AFS-14-084-E 

April 1, 2014 

 Exemption No. 10968 

 Regulatory Docket No. FAA-2013-1127 

Mr. Dallas Cormier, SD1173 

San Diego Gas & Electric, Sempra Energy 

101 Ash Street 

San Diego, CA 92101 

Dear Mr. Cormier: 

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 conditions and limitations of the exemption, 

including the date it ends. 

The Basis for Our Decision 

By letters dated December 20, 2013 and January 14, 2014, you petitioned the Federal 

Aviation Administration (FAA) on behalf of San Diego Gas & Electric (SDGE) for an 

exemption from §§ 91.9(b)(2) and 91.203(a) and (b) of Title 14, Code of Federal Regulations 

(14 CFR). That exemption would allow SDGE to operate the InstantEye MK-2 N544L and 

N500VD unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) without carrying and displaying the airworthiness 

certificate, registration, flight manual, and any other required documentation onboard the 

aircraft. You requested that all required paperwork be located at the ground control station or 

within close proximity to the pilot in command. 

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 SDGE. 

The FAA has issued grants of exemption in circumstances similar in all material respects to 

those presented in your petition. In Grant of Exemption No. 8607 (copy enclosed), the FAA 

found it unnecessary to carry and display the airworthiness, certification, and registration 

documents in unmanned aircraft systems (UASs) and UAVs for the operations described by 

the petitioner. The original intent of the subject regulation was to display the airworthiness, 
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certification, and registration documents so they would be easily available to inspectors and 

passengers. 

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

 they are similar in all material respects to relief previously requested in the enclosed Grant 

of Exemption No. 8607; 

 the reasons stated by the FAA for granting the enclosed Grant of Exemption No. 8607 

also apply to the situation you present; and 

 a grant of exemption is in the public interest. 

Our Decision 

Under the authority contained in 49 U.S.C. §§ 106(f), 40113, and 44701, which the FAA 

Administrator has delegated to me, San Diego Gas & Electric is granted an exemption from 

14 CFR §§ 91.9(b)(2) and 91.203(a) and (b) that allows SDGE to operate the InstantEye MK2 N544L and N500VD UAVs without carrying and displaying the airworthiness certificate, 

registration, flight manual, and any other required documentation onboard the aircraft, subject 

to the following conditions and limitations described below. 

Conditions and Limitations 

1. Compliance with the conditions and limitations stipulated in the Certificate of 

Waiver or Authorization (COA) for San Diego & Gas Electric UAS operations. 

Exemption No. 8607 was issued as a permanent exemption. The FAA, however, finds it in the 

best interest of safety to review this exemption every 2 years. This allows the FAA to ensure 

that there has been no change in circumstances or regulations from which the exemption is 

granted. 

This exemption terminates on April 30, 2016, unless sooner superseded or rescinded. 

Sincerely, 

/s/ 

John S. Duncan 

Director, Flight Standards Service 

Enclosure