RE: Docket FAA-2015-1207, Exemption No. 12499 Petition for Amendment to Exemption 

Request 

Skanska USA Civil recieved an FAA Exemption No. 12499 on August 18, 2015 under section 333 

of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 to operate a small unmanned aircraft system 

(“sUAS”), the eBee, for various commercial purposes. In this present petition for an 

amendment to Docket FAA-2015-1207, Skanska USA Civil seeks to operate SenseFly’s recently 

developed eXom sUAS for the same purposes. 

The eXom, weighting 3.7 pounds (Maximum Take-off Weight), contains a rich array of 

advanced integrated sensors. These sensors work together to provide the user with full 

situational awareness and support obstacle avoidance: 

• Five ‘Navcam’ vision sensors allow the operator to see in the direction the drone is 

moving via its flight control software, without needing to turn the system’s TripleView 

camera head. This technology is unique in such a lightweight UAS, similar to the visual 

parking sensors in modern cars, but brought into a 3D flight environment. 

• Five ultrasonic proximity sensors work in harmony with eXom’s Navcams to ensure the 

Operator always knows the drone’s distance from nearby objects. (The drone’s shock 

absorbent carbon fiber shrouding is also always on hand to protect its rotors in case of 

surface contact.) 

• Numerous other sensors, including inertial measurement units, barometers, 

magnetometers, GPS and magnetic encoders, maximize the drone’s stability and safety. 

eXom offers different flight modes to suit every project: semi-automatic mode (waypoint 

navigation) or interactive ScreenFly mode (using the supplied joypad to navigate and orientate 

the drone via computer screen). The Screenfly mode includes flight assistance features such as 

cruise control and distance lock. In any situation, RC-based manual control always remains 

available as a backup function. 

The eXom is particularly safe. It was developed with flexible material absorbing potential 

shocks, and SenseFly R&D team has developed also a unique carbon-fiber shrouding protecting 

the propellers. We have added also redundancy in our command and control system. In case 

something happens to the primary autopilot, the eXom will switch automatically to the 

secondary autopilot. 

Skanska USA Civil will comply with all of the conditions and limitations imposed in Exemption 

No. 12499 except that condition/limitation number 1 will need to be revised to include the eXom 

UAS. The list of “operating documents” will also need to be revised to include senseFly’s 
(operating manual and safety assessment) for the eXom UAS, which will be provided separately 

to the FAA. Other than these revisions, there will be no change in the conditions and reasons 

relative to public safety that were the basis for the initial grant of exemption request. 

Because the requested amendment would not set any precedent or otherwise raise any novel 

issue, and because Skanska USA Civil seeks to begin these operations without delay, Skanska 

USA Civil respectfully requests the FAA to determine that good cause exists to dispense with 

publication of the summary of this petition in the Federal Register and grant the requested 

amendment expeditiously by summary means. 

Thank you for your consideration of this petition. 

Sincerely, 

Andrew Deveney, 

Survey Manager