ad mi n i s t ra t or or any l aw enforce m ent o f f i c i al

upon reques t

. 29. T he UAS m ust re m a i n c l ear and y i e l d t he r i ght of way t o a l l m anned av i a ti on
opera ti ons and ac ti v iti es at a l l tim es. 30. T he UAS m ay not be opera t ed by t he PIC from any m ov i ng dev i ce or veh i c l e. 31. F li ght opera ti ons m ust be conduc t ed at l east 500 feet from a l l nonpar ti c i pa ti ng persons (persons o t her t han t he PIC, SO, opera t or t ra i nees or essen ti al persons),

vesse l s, veh i c l es, and s t ruc t ures un l ess: a. B a rr i ers or s t ruc t ures are present t hat

su f f i c i en tl y pro t ect nonpar ti c i pa ti ng persons from t he UAS and / or debr i s i n t he event of

an acc i den t

. T he opera t or m ust ensure t hat nonpar ti c i pa ti ng persons re m a i n under such

pro t ec ti on. If a s it ua ti on ar i ses where nonpar ti c i pa ti ng persons l eave such pro t ec ti on and are w it h i n 500 feet of t he UA, f li ght opera ti ons m ust cease imm ed i a t e l y and / or; b.
T he a i rcraft i s opera t ed near vesse l s, veh i c l es or s t ruc t ures where t he owner / con t ro ll er of such vesse l s, veh i c l es or s t ruc t ures has gran t ed per mi ss i on and t he PIC has m ade a
safe t y assess m ent of t he r i sk of opera ti ng c l oser t o t hose ob j ec t s and de t er mi ned t hat i t does not present an undue hazard, and; c. Opera ti ons nearer t o t he PIC, SO, opera t or
t ra i nees or essen ti al persons do not present an undue hazard t o t hose persons per §
91. 1 19(a).27 27 32. A l l op era ti ons sha l l be conduc t ed over pr i va t e or con t ro ll ed

- access proper t y w it h

per mi ss i on from t he l and owner / con t ro ll er or au t hor i zed represen t a ti ve. Per mi ss i on from l and owner

/ con t ro ll er or au t hor i zed represen t a ti ve w il l be ob t a i ned for each f li ght

t o be conduc t ed.
33. Any i nc i den t , acc i den t , or f li ght opera ti on t hat t ransgresses t he l a t eral or ver ti cal
boundar i es of t he opera ti onal area as def i ned by t he app li cab l e COA m ust be repor t ed

t o t he F AA's UAS In t egra ti on O f f i ce (AFS

- 80) w it h i n 24 hours. Acc i den t s m ust be

repor t ed t o t he Na ti onal T ranspor t a ti on Safe t y Bo a rd (N T SB) per i ns t ruc ti ons con t a i ned

on t he N T SB W

eb s it e: ww w .n t sb.go v

.

2. Reasons Why An Ex e mpt i on F r om The Requ i r ements O f Sect i on 61. 1 13(a) And (b)

W ou l d Not Adverse l y Affect Safet y .
Ahmed Jamal Khan sub mit s t hat t he equ i va l ent l evel of safe t y es t ab li shed by Sec ti on

61. 1 13(a) and (b) w il l be m a i n t a i ned because no PIC w il l be a ll owed t o opera t e t he DJI

Phantom 3 Professional UAS un l ess t hat PIC has de m ons t ra t ed, by m ee ti ng mi n im um f li gh t
hour and currency requ i re m en t s, t hat t he PIC i s ab l e t o safe l y opera t e t he DJI Phantom 3

Professional UAS i n a m anner cons i s t ent w it h t he exe m p ti on, i nc l ud i ng evas i ve and e m e r gency

m aneuvers and m a i n t a i n i ng appropr i a t e d i s t ances from peop l e, vesse l s, veh i c l es and s t ruc t ures.

Cons i der i ng Ahmed Jamal Khan’s proposed area of operat io ns , and t he opera ti ng

limit a ti ons set for t h

- above; t he para ll el na t ure of pr i va t e p il ot aeronau ti cal know l edge

requ i re m en t s t o t hose of co mm erc i al p il ot requ i re m en t s (See E xe m p ti on No. 1 1062); and t he

a i r m ansh i p sk ill s necessary t o safe l y opera t e t he DJI Phantom 3 Professional UAS
, Ahmed

Jamal Khan sub mit s t hat t he add iti onal m anned a i r m ansh i p exper i ence of a co mm erc i a ll y

cer ti f i ca t ed p il ot wou l d not corre l a t e t o t he a i r m ansh i p sk ill s necessary for Ahmed Jamal

Khan’s spec i f

i c proposed f

li ght opera ti ons.

T he F AA has prev i ous l y gran t ed re li ef from Sec ti on 61. 1 13(a) and (b) spec i f i c t o UAS,

i n c i rcu m s t ances s imil a r , i n a l l m a t er i al respec t s, t o t hose presen t ed here i n (e.g. E xe m p ti on28 28 Nos. 1 1062, 1 1063, 1 1064, 1 1065, 1 1066, 1 1067, 1 1080, 11 109, 111 10, 111 12, 11 136, 11 138,

11 150, 11 153, 11 156, 11 158, 11 159, 11 160, 11 161). Ahmed Jamal Khan w il l not a ll ow any PIC

t o opera t e t he DJI Phantom 3 Professional UAS un l ess t hat PIC has de m ons t ra t ed, by m ee ti ng

mi n im um flight hour requ i re m en t s of t he DJI Phantom 3 Professional UAS t ra i n i ng and

currency requ i re m en t s, t hat t he PIC i s ab l e t o safe l y opera t e t he DJI Phantom 3 Professional

UAS or i n a m anner cons i s t ent w it h t h i s exe m p ti on, i nc l ud i ng evas i ve and e m e r gency

m aneuvers and m a i n t a i n i ng appropr i a t e d i s t ances from peop l e, vesse l s, veh i c l es and s t ruc t ures.
Spec i f i ca ll y , t he PIC m ust have accu m u l a t ed and l ogged, i n a m anner cons i s t ent w it h

14 C. F .R. § 61.51(b), 25 hours of t o t al tim e as a UAS ro t orcraft p il ot (w it h a mi n im um of 5

hours of t hose hours as a UAS p il ot opera ti ng t he sa m e m ake and m odel of UAS t o be used for

opera ti ons under t he exe m p ti on). In add iti on t o t he hour requ i re m en t s, t he PIC m ust

acco m p li sh 3 t akeo f

fs and l and i ngs i n t he preced i ng 90 days (for currency purposes)

As i n E xe m p ti on Nos. 1 1062, 11 138, and 11 153, pr i or docu m en t ed f li ght exper i ence

t hat was ob t a i ned i n co mp li ance w it h app li cab l e regu l a ti ons w il l ensure an equ i va l ent l evel of

safe t y dur i ng Ahmed Jamal Khan’s proposed opera ti ons. T he Ad mi n i s t ra t or has he l d t hat pr i or

docu m en t ed f

li ght exper i ence t hat was ob t a i ned i n co m p li ance w it h app li cab l e regu l a ti ons

wou l d ensure safe opera ti ons, s t a ti ng as fo ll ows:

In E xe m p ti on No. 1 1062, t he F AA requ i red t hat pr i or t o conduc ti ng opera ti ons for t he
purpose of m o ti on p i c t ure f ilmi ng (or s imil ar opera ti ons), t he PIC m ust have

accu m u l a t ed and l ogged, i n a m anner cons i s t ent w it h 14 CFR 61.51(b), 25 hours of

t o t al tim e as a UAS ro t orcraft p il ot i nc l ud i ng at l east 10 hours l ogged as a UAS p il ot

w it h a m u lti

- ro t or UAS. Pr i or t o opera ti ons under E xe m p ti on No. 1 1062, t he PIC m ust

a l so have accu m u l a t ed and l ogged a mi n im um of 5 hours as a UAS p il ot opera ti ng t he

sa m e m ake and m odel of UAS t o be used for opera ti ons under t he exe m p ti on. For

c l ar i f i ca ti on, t he F

AA cons i ders t hese mi n im um hour requ i re m en t s t o be i nc l us i ve29 29 ra t her t han add iti ve; i .e. 5 hours m ake and m odel tim e m ay be i nc l uded i n the 10 hours

of m u lti

- ro t or tim e and t he 10 hours m ay be i nc l uded i n

t he t o t al 25 hours of UAS ro t orcraft tim e. In add iti on t o t he hour requ i re m en t s, t he

PIC m ust acco m p li sh 3 t akeo f fs and l and i ngs i n t he preced i ng 90 days (for currency purposes). T he F

AA f i nds t hat at a mi n im u m , t he f li gh t

- hour requ i re m en t s i n

E xe m p ti on No. 1 1062 are appropr i a t e t o prac ti ce and bu il d prof i c i ency i n the sk ill s

necessary t o safe l y conduct t he pe titi one r ’ s proposed opera ti ons. T he F AA a l so f i nds

t hat pr i or docu m en t ed f

li ght exper i ence t hat was ob t a i ned i n co m p li ance w it h

app li cab l e regu l a ti ons wou l d sa ti sfy t h i s requ i re m en t

. T ra i n i ng, prof

i c i enc y , and

exper i ence

- bu il d i ng f

li gh t s can a l so be conduc t ed under t he grant of exe m p ti on t o

acco m p li sh t he requ i red f li ght tim e. Dur i ng t ra i n i ng, prof i c i enc y , and exper i ence

bu il d i ng f li gh t s t he PIC i s requ i red t o opera t e t he UA w it h appropr i a t e d i s t ances i n

accordance w it h 14 C. F

.R 91. 1 19. E xe m p ti on No. 11 138 at page 15.

Accord i ng l y

, Ahmed Jamal Khan w il l ensure safe opera ti ons by not a ll ow i ng any PIC

t o opera t e t he DJI Phantom 3 Professional UAS un l ess t hat PIC has de m ons t ra t ed, by m ee ti ng

mi n im um f

li gh t

- hour and currency requ i re m en t s, that t he PIC i s ab l e t o safe l y opera t e t he DJI

Phantom 3 Professional UAS i n a m anner consistent w it h t he exe m p ti on, i nc l ud i ng evas i ve and

e m e r gency m aneuvers and m a i n t a i n i ng appropr i a t e d i s t ances from peop l e, vesse l s, veh i c l es

and s t ruc t ures.

3. Reasons Why An Ex e mpt i on F r om The Requ i r ements O f Sect i on 91.7(a) W ou l d Not

Adverse l y Affect Safet y .
T he equ i va l ent l evel of safe t y es t ab li shed by Sec ti on 91.7(a) w il l be m a i n t a i ned
because pr i or t o every f

li gh t , Ahmed Jamal Khan w il l ensure t hat t he DJI Phantom 330 30 Professional UAS i s i n an a i rwor t hy cond iti on based upon t he UAS ’ s co m p li ance w it h it s

opera ti ng docu m en t s and as s t a t ed i n t he cond iti ons and limit a ti ons here i n. Add iti ona ll y , t he

F AA has prev i ous l y gran t ed re li ef from Sec ti on 91.7(a) spec i f i c t o UAS, i n c i rcu m s t ances

s imil a r , i n a l l m a t er i al respec t s, t o t hose presen t ed here i n (e.g. E xe m p ti on Nos. 1 1062, 1 1063,

1 1064, 1 1065, 1 1066, 1 1067, 1 1080, 11 109, 111 10, 111 12, 11 136, 11 138, 11 150, 11 153, 11 156,

11 157, 11 158, 11 159, 11 160, 11 161).

4. Reasons Why An Ex e mpt i on F r om The Requ i r ements O f Sect i on 91.121 W ou l d Not

Adverse l y Affect Safet y .
T he equ i va l ent l evel of safe t y es t ab li shed by Sec ti on 91.121 w il l be m a i n t a i ned because

t he a ltit ude i nfor m a ti on of t he DJI Phantom 3 Professional UAS w il l be prov i ded t o t he PIC

v i a GPS equ i p m ent and a rad i o co mm un i ca ti ons t e l e m e t ry da t a li nk, wh i ch down li nks from t he

UA t o t he GCS for ac ti ve m on it or i ng of t he f li ght pa t h and a ltit ude. T h i s a ltit ude i nfor m a ti on,

co m b i ned w it h Ahmed Jamal Khan’s opera ti on of t he DJI Phantom 3 Professional UAS w it h i n

v i sual li ne of s i gh t , at or be l ow 400 feet AG L , w il l ensure a l evel of safe t y equ i va l ent t o

Sec ti on 91.121. T he a ltit

ude i nfor m a ti on w il l be genera t ed by GPS equ i p m ent i ns t a ll ed on

board t he a i rcraf

t . Pr i or t o each f

li gh t , a zero a ltit ude i n iti a ti on po i nt i s au t o m a ti ca ll y

es t ab li shed by t he UAS's at ground l eve l

. T he F AA has prev i ous l y gran t ed re li ef from Sec ti on
91.121 spec i f

i c t o UAS, i n c i rcu m s t ances s imil a r , i n a l l m a t er i al respec t s, t o t hose presen t ed

here i n (e.g. E xe m p ti on Nos. 1 1062, 1 1063, 1 1064, 1 1065, 1 1066, 1 1067, 1 1080, 11 109, 111 12,

11 136, 11 138, 11 150, 11 153, 11 156, 11 157, 11 158, 11 159, 11 160, 11 161).

5. Reasons Why An Ex e mpt i on F r om The Requ i r ements O f Sect i on 91.151(b) W ou l d Not

Adverse l y Affect Safet y .31 31 A grant of t h i s exe m p ti on wou l d ensure an equ i va l ent l evel of safe t y es t ab li shed by 14

C. F .R. Sec ti on 91.151(b) as a resu l t of (1) t he t echn i cal spec i f i ca ti ons of t he DJI Phantom 3

Professional UAS ; (2) t he limit a ti ons on t he proposed f li ght opera ti ons; and (3) t he l oca ti on of

t he proposed f

li ght opera ti ons. Accord i ng l y , Ahmed Jamal Khan w il l ensure t hat he w il l safe l y

opera t e t he ba tt ery powered DJI Phantom 3 Professional UAS dur i ng day li ght hours i n VFR

cond iti ons, w it h enough ba tt ery power t o f l y for a t o t al dura ti on of 10 mi nu t es t o t he f i rst po i nt

of i n t ended l and i ng and, assu mi ng nor m al cru i s i ng speed, t o f l y af t er t hat for at l east 2.5

mi nu t es.
Here, as i n E xe m p ti on No. 11 109, t he t echn i cal spec i f i ca ti ons of t he DJI Phantom 3

Professional UAS t he limit a ti ons on t he proposed f li ght opera ti ons and t he the l oca ti on of t he
proposed opera ti ons, w il l ensure an equ i va l ent l evel of safe t y es t ab li shed by 14 C. F .R. Sec ti on
91.151(b). Fur t her m ore, safe t y w il l be ensured as t he DJI Phantom 3 Professional prov i de

aud i b l e and v i sual warn i ngs t o t he PIC at t he GCS when t he UA's exper i ences l ow ba tt ery

vo lt age, t he f

i rst warn i ng occurr i ng at approx im a t e l y 33% re m a i n i ng ba tt ery powe r , and aga i n

at approx im a t e l y 10% re m a i n i ng ba tt ery powe r

. At t he cr iti ca ll y l ow ba tt ery l eve l
, t he DJI

Phantom 3 Professional UAS w il l descend and l and au t o m a ti ca ll y

.
S i gn i f i can tl y , prev i ous exe m p ti ons gran t ed by t he F AA concern i ng Sec ti on 91.151

es t ab li sh t hat safe t y i s not adverse l y a f fec t ed when t he t echn i cal charac t er i s ti cs and opera ti ng

limit a ti ons of t he UAS are cons i dered. R eli ef has been gran t ed for m anned a i rcraft t o opera t e at

l ess t han t he mi n im u m s prescr i bed i n Sec ti on 91.151, i nc l ud i ng E xe m p ti on Nos. 2689, 5745,

and 10650. Moreove r , t he F AA has prev i ous l y gran t ed re li e f from Sec ti on 91.151 spec i f i c t o

UAS i n c i rcu m s t ances s imil ar i n a l l m a t er i al respec t s t o t hose presen t ed here i n (e.g. E xe m p ti on

Nos. 88 1 1, 10808, 10673, 1 1042, 1 1062, 1 1063, 1 1064, 1 1065, 1 1066, 1 1067, 1 1080, 11 109,

111 10, 11 136, 11 138, 11 150, 11 153, 11 156, 11 157, 11 158, 11 159, 11 160, 11 161).32 32 6. Reasons Why An Ex e mpt i on F r om The Requ i r ements O f Sect i ons 91.405(a),
91.407(a)( 1), 91.409(a)(1) & (a)(2), And 91.417(a) &(b) W ou l d Not Adverse l y Affect

Safet y .
In seek i ng t h i s exe m p ti on, Ahmed Jamal Khan sub mit s t hat t he equ i va l ent l evel of

safe t y w it h regard t o t he regu l a t ory m a i n t enance and a lt era ti on requ i re m en t s es t ab li shed by

Sec ti ons 91.405(a), 91.407(a)(1), 91.409(a)(1) & (a)(2), and 91.417(a) & (b) w il l be

m et because Ahmed Jamal Khan w il l use t ra i ned t echn i c i ans t o perform m a i n t enance,

a lt era ti ons, or preven ti ve m a i n t enance on t he UAS's us i ng t he m e t hods, t echn i ques, and

prac ti ces prescr i bed i n t he opera ti ng docu m en t s i .e., t he Opera ti ons Manua l , Mon t h l y

Ma i n t enance L og, and DJI Phantom 3 Professional UAS Ins t ruc ti on Manua l . Fur t her m ore,

Ahmed Jamal Khan w il l docu m ent and m a i n t a i n a l l m a i n t enance records for t he DJI Phantom

3 Professional UAS

.
S i nce t he DJI Phantom 3 Professional UAS w il l be i nspec t ed as prescr i bed by t he

opera ti ng docu m en t s, Ahmed Jamal Khan w il l m a i n t a i n t he equ i va l ent l evel of safe t y

es t ab li shed by Sec ti ons 91.405(a), 91.409(a)(1), and 91.409(a)(2). A copy

of t he DJI Phantom 3 Professional User Manua l s are a tt ached here t o as E xh i b i t C and D; a copy of t he DJI Phantom 3 Professional UAS Ma i n t enance L OG i s a tt ached here t o as E xh i b i t

E

. Li kew i se, t he exe m p ti on sought w il l not adverse l y a f fect safe t y because Ahmed Jamal Khan

w il l use t ra i ned t echn i c i ans t o perform m a i n t enance, a lt era ti ons or preven ti ve m a i n t enance on

t he UAS us i ng t he m e t hods, t echn i ques, and prac ti ces prescr i bed by t he opera ti ng docu m en t s.

Fur t her m ore, t he exe m p ti on sought wou l d m a i n t a i n an equ i va l ent l evel of safe t y

E s t ab li shed by Sec ti ons 91.407, 91.417(a) and 91.417(b), because a l l m a i n t enance of t he DJI

Phantom 3 Professional UAS w il l be perfor m ed by t ra i ned t echn i c i ans. Ma i n t enance w il l be

docu m en t ed and m a i n t a i ned u tili z i ng t he m on t h l y m a i n t enance l og.33 33 S i gn i f i can tl y , prev i ous exe m p ti ons gran t ed by t he F AA concern i ng Sec ti ons 91.405(a),
91.407(a)(1), 91.409(a)(1) & (a)(2), and 91.417(a) & (b) es t ab li sh t hat safe t y i s not adverse l y

a f fec t ed when t he t echn i cal charac t er i s ti cs and opera ti ng limit a ti ons of t he UAS are

cons i dered.

In cons i dera ti on of Ahmed Jamal Khan’s proposed opera ti ng limit a ti ons, the opera ti ng

docu m en t s, and t he t echn i cal aspec t s of t he DJI Phantom 3 Professional UAS
, Ahmed Jamal

Khan sub mit s t hat safe t y w il l not be adverse l y a f fec t ed by gran ti ng exe m p ti on from 14 C. F .R.

Sec ti ons 91.405(a), 91.407(a)(1) and (a)(2), 91.409(a) (2), and 91.417(a) and (b). T he F AA has

prev i ous l y gran t ed re li ef spec i f i c t o UAS i n c i rcu m s t ances s imil a r , i n a l l m a t er i al respec t s, t o

t hose presen t ed here i n (e.g. E xe m p ti on Nos. 1 1062, 1 1063, 1 1064, 1 1065, 1 1066, 1 1067,

1 1080, 11 109, 111 10, 111 12, 11 136, 11 138, 11 150, 11 153, 11 156, 11 157, 11 158, 11 159, 11 160,

11 161).

7. The F AA May P r escr i be Any O ther Cond i t i ons F or Safe O perat i on.

In accordance w it h Sec ti on 333 of t he F AA Modern i za ti on and R e form Act of 2012
(FMRA) and 14 C. F

.R. § 21.16 en titl ed Spec i al Cond iti ons, Ahmed Jamal Khan reques t s t hat

t he F AA prescr i be spec i al cond iti ons for t he i n t ended opera ti on of t he DJI Phantom 3

Professional UAS , wh i ch con t a i n such safe t y s t andards t hat t h e34 34 ad mi n i s t ra t or f

i nds necessary t o es t ab li sh a l evel of safe t y equ i va l ent t o t hat es t ab li shed by 14

C. F .R. Part 21, Subpart H, and 14 C. F .R §§ 61. 1 13(a) & (b), 91.7 (a), 91.121,
91.151(b), 91.405(a), 91.407(a)(1), 91.409(a)(1) & (a)(2), and 91.417(a) & (b). Such spec i al

cond iti ons w il l per mi t safe opera ti on of t he UA's for t he limit ed purpose of conduc ti ng aer i al

v i deo and pho t ography over cer t a i n areas of t he Un it ed S t a t es for co m pensa ti on or h i re. FMRA

Sec ti on 333 se t s for t h t he requ i re m en t s for cons i der i ng whe t her a UAS w il l crea t e a hazard t o

users of t he NAS or t he pub li c, or o t herw i se pose a t hreat t o na ti onal secur it y and fur t he r ,

prov i des t he au t hor it y for such UAS t o opera t e w it hout a i rwor t h i ness cer ti f i ca ti on i n accordance

w it h any requ i re m en t s t hat m ust be es t ab li shed for t he safe opera ti on of t he UAS i n t he NAS.

Li kew i se, t he Ad mi n i s t ra t or m ay prescr i be spec i al cond iti ons pursuant t o 14 C. F .R. §21.16, for

opera ti on of t he DJI Phantom 3 Professional UAS , s i nce t he a i rwor t h i ness regu l a ti ons of 14

C. F .R. Part 21 do not con t a i n adequa t e or appropr i a t e safe t y s t andards, due t o t he novel or

unusual des i gn fea t ures of t he a i rcraf t . Sec ti on 21.16, en tit l ed Spec i al Cond iti ons, s t a t es t he

fo ll ow i ng:

If t he F AA f i nds t hat t he a i rwor t h i ness regu l a ti ons of t h i s subchap t er do not con t a i n adequa t e or appropr i a t e safe t y s t andards for an a i rcraf t , a i rcraft eng i ne, or prope ll er

because of a novel or unusual des i gn fea t ure of t he a i rcraf t , a i rcraft eng i ne or prope ll e r , i t

m ay prescr i be spec i al cond iti ons and a m end m en t s t here t o for t he produc t

. T he spec i al

cond iti ons are i ssued i n accordance w it h Part 1 1 of t h i s chap t er and con t a i n such safe t y

s t andards for t he a i rcraf

t , a i rcraft eng i ne or prope ll er as t he F AA f i nds necessary t o

es t ab li sh a l evel of safe t y equ i va l ent t o t hat es t ab li shed i n t he regu l a ti ons. See 14 C. F .R. §

21.16.35 35 T herefore, i n accordance w it h FMRA Sec ti on 333 and 14 C. F .R. § 21.16, t he F

AA m ay

prescr i be spec i al cond iti ons for Ahmed Jamal Khan’s i n t ended opera ti on of t he DJI Phantom 3

Professional UAS , wh i ch con t a i n such safe t y s t andards t hat t he ad mi n i s t ra t or f i nds necessary t o

es t ab li sh a l evel of safe t y equ i va l ent t o t hat es t ab li shed by 14 C. F .R. Part 21, Subpart H, and 14

C. F .R Sec ti ons 61. 1 13(a) & (b), 91.7(a), 91.121, 91.151(b), 91.405(a), 91.407(a)(1), 91.409(a)(1)

& (a)(2), and 91.417(a) & (b).

F

. A Summary That Can Be P ub li shed In The F ederal Reg i ster stat i ng: The Ru l es

F r om Wh i ch Ahmed Jamal Khan Seeks Ex e mpt i on:

Ahmed Jamal Khan seeks exemp ti on f r om t he r equ i r emen t s of 14 C. F

.R Sec ti ons

61. 1 13(a) & (b), 91.7(a), 91.121, 91.151(b), 91.405(a), 91.407(a)(1), 91.409(a)(1) &
(a)(2), and 91.417(a) & (b).

A B ri ef Descr i pt i on O f The Natu r e O f The Ex e mpt i on Ahmed Jamal Khan Seeks:

Th i s exemp ti on w il l perm i t Ahmed Jamal Khan t o comme r c i a ll y opera t e an Unmanned

Ai r cra f t Sys t em (U

A S) f or t he purpose of conduc ti ng aer i al v i deo and pho t ography over

cer t a i n a r eas of t he Un it ed S t a t es.

G

. Any Add i t i onal Informat i on, V i ews, O r Arguments A

va il ab l e T

o Support Ahmed

Jamal Khan’s Request.

T h i s Pe titi on i s m ade pursuant t o t he F AA Modern i za ti on and R e form Act of 2012 (FMRA)

Sec ti on 333, wh i ch d i rec t s t he Secre t ary of T ranspor t a ti on t o de t er mi ne i f cer t a i n UAS m ay

opera t e safe l y i n t he NAS. As such, Ahmed Jamal Khan request for exe m p ti on m ay be gran t ed

pursuant t o t he au t hor it y of FMRA Sec ti on 333 and 14 C. F .R. Part 1 1, as set for t h above.36 36 FMRA Sec ti on 333 se t s for t h t he requ i re m en t s for cons i der i ng whe t her a UAS w il l crea t e

a hazard t o users of t he NAS or t he pub li c, or o t herw i se pose a t hreat t o na ti onal secur it y and

fur t he r , prov i des t he au t hor it y for such UAS t o opera t e w it hout a i rwor t h i ness cer ti f i ca ti on. As

d i scussed i n de t a i l above, Ahmed Jamal Khan w il l opera t e t he DJI Phantom 3 Professional UAS

safe l y i n t he NAS, w it hout crea ti ng a hazard t o users of t he NAS, or t he pub li c, or o t herw i se pose

a t hreat t o na ti onal secur it y

.37 37 C O NCLUSI O N

As set for t h here i n, Ahmed Jamal Khan seeks an exe m p ti on pursuant t o 14 C. F .R. § 1 1.61

and Sec ti on 333 of t he F

AA Modern i za ti on and R e form Act of 2012 (FMRA), wh i ch w il l per mi t
safe opera ti on of t he DJI Phantom 3 Professional UAS co mm erc i a ll y , w it hout an a i rwor t h i ness

cer ti f i ca t e, for t he limit ed purpose of conduc ti ng aer i al v i deo and pho t ography over cer t a i n areas

of t he Un it ed S t a t es. By gran ti ng t h i s Pe titi on, t he F AA Ad mi n i s t ra t or w il l be fu l f illi ng t he
Congr e ss i onal m anda t e of t he F AA Modern i za ti on and R e form Act of 2012, wh il e a l so

advanc i ng t he i n t eres t s of t he pub li c, by a ll ow i ng Ahmed Jamal Khan t o safe l y , e f f i c i en tl y , and

econo mi ca ll y opera t e t he DJI Phantom 3 Professional UAS co mm erc i a ll y w it h i n t he NAS.

W H ERE FO R E
, i n accordance w it h t he Federal A v i a ti on R e gu l a ti ons and t he F AA

Modern i za ti on and R e form Act of 2012, Sec ti on 333, Ahmed Jamal Khan respe c tf ul ly reques t s

t hat t he Ad mi n i s t ra t or grant t h i s Pe titi on for an exe m p ti on from t he requ i re m en t s of 14 C. F .R

Sec ti ons 61. 1 13(a) & (b), 91.7(a), 91.121, 91.151(b), 91.405(a), 91.407(a)(1),
91.409(a)(1) & (a)(2), and 91.417(a) & (b), and per mi t Ahmed Jamal Khan t o opera t e t he DJI

Phantom 3 Professional UAS co mm erc i a ll y for t he purpose of conduc ti ng aer i al v i deo and
pho t ography over cer t a i n areas of t he Un it ed S t a t es.

Da t ed: May 08 , 2015

R e spec t fu ll y sub mitt ed,

Ahmed Jamal Khan 848 N Rainbow Blvd. Suite 3618 Las Vegas, Nevada 89107 714

- 721

- 7393 Email

– JK6101@aol.com38 38 APP E NDIC E S:

A

– DJI Phantom 3 Professional Data Sheet

B

– DJI Phantom 3 Professional User Manuel

C

- Mon t h l y Maintenance L og39 39 APP E NDIX

– A

DJI Phantom 3 Professional UAS Data Sheet

Ahmed Jamal Khan on l y u tili zes safe and re li ab l e UAS's. DJI i s an i ndus t ry l eader i n s m a l l UAS
produc ti on. DJI UAS's are l oaded w it h ground break i ng sof t ware enab li ng t he user t o set para m e t ers

wh i ch w il l not a ll ow f

li ght i n t o con t ro ll ed a i rspace. Para m e t ers can a l so be set t o limi t f li ght t o no h i gher

t han a prede t er mi ned and set a ltit ude as we l l as limi t f li ght t o a prede t er mi ned and set d i s t ance. In

add iti on, DJI sof

t ware prov i des rea l

- tim e a ltit ude and l oca ti on i nfor m a ti on t o t he PIC v i a t he li nked

m on it o r and R a d i o Con t rol T rans mitt er

.
1.1 DJI Phantom 3 Professional UAS

1.1.1 A i rcraft

- DJI Phantom 3 Professional UAS

1.1.1.1 B att er i es

– DJI Power 4480 m AH Li Po B att ery

1.1.1.2 W e i gh t (Battery & Propellers Included)

– 2 l bs 12 oz (1280 g)

1.1.1.3 Hover Accuracy

– V er ti ca l : + /

- 1 0 m ; Hor i zon t a l : + /

- 1 m

1.1.1.4 Max T

il t Angel

- 35deg

1.1.1.5 Max Ascen t/ Descent Speed

– 5 m/ s / 3 m/s

1.1.1.6 Max F li ght Speed

– 16 m/ s (NOT R E COMM E ND E D)

1.1.2 G im bal

1.1.2.1 DJI Phantom 3 Axis Gimbal

1.1.2.2 Con t ro l Accuracy

- ±0.03 deg

1.1.2.3 Con t ro l ler

– 3Ax i s (pitch, roll, yaw)

1.1.2.5 P it ch

- Con t ro ll ab l e

- 90deg to 0deg

1.1.2.6 Hor i zon

– Au t o m a ti c

1.1.3 C am era

1.1.3.1 Sony EXMOR 1/2.3”

1.1.3.2 FOV 94° 20 mm40 40 1.1.3.3 Effective pixels: 12.4 M

1.1.3.4 Opera ti ng T

e m pera t ure Range

- 0°C to 40°C

1.1.4 T rans mitt er

1.1.4.1 Lightbridge

1.1.4.2 Opera ti ng Frequency 2.400GHz

– 2.4835GHz

1.1.4.3 Co mm un i ca ti on D i s t ance (unobs t ruc t ed) FCC Co m p li ance 2000m

1.1.4.4 T rans mitt er Power FCC Co m p li ance: 20dBm CE:16 dBm

1.1.4.5 B att ery 6000 m Ah Li

- l on 2S
1.1.5.6 Opera ti ng T

e m pera t ure

- 0°C

- 40°C

1.1.5 Range Extender

1.1.5.1 Lightbridge

1.1.5.2 Opera ti ng Frequency 2.400GHz

– 2.4835GHz

1.1.5.3 Co mm un i ca ti on D i s t ance (unobs t ruc t ed) FCC Co m p li ance 20 00m

1.1.5.4 T rans mitt er Power FCC Co m p li ance: 20dBm CE:16 dBm

1.1.5.5 B att ery 6 000 m Ah Li

- l on 2S
1.1.5.6 Opera ti ng T

e m pera t ure

- 0°C

- 40°C41 41 APP E NDIX

– B

DJI Phantom 3 Professional User Manuel42 42 APPE N D I X

– C
Monthly Maintenance Log

Ahmed Jamal Khan

Mon t h l y Maintenance and R e pa i r L og

A i rcraf t :

Hours:

Da t e:

Da t e Issue

D i scove r ed Da t e Issue

R e so l ved Issue Desc r i pt ion / Maintenance

Condu ct ed R e pa i r / Maintenan ce

P erfor m ed By

A i rfra m e

Mo t ors

Prope ll ers

F li ght Con t rol
Upda t e

G im bal

M i sc.43 43