Date: July 22

, 2015

U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t i on

Do c k e t Man a g e ment S y s tem

1200 N e w J e rs e y Av e

., S E

W a shin g ton, DC 20590

R e : P e t i t i on of Air Cam LLC

, for a n E x e mp t ion P u rsu a nt t o S ec t i on 333 of the F AA Mod e rni z a t i on a nd

Re f o r m A c t of 2012

To W hom i t M a y Con c e r n:

P u r suant to S ec t i on 333 of the F A A Mod e rni z a t i on a nd Re f o r m A c t of 20 1 2 ( " R e fo r m A c t " ) a nd 14

C. F .R. P a rt 1 1, Air Cam LLC (" Air Cam " ) h e r e b y a ppl i e s for a n e x e mp t ion f r om the F e d e r a l

A viation R e gulations ( " F

AR s " ) id e nt if

ied b e low t o a l l ow c om m e r c ial op e r a t i on of small unmann e d

ae r i a l vehi c les ( i.e., " small unm a nn e d a ir c r a f t " or " U A S " ) for the pu rpose o f c ondu c t i n g : aerial

p hotography

, p hotogrammetry, p roperty s u r v e y , mapping a nd insurance i nsp ec t i on.

This peti t ion for e x e mp t i on is created b a s e d on inf o rm a t i on out l ined in th i s Pe t i t i on f o r E x e mp t ion, as

we ll a s but not limited to t h e se accompanying Air Cam documents ;

1. Flight Op e r a t i ons Man ua l;

2. Operations Manuals

(C ol le c t i v e l y r e fe r re d to as “ Op e r a t i ons Man ua ls" )

3. Us e r G uide and;

4. Us e r M a nu a l

( C ol lec t i v e l y r e f

e r r e d to as " M a nuf

a c tu r e r ' s Man u a l " )

. 1

The Air Cam submi t s these as well as other Air Cam s u pporting mat e ri a ls as c o n fid e nt i a l docum e nts

pur s u a nt t o 14 C. F .R. § 11.35 ( b )

, a s the mat e ri a ls contain c onfid e nt i a l c o m m e r c ial a nd/or p r o p ri e t a r y

info r mat i on that the Air Cam h a s not a nd will not sh a re with o t h e rs. A ddi t ional l y , t h e se do c u m e nts contain

op e r a t i ng c ondi t ions and p r o ce du re s that a r e not g e n e r a l l y a v a i l a ble to the public a nd a re pro t ec ted f rom

r e le a s e und e r the F r ee d o m of I n fo r mation A c t, 5 U.S. C

. § 552 e t seq.

1 T he te r m " Man u f

ac tu r e r 's Man ua l" a lso includ e s a ll r e lev a nt manu f ac tu r e r p ubli ca tions

, in c ludin g , but not

l i m i ted to: op e r a t i ons a n d f li g h t m a nu a ls

, us e r g ui d e s

, c ompon e n t m a int e n a n c e m a n u a ls

, pilo t tr a in i ng

man u a ls, s e rvi c e info r mation l e t t e rs a nd, s a f e t y /se r vi c e bul l e t i ns).U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t ion

July 22, 2015

P a g e 2

T h is P e t i t i on is o r g a ni z e d a s follows:

I. Description of P e ti t io n e r

II. D e s cr i p tion of P r o p os e d O p er a t io n s

A. Aerial P hotography

B

. A e ri a l Photogrammetry, Property S u r v e y , Mapping a nd Insurance I nsp ec t i on

III. R e levant Sta t u to r y Au t h o r ity

IV. Air Cam ’ s P r o p osed U A S O p er a t io n s Mee t t h e R e qu ir e m e n ts of S ec ti o n 333 of t h e R e f o r m A c t

A. App r ov a l i s W a r ra nted B a s e d on the U A S ' s S i z e

, W e i g ht, S p e e d, a nd Op e r a t i on a l C a p a bi l i t y

B

. App r ov a l i s W a r ra nted B a s e d on the O p e r a t i on a l R e strictions S e t F o r th i n the Op e r a t i ons

Man u a l s

V. R e g u latio n s F r o m W h i c h Ex e m p tion i s Requested

A. 14 C. F .R. P a rt 21, Subp a rt H

– Air w o r th i n e ss C e r t ific a tes a nd 14 C. F .R. § 91.203 (a ) ( 1 )

B

. 14 C. F .R. P a rt 27 A irwo r th i n e ss S tand a rds: No r mal C a te g o r y Rotor c r a ft

C. 14 C. F .R. §§ 91.9 (c ), 45

. 23(b) a nd 45.27 ( a ): Ai r c r a ft M a rki n g a nd I d e nt i fi ca t i on Requir e m e nts

D. 14 C. F .R. § 91.405 (a ), 9 1.407 (a ) ( 1 ), 91

. 409(a) ( 1) a nd ( 2 ); 91.417 ( a ) a nd ( b ) : Mainten a n c e

I nspe c t i ons

E. 14 C. F .R. P a rt 61, 14 C. F .R. § 61.3, 14 C. F .R. § 61.113: P riv a te P i lot P rivile g e s and L i m i t a t i o n s

F

. 14 C. F .R. § 91.7 (a ): C i vil Air c r a ft Ai r wo r th i n e ss

G. 14 C. F .R. § 91.9 ( b ) (2 ) : C iv i l Air c r a ft F l i g ht Man u a l i n the A ir c r a ft a nd 14 C. F .R. § 91.203 (a )

a nd ( b ) : C a

r r y i n g Civ i l Air c raft Ce r t i fi ca t i on a nd R e g is t r a t i on

H. 14 C. F .R. § 91.103: P r e fli g ht A c t i on

I

. 14 C. F .R. § 91.109 (a ): F l i g ht I nstru c t i on

J

. 14 C. F .R. § 91.11 9 ( c ) : M in i mum S a fe Alt i tudes

K. 14 C. F .R. § 91.121: Al t i met e r Settin g s

L

. 14 C. F .R. § 91.151 (a ): Fuel R e quir e ments for F l i g ht i n V F R Condi t ions

VI. D r u g a n d Al c o h ol P r o g r a m

VII. P ub l i c I n t e re s t

VIII. P r iv a c y

IX. F e de r al R e gis t e r S u mm a r y

X. Concl u sionU.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t ion

July 22, 2015

P a g e 3

I. D E SCRI P T I O N O F P ET I T I O NER

B a s e d in Shreveport, Louisiana

, Air Cam LLC is an ae ri a l c in e mato g r a p h y company which provides

vi deography, mapping, inspections and imaging s olu t ions to the video and inspection indust r ies

. Petitioner

Gary Holloway is experienced in airspace operations, (previously as a helicopter pilot) and operates

professionally as a press credentialed n ews reporter and researcher, working regionally as required by

local authorities

. Air Cam s ee ks an e x e mp t ion to allow c om m e r c ial op e r a t i ons of a UAV ( of less than

55lbs ) in order to p r ovide aerial photography, non

- close set video production, photogrammetry, property

s u r v e y ing , mapping a nd insurance i nsp ec t i on

.

The c onta c t i n f

o rm a t i on f

o r Petitioner is as f

ol l o w s:

Gary Holloway

Air Cam LLC

319 Maggie Lane

Shreveport, LA 71106

P hon e : 318

- 663

- 1380

Email: gary_holloway@bellsouth.net

II. D E SCRI P T I O N O F P R O P O S E D O P E RAT I O N

Air Cam s e e ks an e x e mp t ion pursu a nt t o S ec t i on 333 of the Re f o r m A c t t o op e r a te the DJI

PHANTOM II, III & INSPIRE I U A S f o r the p r opos e d op e r a t i ons discuss e d b e low. All U AS ope ra t i ons

will oc c ur und e r ti g ht l y c ontroll e d c ondi t ions on priv a te p r op e r t y wh e re Air Cam h a s r e c e ived p e rmission

t o op e r a te f

r om t he lando w n e r, c ontroll e r o r a uthori z e d r e p re s e ntativ e s . The pro p osed U AS op e r a t i ons will

be c ondu c ted in a cc o r d a n c e with the c ondi t ions and lim i ta t ions of this P e t i t i on f o r E x e mp t ion and Air Cam ’

Op e r a t i ons Man u a ls. As d e tailed in Air Cam ' Op e r a t i ons Man u a ls, all U A S op e r a t i ons will be l i m i ted to

d a y t i me V F R c ondi t ion s , with i n visu a l l i ne

- o f

- s i g ht ( " V L OS " ) o f the op e r a tor, in uncont r ol l e d a irsp a c e

,

a nd will o cc ur a t l ea st 5 nm a w a y f rom a n a irp o rt. Mo re ov e r, Air Cam ’ O p e r a t i ons Manu a ls inco r por a te

r e dund a nt s a f

e g u a rds to a ssu r e that the a ir c r a ft do e s not tr a v e l ou t side the c ontroll e d are a o f U AS

op e r a t i ons, in c lud i ng GPS "geo

- f e n c i ng" te c hnol o g ies.

A. Aerial Photography

Air Cam s e e ks to use sm a ll U A S s for the pu rpose of c ondu c t i n g Aerial P hotography for indust r ial,

artistic collections and other types of photo and video imagery

.

Air Cam h a s t a i l o re d i t s op e r a t i ons to m ee t t he re qui r e ments e stablished b y t h e F A A in p r ior g ra nts of

e x e mp t i on s a uthori z ing c om m e r c ial use o f U AS i n photo and video production includi n g :U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t ion

July 22, 2015

P a g e 4

 RC P ro Produ c t i ons C o n su l t i n g

, LL C d/b / a V o rt e x A e ri a l (E x e mp t ion No. 11064)

 Astraeus Aerial (Exemption No. 11062)

 Alan D. Purwin (Exemption No. 11161)

 F l y i n g

- C a m

, L L C ( E x e mp t ion No. 11080)

 P icture F a c to r y

, I n c

. ( E x e mp t ion No. 1117 8 )

 Dronair Solutions ( Exemption No. 11671 )

All UAS photo and video production includi n g op e r a t i ons will be conducted on p r i v a te p r op e r t y in a

c ontrol l e d a

re a

, a w a y f

r om sp ec tators a nd p e r s ons not invo l v e d in t he f i l m and TV production

. All UAS

photo and video will be c ondu c ted du r i n g d a y l i g h t hours , V F R c ondi t ions, a t alt i tudes b e low 40 0 ' A G L

. As

s e t fo r th below, Air Cam ’ op e r a t i ons pro v ide a sup e rior l e v e l of sa fe t y and quality compared to p e r f o r m i n g

the s a m e filming wo r k using c onv e nt i on a l fi x e d

- wing a i r c raft or h e l icopt e rs.

B. A e ri a l Photogrammetry, Property S u r v e y , Mapping a nd Insurance I nsp ec t i on

Air Cam s e e ks to use sm a ll U A S s for the pu rpose of c ondu c t i n g a e ri a l photogrammetry f or s a f e t y

mon i toring of c ontroll e d ac c e ss i ndustri a l and c o n stru c t i on si t e s, a nd inf ra st r u c tur e s . T r a di t ional methods

of insurance inspe c t ion of th i s t y pe of i n f ra str u c tur e , in c lud i ng f

la r e sta c ks, e lev a t e d pipelines a nd pow e r

lin e s, tanks, a nd st ee p roo f top s

, e x pose inspect i ng e n g i n ee rs to uncalled for r isk, physical h a rm, se r ious

i nju r y or death

. I n s p ec tors n e e d to cli m b tow e r s or othe r wise p e r f o r m el e v a ted w o r k, whi c h e x poses th e m

t o the r isk of d a n g e rous f a l l s , electrocutio n or other work related extreme injury

. I n a ddi t ion, d e p e nding on

t h e n a ture o f the inspe c t i o n

, p r o x i m i t y to e quip m e nt o f ten involves a r isk of e x posure to ha z a rdous

c h e m i ca ls or o x y g e n

- d ef

ici e nt atmosph e r e s, burns f rom ste a m or hot e quip m e nt, and oth e r m e c h a nic a l

h a z a rds a ssoci a t e d with industrial si t e s and c onstru c t i on f a c i l i t ies. The use o f s m a ll U A S s m i t i g a tes th e se

h a z a rds a nd is ul t i m a te l y a much s a f e r m e thod of p e r f

o rming the s e and most other t y p e s of insp ec t i ons for

insurance risk assessment

.

S mall UAS i nspe c t i on is a lso s a f e r and is basically impossible to perform low altitude inspections

with tr a di t ional mann e d a ir c r a ft. Conv e nt i on a l ope ra t i ons us i ng roto rc r a ft a nd fi x e d

- wing a ir c r a ft i n low

le v e l op e r a t i ons pr e s e nt risks a ssoci a ted w i t h v e hicl e s w e i g hi n g thous a nds of po u nds a nd ca r r y i n g la r ge

a moun t s of f

u e l. I t is i mport a nt t o note th a t t he use o f sm a ll U A S in t his a re a will not on l y be sa f e r a nd

mo r e c ost e f

f e c t i v e , but t he qu a l i t y of collected data and in f o r mation is f

a r sup e rio r

. S mall U A S inspe c t i on

is more r e l i a

ble, a nd a l l ows f

o r the c ol l ec t i on, diss e m i n a t i on, a nd sto r a g e o f visual a nd other senso r y d a ta

w i t h gr e a t e r p r ec is i o n a nd du ra t i on. S mall UASs are a lso ca p a ble o f a c ce ss i n g a nd inspe c t ing a re a s that

wo u ld o t h e r w ise be in a cce ss i ble to humans or cannot be completed with c onv e nt i on a l aircr a ft.U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t ion

July 22, 2015

P a g e 5

III. R ELE V ANT ST ATUT O RY AUT H O RI T Y

This P e t i t i on f

o r E x e mp t i on is submi t ted pu r suant to S ec t i on 333 (a ) th r o u gh ( c ) of the F AA

Mod e rni z a t i on a nd R e fo r m A c t of 2012 ( " R e fo r m A c t " ). Co n g r e ss h a s dir e c ted the F AA " to sa f e l y

a c ce le r a te the i nte g r a t i on of c iv i l un m a n n e d a ir c r a ft s y stems i nto t he n a t i on a l airsp a c e s y stem

. " P u r suant to

S e c t i on 333 of the Re f

o r m A c t, t he F AA Admin i str a tor is t o p e rmit unm a nn e d a ir c r a ft s y st e ms t o op e r a te in

the Na t i on a l Air Sp ac e (" N AS " ) wh e re it is s a f e to do so b a s e d on the f

ol l owi n g c onsid e r a t i ons:

● The U A S ' s s iz e , w e i g ht, spe e d a nd op e r a t i on a l c a p a bi l i t y ;

● Op e r a t i on of the U A S in close pro x i m i t y to ai r p o rts a nd populat e d a r ea s; a n d

● Op e r a t i on of the U A S with i n the visu a l l ine of sight of the op e r a tor.

Addit i on a l l y , the FAA A dm i nis t r a tor h a s ge ne r a l autho r i t y to g r a nt e x e mp t ions f r om t he a g e n c y 's

s a f e t y re g ulations a nd m i ni m um s t a nd a rds w h e n the A dm i nis t r a tor d ec ides a r e q u e sted e x e mp t ion i s in the

publ i c in t e r e st. S e e 49 U.S. C . § 106( f ) ( d e fini n g the a u t hori t y of the Admin i str a tor ) ; 49 U. S .C. § 44701 ( f)

( p e rmit t ing e x e mp t ions f

r om §§ 447 0 1 (a ), ( b ) a nd §§ 44702

– 44716, e t se q

. ). A p a r t y r e qu e st i n g a n

e x e mp t ion m ust e x p l a in t he rea sons w h y the e x e mp t ion: ( 1) would b e n e fit the publ i c a s a w ho l e

, a nd ( 2 )

would not adv e rs e l y a f

f ec t s a f e t y ( or how it would provide a lev e l of s a f e t y a t l ea st e q u a l t o the e x is t ing

r ules )

. S e e 14 C. F .R. § 11.81 (p e t i t i ons for e x e mp t ion).

IV. AIR CAM ’ S P R O P O S E D U AS O P E RAT I O NS M EE T T H E R E Q UIR EME NTS O F

SE CTI O N 333 OF THE REFORM ACT

The small U A S op e r a t i ons p r opos e d b y Air Cam i n th i s P e t i t i on for E x e m p t i on qu a l if y f o r e x p e di t e d

a ppro va l purs u a nt to S ec t i on 333 of the Re f o r m A c t a s e a c h of t h e st a tu t o r y c rite r i a a nd r e lev a nt f ac tors a re

s a t i sfi e d.

A. Ap p r oval i s Wa rr a n t e d Based on t h e U A S 's S i z e , W e ig h t, S p ee d , a n d O p er a t io n al Ca p a b i l ity

A G r a nt of E x e mp t ion i s ap p rop r iate for op e r a t i o n s co n du c ted usi n g the PHANTOM II, III & INSPIRE

I U A S s due t o its si z e w e i g ht, sp e e d, a nd op e r a t i on a l ca p a bi l i t y

.U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t ion

July 22, 2015

P a g e 6

 T he PHANTOM II, III & INSPIRE I h a s b ee n a ppro ve d for u s e in prior S ec t i on 333 G ra nts of E x e mp t ion

f r om t he F A A

. 2

 The PHANTOM II, III & INSPIRE I w ei g hs l e ss t h a n 5 5 pounds, in c lud i ng p a y load.

 The PHANTOM II, III & INSPIRE I will not be f lown a t a g r ound speed in e x ce ss of 50 knots.

 Alt i tude in f

o r mation wi l l be g e n e r a ted b y e quip m e nt onboa r d the U A a s s p ec ified using GPS tria n g u l a t i on,

di g i t a l l y e n c o d e d b a rom e tric a l t i m e te r

, ra dio a l t i m e te r , or a n y c omb i n a t i on the re o f . This i n f o r mation wi l l

be t ra nsm i t t e d to t he pi l ot v i a tel e metric d a ta f e e d.

 The U A S s will h a ve s y stem r e dund a n c ies a nd in d e p e nd e nt fu n c t i on a l i t y to e nsure the ov e r a ll sa f e t y a n d

p re dict a bi l i t y of the s y stem. I f c onn e c t i on to t he re m ote c ontrol or g round c ontrol station is l ost, f a i l s a fe

s y stems wi l l pe r m i t t he U A S to r e turn to a p r e d e t e rmin e d loc a t i on a nd s a f e l y l a nd without in

j u r y o r

d a m a g e

.

 The ra dio f

r e qu e n c ies u s e d for op e r a t i ons a nd c o n trol of the U A S c omp l y with t he Fe d e r a l

C om m unic a t i ons C om m is s ion ( " F CC " ) a n d other a ppro p ri a te g ov e rnm e nt ove r s i g ht a g e n c y re qu i r e ments.

The op e r a t i n g f

r e qu e n c y for t he PHANTOM II, III & INSPIRE I is 2.4 G H z

.

I f the s a me o p e r a t i ons w e re c ond u c ted usi n g a h e l i c opte r , the a i r c raf t ' s tak e

- o f f w e i g ht would l i k e l y

e x cee d 6,0 0 0 pounds carrying a pilot, camera operator and VO

- visual observer

- navigator . The dif f e r e n c e

in w e i g ht betw e e n the PHANTOM II, III & INSPIRE I a nd a h e l i c opt e r si g n ific a nt l y r e du ce s t h e potential

h a rm to the p a r t icip a t i ng a nd no n

- p a rticip a t i ng ind i viduals or pro pe r t y in t he e v e nt o f a n a c c ident or

incid e nt. I n a ddi t ion, t he r isk to t he onbo a rd pilot a nd ca me r a op e r a tor is eli m inat e d.

_______________________

2 S e e e .g

., G r a nt of E x e mp t ion t o S hotover C a me r a S y stems L

. P

. ( E x e mp t ion No. 11159 ) ; G ra nt of

E x e mp t ion t o V D OS G l ob a l, LL C ( E x e mp t ion No. 11112 ) ; Gr a nt of E x e mp t ion t o L ow Count r y RC, Corp.

( E x e mp t ion No. 11184 ) ; G ra nt of E x e mp t ion t o Al a n P u r win ( E x e mp t ion No. 11161 ) ;

Gr a nt of E x e mp t ion t o H e l i n e t Aviation S e rvi ce s ( E x e mp t i on No. 11160 ) ; Gr a nt of E x e mp t ion t o Total

S a f e ty U.S., I n c

. ( E x e mp t ion No. 11156 )

.U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t ion

July 22, 2015

P a g e 7

B. Ap p r oval i s Wa rr a n t e d B a s e d on t h e O p er a t io n al R e st r ic t io n s S e t F o r th in Air Cam ’ O p er a t io n s

M a nu a l s

Air Cam ’ s O p e r a t i ons M a nu a l s a nd the M a nu f ac tu r e r ' s Manu a l f

o r the sel e c t e d U A S s will c ontain the

p r o c e dures and l i m i tations n ece ss a r y to s a f e l y a nd s u cce s s f

ul l y p e r fo r m t h e op e r a t i ons spe c if i e d in t his

P e t i t i on f o r E x e mp t io n . To a s si s t t he F AA in m a king a sa f e t y a ssessment of Air Cam ’ p ropos e d op e r a t i ons,

b e low is a summa r y of o p e r a t ional l i m i tations a nd c ondi t ions that Air Cam will a dh e re to, and w h i c h will

e nsure a n e q u i v a le n t or hi g h e r l e v e l of s a f e t y to ope r a t i ons c on d u c ted und e r c u r r e nt r e g u l a to r y g ui d e l i n e s:

1. The U A S w e i g hs l e ss t h a n 5 5 pounds, ful l y load e d

.

2. All ope ra t i ons shall be c o ndu c ted ov e r p riv a te or c ontroll e d

- a c ce ss prop e r t y with p e rmission f r om t he

land o w n e r/ c ontroll e r o r a ut h o r i z e d r e p re s e ntative. P e rmission f r om l a nd own e r/ c ontroll e r o r

a uthori z e d r e p r e s e ntative w i l l be obtain e d for e ac h fl i g ht o p e r a t i on.

3. All UASs op e r a ted und e r the G r a nt of E x e mp t ion wi l l be id e nt i fi e d b y s e ri a l numbe r

, r e g is t e r e d in

a cc o r d a n c e with 14 C F R p a r t 47, and h a ve identifi c a t i on ( N

- Numb e r) ma r ki n g s in acc o r d a n c e with 14

C F R p a rt 45, Subp a rt C. M a r kin g s will be a s la r g e a s pr a c t ic a ble.

4. Mini m um c re w f

or e ac h fli g ht op e r a t i on will c onsist of a pi l ot, who will be P i l o t

- in C om m a nd

( " P I C " ) o f the U A S

, a nd one o r mo r e Visu a l Obs e rvers ( " Obs e rv e r " ) a s ne c e s s a r y to sa f e l y c o ndu c t

t he m i ss i on.

5. P I Cs shall poss e ss at le a s t a Priv a te P i lo t ' s C e rtifi c a te a nd c u rre nt C lass I I I Medi ca l C e rtifi ca t e

. The

P I C will a lso m ee t t he f

l i g ht r e vi e w re qui r e ments spe c ified in 14 C

. F .R 61

. 56 in an a ir c r a ft in which

the P I C is r a ted on his or h e r pi l ot c e rtifi ca te.

6. The UA shall be o p e r a t e d with i n V L OS of the P IC a nd Obs e rver a t all t i m e s. The P I C must use

h uman vision un a ided b y a n y d e v i c e other t h a n c o r r e c t i ve l e n s e s, as spe c ified on the P I C ' s F AA

is s u e d medi c a l c e rti f

ic a te.

7. The P I C a nd Obs e r v e r desi g n a t e d for a n y o p e r a t i o n will be a ble to c om m unic a te v e rb a l l y a t all t i m e s.

8. Ele c tronic mess a g i n g or t e x t i ng will not be p e rmit t e d du r ing fli g ht o p e r a t i o ns.

9. The a ddi t ional re qui r e m e nts i d e nt i fi e d in t he G ra n t of E x e mp t ion shall be a dd e d to t he Air Cam ’ s

O p e r a t i o ns Man ua l s.U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t ion

July 22, 2015

P a g e 8

The Op e r a t i ons Man ua l s will be maintain e d a nd made a v a i l a ble to the Admin i str a tor upon re q u e st. I f a

disc r e p a n c y e x is t s b e tw ee n the c ondi t ions and lim i tations in the G r a nt of E x e mp t ion a nd Air Cam ’

Op e r a t i ons Man u a l s, the c ondi t ions and lim i tatio n s in t he G ra nt of E x e mp t ion shall t a ke pre ce d e n c e a n d must

be f ol l ow e d. Oth e r w ise, Air Cam shall follow the p r o ce du r e s outl i n e d in t h e ir Op e r a t i ons Man ua ls.

10. Air Cam m a y u pd a te or r evis e it s O p e ra tio ns M a n u a ls

. R e vision s w il l b e t r a c k e d a n d a r e vi s e d c o p y

of the M a n u a l w il l be p r ovi d e d to th e A dminist r a to r upo n re q u e st

. Air Cam w il l a ls o p re s e n t a n u pd a t e d a n d

r e vis e d O p e r a tion s M a n u a l s i f i t p e tition s f o r e x t e nsio n o r a m e nd m e n t t o it s G r a n t of E x e mption

. I f a n up d a t e

or r e vis i on would a f

f ec t t he b a sis upon whi c h the F A A g ra nts t he e x e mp t ion, Air Cam will se e k a n

a m e ndment to i ts Gr a nt of Ex e mp t ion. Air Cam will c o nta c t the F A A ’s U AS I nt e g r a t i on O f fi c e ( A F S

- 80) if

q u e st i ons a rise r e g a rdi n g u pd a tes or re vis i ons to the op e r a t i ng do c u m e nts.

11. Air Cam ’ s O p e ra t i on s M a n u a l s a nd it s G r a n t o f E x e mptio n w il l be a v a i l a bl e to th e

P I C a t t he g r o un d c on t r o l st a tio n a n y tim e t h e UA S is op e ra ti n g

.

12. The P I C is prohib i ted f r o m be g inn i n g a UAS f

l i g ht un l e ss ( c onsid e r i ng wind a nd f o re ca st w ea th e r

c ondi t ions) the r e is en o u g h po w e r to f l y to t he f i rst in t e nd e d point of l a nding, and a ssu m ing n o rm a l c r uis i ng

spe e d, to f

l y a ft e r t h a t for a t l ea st 10 m i nute s

.

13. Ma x i m um to t a l fli g ht t i m e f or e ac h o p e r a t i on a l fl i g ht usi n g the PHANTOM II, III & INSPIRE I

will be l i m i ted to 40 m i nutes or the a mount of time the U A S ca n be flo w n a nd s t i ll maintain a re s e rve b a t ter y

po w e r of no less than 25 %

, whi c h e v e r oc c u r s fi r s t

.

14. F l i g hts will be op e r a ted a t an a l t i t ude of no more t h a n 400 fee t A G L a nd w i ll n e v e r e n t e r n a v i g a ble

c o ntroll e d a irsp a c e without prior w r i t ten a uthori z a t i on a nd a ppro va l f r om t he F A A. I n the e v e nt t he str u c ture

b e ing insp e c ted e x cee ds 400 f e e t A G L

, t h e U A S will not be oper a ted m o re th a n 100 fee t abo v e the h i g h e st

point on the stru c tur e

, a n d no more than 50 f e e t h o r i z ontal l y f

r om t he s t ructur e

.

15. F l i g ht op e r a t i ons must be c ondu c ted a t le a st 500 fe e t f r om all nonpa r t i c ipat i ng p e rsons. ( p e rsons

oth e r t h a n the P I C, V O, op e r a t o r t ra ine e s o r e ssential p er sonnel ), v e ssels, v e hicl e s, and st r u c tur e s unl e ss:

a. B a r ri e rs or str u c tur e s a re p re s e nt t h a t suf f ic i e nt l y p rot ec t nonpa r t i c i p a t i ng p e rsons f rom the U A a n d /or

d e b r is i n the e v e nt of a n a c c ident. The op e r a tor must e nsu r e that nonp a rti c ipating p e rsons re main und e r

s u c h p r ote c t i on. I f a si t u a t i on a ris e s wh e re nonp a rticip a t i ng p e rsons l e a ve such p r ote c t i on a nd a re

with i n 500 fee t of the U A

, f l i g h t ope ra t i ons must c ea se i m medi a te l y a nd/or;U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t ion

July 22, 2015

P a g e 9

b. The a ir c r a ft is op e r a ted n ea r v e s s e ls, vehi c les or s t ru c tur e s w h e re t h e own e r/ c ontroll e r o f su c h v e ssels,

v e hicl e s or str u c tur e s has g r a nted p e rmission and the P I C h a s made a s a f e t y a s s e ss m e nt of the r isk of

op e r a t i n g c loser to t hose obje c ts and d e t e rmin e d that it do e s not pr e s e nt an undue h a z a rd, a nd;

c

. Op e r a t i ons n e a rer to the P I C, V O , op e r a tor t r a in e e s or e ssential p e rsons do not pr e s e nt an undue

h a z a rd to those p e rsons p e r § 91.119 (a ).

16. The UA m a y not be o p e r a ted l e ss t h a n 500 f e e t b e low or less than 2,000 f e e t hori z ontal l y f

r om a

c loud or w h e n vis i bi l i t y is l e ss t h a n 3 st a tu t e m i les f rom the P I C.

17. The UA m a y not op e r a te with i n 5 nm of a n a irpo r t re fer e n c e point a s de n o t e d on a c u rr e nt F A A

publ i shed a e ron a ut i ca l c h a rt unless a letter of a g r ee ment with that a irpo r t’s man a g e ment is obtain e d, a nd the

op e r a t i o n is condu c ted in a c c o r d a n c e with a N OT A M as r e qui r e d b y t h e Air Cam COA. The letter of

a g re e ment with the a irpo r t m a n a g e ment will be made a v a i l a ble to the A dm i nis t r a tor upon r e qu e st.

18. P rior to e ac h fl i g ht t he P IC sh a ll inspe c t t he U A S to con f irm th a t i t i s in a c ondi t ion sa f e f or fli g ht.

The pr e

- fli g ht i nsp e c t i on will acc ount for a ll disc re p a n c ies, e .g. inop e r a ble c omponents, items, or e quip m e nt,

not a lr e a d y c ov e r e d in t he r e le v a nt s e c t i ons of the op e r a t i n g d o c uments. The P I C s h a ll not op e r a te the U A S

if the i n spe c t i on r e v e a ls a c ondi t i on that a f f e c ts t he sa f

e op e r a t i on of the U AS un t il the n ece ssa r y

m a in t e n a n c e h a s b e e n p e r f o r med a nd the U A S is found to be in a c ondi t ion for sa f e f l i g ht. The g r ound

c ontrol s t a t i o n shall be includ e d in t he preflight ins p ec t i on. All m a in t e n a n c e a nd a l t e r n a t i ons must be

p r op e r l y do c umen t e d in t he U A S r e c o r ds a s r e qui r e d b y Air Cam ’ Op e r a t i ons Man ua l s

.

19. Air Cam will c a rr y out i ts m a in t e n a n ce , insp e c t i ons, a nd r e c o rd ke e ping r e quir e ments in

a cc o r d a n c e with t he Op e r a t i ons Ma n u a ls. M a in t e n a n ce , inspe c t i on, a nd a l t e r a t i ons will be not e d in t he U A S

rec o r ds, in c lud i n g to t a l t i m e in se r vic e , d e s c ription of wo r k a c c omp l ished, a nd the si g n a tu r e of the a uthori z e d

p e rson re turni n g the U A S to se r vic e

.

20. A n y U A S that h a s un d e r g one m a in t e n a n c e or a l t e r a t i ons that a f f ec t t h e U A S op e r a t i on or fl i g ht

c h a r a c te r is t ics ( e .g

., r e p l ace m e n t of a fli g ht c ritic a l c om p on e nt) must und e r g o a fun c t i o n a l test fli g ht in

a cc o r d a n c e with Air Cam O p e r a t i ons Man ua l s

. The P I C who c ondu c ts the fun c t i on a l test fli g ht must make a n

e nt r y i n th e U A S a ir c raft r e c o rds of the fli g ht. The r e qui r e men t s a n d p r o ce du r e s f o r a f u n c tion a l test fli g ht a nd

U A S r e c o r d e nt r y shall be includ e d in the Air Cam ’ s O p e r a t i ons Man ua l s

.U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t ion

July 22, 2015

P a g e 10

21. The U A S will be op e r a t e d a nd maintain e d a cc o r d i ng to t he Ma n u f a c tu r e r ' s Man ua ls and a n y

r e quir e d manu fac tu r e r Sa f e t y / Se rvi c e B ul l e t i ns.

22. P rior to t he op e r a t i on, a Miss i on P ac k e t wi l l be c r ea ted in a cc o r d a n c e with t he r e quir e ments on Air

Cam ’ s Op e r a t i ons Manu a ls.

23. Air Cam will obtain a n A i r T r a f fic O r gani z a t i on ("AT O ") issu e d Ce r t i fi c a te of W a iver or

A uthori z a t i on, othe r wise known a s a CO A , prior to condu c t i n g a n y op e r a t i ons und e r this G ra nt of

E x e mp t ion. A N OT A M will be issued a s r e quir e d b y the CO A

. All ope ra t i ons will be c ondu c ted in

acc o r d a n c e with a irsp a c e r e quir e ments in the A T O is s u e d COA in c lud i ng c l a ss of a irsp a ce

, a l t i t ude l e v e l a nd

potential tr a nspond e r re quir e ments.

24. All r e quir e d p e rmissions and p e rmits will be obtain e d f r om t e r ritori a l, s t a t e

, c oun t y or c i t y

j u risdictions, including loc a l la w e n f o rce m e nt, fire or ot h e r a

ppro p ri a te g o v e rnm e nt a l ag e n c ies.

25. I f the U AS l oses c om m u nic a t i on with t he pi l ot, i t will h a ve the ca p a bi l i t y t o r e turn to a p r e

d e t e rmin e d loc a t i on with i n the op e r a t i on a l a r e a a nd land s a f e l y

.

26. Cont i n g e n c y plans w i l l b e in p l a c e to s a f e l y te r m i n a te f

l i g ht i f t h e re is a lo s s of c om m unic a t i on

b e tw ee n the P I C a nd the Obs e r v e r

.

27. The U A S will h a ve the c a p a bi l i t y to sa f e l y a bort f

l i g ht i n the ca se o f un p redict e d obst ac les or

e m e r g e n c ie s

.

28. P I Cs and Obs e rv e rs will h a ve a t le a st a c u r r e nt Class I I I Me d i ca l C e rtifi c a te.

29. P rior to condu c t i ng o p e rat i ons for f i l m i n g , the P I C will h a ve a c c umu l a ted a nd log g e d, in a m a nn e r

c on s is t e nt wi t h 14 C F R § 61.51 ( b ) , a m i ni m um of 200 f l i g ht c y c les a nd 25 ho u rs total t i me a s a U AS

rotor c r a ft pi l ot and a t l ea s t 10 hou r s log g e d a s a U AS p i lot with a simi l a r U AS t y p e

.

30. P rior to condu c t i ng o p e rat i ons for f i l m i n g , the P I C will h a ve a c c umu l a ted a nd log g e d, in a m a nn e r

c on s is t e nt wi t h 14 C F R § 61.51 ( b ) , a m i ni m um of 5 4 C F R § 61.51 ( b ) , a m i ni m um o f 10 logged hours a s U A S

pi l ot ope r a t i ng the m a ke a nd model of U A S to be uti l i z e d for op e r a t i ons und e r the e x e mp t ion and th irty tak e

o f fs a nd thirty landi n g in t he p r ec e ding 90 d a y s.U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t ion

July 22, 2015

P a g e 11

31. Op e r a t i ons shall oc c u r d u r ing d a y t i me V F R Met e o r olo g i c a l C ondi t ions; f l i g hts und e r S p ec i a l

V i sual F l i g h t R ul e s ( " S V F R") sh a ll n o t be c ondu c ted.

32. The UA shall r e main c l e a r a nd y ield the ri g ht of w a y to all o t h e r m a nn e d op e r a t i ons a nd a c t i vi t ies

a t all t i m e s (in c lu d in g

, b ut not l i m i ted to, u l t r a l i ght v e hicl e s, pa r ac hute ac t i vi t ies, p a r a s a i l i n g ac t i vi t ie s , h a ng

g l i d e rs, e tc. )

.

33. U A S Op e r a t i ons und e r Instr u ment F l i g ht R ules, a t n i g ht, or b e y ond V L OS a re p r ohib i ted.

34. The U A s will not be op e r a ted f rom a n e lev a ted pl a tfo r m or mov i ng d e v i ce / v e hicl e

.

35. B e f

o re c ond u c t i ng o p e r a t i ons, the ra dio f re q u e n c y spe c trum used f o r op e r a t i on a nd c ontrol of the

U A w i ll c omp l y with t he F e d e r a l C om m unic a t i ons C o m m i ss i on ( F CC) or other a ppro p r i a te g o v e rnm e nt

ov e rsi g ht a g e n c y r e quir e m e nts.

V. R E G ULATI O NS F R O M W H ICH E X EM P T I O N IS R E Q UES TE D

The Fe d e r a l Aviation A c t e x p re ss l y g r a nts t he F A A the a uthori t y to i ssue e x e mp t ions. This statuto r y

a uthori t y

, b y i t s te r ms, i n c ludes e x e mp t ing c iv i l air c r a ft, a s t he te r m i s de f ined und e r § 40101 of the A c t

, including U A S s, f

r om i t s sa fe t y r e g u l a t i ons a nd m i ni m um s t a nd a rds wh e n the A dm i nis t r a tor d ec ides a

r e qu e sted e x e mp t ion i s in t he publ i c in t e r e st

. 3

Air Cam s e e ks an e x e mp t ion f r om sev e r a l i nte rr e la t e d pr o vis i ons of T i t le 14 of the Code of Fe d e r a l

Re g ula t ions ( "14 C

. F .R " ) Pa r ts 21, 45, 61 a nd 91 f or pur p o s e s o f c ondu c t i n g the r e qu e sted o p e r a t i ons us i ng a

U A S

. L is t e d b e low a r e : ( 1) the s p ec ific s ec t i o ns of 14 C. F .R f or whi c h e x e mp t ion i s sou g ht, and ( 2) the

op e r a t i n g p r o ce du r e s and s a fe g u a r d s that P e t i t i o n e r h a s e stablished whi c h will e n sure a le v e l of s a f e t y b e t t e r

th a n or e qu a l t o the r u l e s f r om which e x e mp t ion i s sou g ht

. 4

________________________________

3 49 U.S. C . § 44701 ( f) (a u thori z ing the g ra nt of e x e mp t ions f r om r e quir e me n ts of r e g ulations p re s c rib e d

p u rsu a nt t o Se c t i ons 44701( a ) a nd (b) a nd S ec t i ons 44702

- 44716 )

.

4 14 C. F .R § 11.81 (e ), w h ich re quir e s a p e t i t i on f o r e x e mp t ion t o inclu d e:

The r e a sons w h y gr a nt i n g the e x e mp t ion would not a dv e rs e l y a f f e c t s a f e t y

, or how the e x e mp t ion would

p r ovide a lev e l o f s a f

e t y a t that p r ovided b y t h e rule f rom w hich y ou s ee k e x e mp t ion.U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t ion

July 22, 2015

P a g e 12

UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEM

A. 14 C. F

. R. P a r t 21, Subp a r t H

– Ai r w o r thi n e ss C er ti f ica te s a n d 14 C

. F

. R. § 91.203 ( a ) (1)

The F A A h a s s t a ted th a t no e x e mp t ion i s ne e d e d f r om t his s ec t i on if a f

ind i ng is m a de und e r the

R e f o rm Ac t t h a t t he U A S sel ec ted p r ov i d e s an e quival e nt l e v e l of sa fe t y wh e n c ompa re d to a i r c r a ft no r mal l y

used f o r the same a ppl i ca t i on. Th e se c rite r i a a re m e t, and the re fo r e no e x e mp t ion i s ne e d e d

. 5 I f, ho we v e r,

t h e F AA d e te r m i n e s that t h e re a re some c h a ra c te r is t ics of the c h o s e n U A S that fa il to m ee t the re quir e m e nts

of the R e fo r m A c t, an e x e mp t ion i s r e qu e sted.

Eq u ival e n t Le v e l of Sa

f e ty

Air Cam ’ s use o f the PHANTOM II, III & INSPIRE I i s s af e w h e n taki n g in t o acc ount their si z e

,

w e i g ht, sp ee d, a nd op e r a t i on a l c a p a bi l i t y

. A s set f o r th i n the d e s c ript i on of pro p osed op e r a t i ons in S ec t i on

I V ( A), the PHANTOM II, III & INSPIRE I w e i g hs l e ss t h a n 5 5 pou n ds, in c lud i ng p a y load a n d will not be

f lown a t a g r ound sp ee d in e x ce ss of 50 knots. UAS i s a lso e quipped w i t h s a f e t y fe a tur e s that will allow

P e t i t i on e r to op e r a te the U A S sa f e l y a ft e r e x p e ri e n c e c e rt a in i n

- fli g ht conti n g e n c ies or f a i l u re s

. 6 7

__________________________________

5 S e e G r a nt of E x e mp t ion No. 11062 to Astr a e us A e r i a l ( F A A

- 201 4

- 0352 a t p g s. 1 3

- 14, 2 2 ).

6 S e e e .g

., G r a nt of E x e mp t ion No. 11184 to L o w Count r y RC, Corp. (F A A

- 2014

- 0803 a t p g . 3):

" The PHANTOM II, III & INSPIRE I h a ve the ca p a bi l i t y to op e r a te s a f

e l y a f t e r e x p e ri e n c i n g ce r tain i n

- fli g ht

c ont i n g e n c ies o r f

a i l u re s a nd uses a n a ut o

- pi l ot s y stem to mainta i n U A S stabili t y a nd c ontrol. The U A S is

a lso a ble to r e spond to a loss of g lobal pos i t i oning s y stem ( G PS ) or a los t

- l i nk e v e nt with a p r e

- c oo r dinat e d,

p re dict a ble, a u t omat e d fli g ht man e u v e r, a nd m a nu a l fli g ht c ontrol fun c t i on a l i t y a s a b a c kup. Th e s e s a f e t y

f e a tu r e s p r ovide a n e q u ival e nt lev e l of s a f e t y c ompa re d to a mann e d a ir c r a ft p e r f o r m i n g a si m i l a r oper a t i on."

7 S e e e .g

., G r a nt of E x e mp t ion No. 11184 to VD O S Glob a l, LL C. ( F A A

- 2 0 1 4

- 0382 a t p g s. 4

- 5 ) :

T he PHANTOM II, III & INSPIRE I ’s can be operated entirely by a touch

- screen, map

- based interface. This

means the operator only needs to command the system where to go, and the system does all the flying for the

operator. The PHANTOM II, III & INSPIRE I can be operated in both semi and fully autonomous flight

modes, w ith the operator simply clicking on a map to create a pre

- planned flight path for a flight. In addition,

the operator can create no fly zones or maximum flight ranges and altitudes so the system cannot enter areas

{footnote continued}U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t ion

July 22, 2015

P a g e 13

Addit i on a l l y , the U ASs c a r r y n e i t h e r pilots nor p a sseng e rs, c a r r y no e x plo s ive m a te r ials or fl a m m a ble liqu i d

fu e ls, a nd op e r a te e x c lus i v e l y w i t hin t he p a r a met e rs st a t e d in Air Cam’s Op e r a t i ons Man u a ls

.

Op e r a t i ons c ond u c ted u n d e r this e x e m pt i on will b e c lose l y c ontroll e d a nd mon i tor e d b y the op e r a tor

a nd will be c ondu c ted in c omp l ian c e with l o ca l pub l ic s a f e t y r e quir e ments, to p r ovide s ec u r i t y f o r the a r e a of

o p e r a t i on. Air Cam will a lso provide the F A A w i t h a dv a n c e not i c e of a ll op e r a t i o n s via N O TAMs a s

r e quir e d b y the a ppl i ca ble CO A

. In a ll ca s e s, op e r a t i on of the PHANTOM II, III & INSPIRE I und e r the

pro p osed c ondi t ions will be a t l ea st as s a f e a s, or s a f

e r th a n, c onv e nt i on a l r otor c r a ft o p e r a t i n g with a n

a irwo r th i n e ss c e rtifi ca t e

.

L a st l y , the U ASs do not ne e d a m e a ns to c om m unic a te w i t h other a i r c r a ft o r A TC, b eca use tho s e

ca p a bi l i t ies w i l l be poss e ssed b y t h e P I C a nd Obs e r v e r, w ho a re not onbo a rd the U A S

. 8 I n a ddi t ion, no

s e ns e

- a nd

- a void t ec hnol o g y is ne ce ssa r y for the U ASs b eca use t h e y will be op e r a t e d a t all t i m e s in V F R

c ondi t ions and w i th i n V L OS of the P I C a n d Op e r a tor

. 9

B

. 14 C. F

. R. P a r t 27 Ai r w o r thi n e ss S tan d a r d s: N o r m al Ca te g o r y Ro t o r c r a f t

Tit l e 14 C. F .R. P a rt 27 s e ts fo r th t he pro c e d u r a l r e quir e ments for a i r wo r th i n e ss ce rtifi c a t i on of norm a l

c a te g o r y roto r c r a ft. To the e x tent that Company’s sm a ll U A S s would othe r wise r e q uire c e rtifi c a t i on und e r

Pa r t 27, P e t i t i on e r s ee ks an e x e mp t ion f r om P a rt 2 7 ' s a irwo r th i n e ss s a me r ea sons s t a nd a rds f or the i d e n t ified

in t he re qu e st f

o r e x e mp t ion f

r om 14 C. F .R. P a rt 21, Subp a rt H, supra

.

__________________________ {continued from previous page}

deemed unsafe or unnecessary to fly over. T he p e t i t i on e r stat e s fu r ther t h a t the U A S h a s bui lt

- in in t e l l i g e nt

f a ult h a ndl i ng whi c h a l l ows the PHANTOM II, III & INSPIRE I to d e te c t a s y stem f a ult while in t h e a i r a n d

a uto m a t i ca l l y f

l y b ac k to i t s tak e o f

f lo c a t i on a nd land. Fa ul t s that ca n be d e t e c t e d includ e : lo s s of

c om m u nic a t i on; e x cee ding p re

- s e t wind thr e sholds; and low b a t ter y le v e ls.

All fli g ht op e r a t i ons a

re g lobal posit i oning s y st e m ( G PS ) c ontroll e d, m a king the s y stem ea s y to n a v i g a te. At

a n y point if t h e op e r a t or is not e x pl i c i t l y c om m a nding the s y stem t o move, the s y stem a uto m a t i ca l l y holds i t s

G P S posi t ion. The fli g ht c ontrol s y s t e m e mp l o y s n ot on l y GPS posit i oning but a v a ri e t y of s e nsors i n c lud i ng

sona r

, b a rom e tr i c p re ssu r e

, temp e r a tu r e

, wind speed a nd othe r s to e nsure stabi li ty s o long a s wind thr e s h olds

a re not e x cee d e d. Also a fli g ht t e rmin a t i on l i nk

– to p re v e nt a ' f l y a w a y ' or other po t e nt i a l l y d a n g e rous

situ a t i on

– is av a i l a ble to the op e r a tor

. "

8 S e e G r a nt of E x e mp t ion No. 11062 to Astr a e us A e ri a l ( F A A

- 201 4

- 0352 a t p g . 13).

9 Id. a irwo r th i n e ss s t a nd a rds f or the s a me r ea sons i d e n t ified in t he re qu e st f o r e x e mp t ion f

r om 14

C. F .R. P a rt 21, Subp a rt H, supra

.U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t ion

July 22, 2015

P a g e 14

C. 14 C. F. R. §§ 91.9 (c ), 45

. 23(b) and 45.27 ( a ) : A ir cr a f t M a rk i n g a n d I den ti f

ica t ion R equ ir emen ts

Air Cam s e e ks an e x e mp t ion f r om t he a ir c r a ft m a r k ing a nd identifi c a t i on r e q uir e ments c ontain e d in

14 C. F .R. § § 91.9 (c ), 45

. 23( b ) a nd 4 5.27 (a ).

● 14 C. F .R. § 91.9 (c ), Civ i l Air c r a ft F l i g ht M a nu a l, Ma r king a nd P la c a rd re q uir e ments, p r ovides th a t:

No p e rson m a y op e r a te a U.S

. - re g is t e r e d c iv i l aircr a ft unless that a ir c r a ft is identifi e d in a cc o r d a n c e

with Pa rt 45 of th i s ch a

pte r

.

● 14 C. F .R. § 45.23 ( b ) , M a rkin g s of t h e Aircr a ft, st a tes:

W h e n ma r ks include only the Roman c a pi t a l lett e r " N " a nd the re g is tr a t i on number is d i spl a y e d on l i m i ted,

re strict e d or li g h t

- sport ca t e g o r y a i r c raft or e x p e rime n tal or p r ovis i o n a l l y c e rtifi ca ted a i r c raf t

, the op e r a tor

must a lso disp la y o n that a ir c raft n ea r e a c h e ntr a n c e to the ca bin, c o c kpi t

, or pi l ot station, in lette r s not

less than two inch e s nor mo r e than six inch e s h i g h, the wo r ds " l i m i ted," " r e stric t e d," " l i g h t

- sp o rt,

" Experimental ," or " p rovisional," a s ap p l i ca ble.

● 14 C. F .R. § 45.27 (a ), Ro t o rc raft, stat e s:

E ac h o p e r a tor of a rot o rcr a ft must disp l a y on that r otor c raft hori z ontal l y on both sur f a ce s o f the c a bin,

fus e l a g e

, boom, o r ta i l the ma r ks r e quir e d b y § 45.23.

I n a pr e v i ous G r a nt of E x e mp t ion, t he F AA d e t e r m i n e d that e x e mp t ion f r om t h e se r e quir e ments w a s

w a r ra n ted p r ovided th a t t he a i r c r a ft " h a ve i d e nt i fi ca t i on ( N

- Numb e r ) m a rki n g s in a cc o r d a n c e with 14 C

. F .R

P a rt 45, Subp a rt C i f the ma r kin g s a re a s la r ge a s pr ac t ic a ble

. " 10

Eq u ival e n t Le v e l of Sa

f e ty

All UA f lown b y Air Cam will b ea r N

- numb e r m a r kin g s that a r e a s l a r g e a s p rac t i ca b l e in acc o r d a n c e

with 14 C

. F

. R. P a rt 45, Subp a rt C

. 11

____________________________

10 F AA D o c k e t No. F AA

- 2 014

- 0352.

1 1 S ee

, e .g., F AA D o c k e t N o. F AA

- 201 4

- 0352

, a t 1 4

.U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t ion

July 22, 2015

P a g e 15

D. C. F

. R. § 91.405 ( a )

, 9 1.407 ( a ) (1 ) , 91.40 9 (a ) (1) a n d ( 2 ) ; 91. 4 17(a) a n d ( b ): M ai n t e n a n c e

I n s p ec tions

Air Cam s e e ks an e x e mp t ion f r om t he mainten a n c e inspe c t i on r e quir e ments c ontain e d in 14 C. F .R. §

91.405 (a ), 9 1.407 (a ) ( 1 ), 91

. 409(a) ( 2 ) ; 91.417( a ) a nd (b ) . Th e s e r e g ulations spe c i f y mainten a n c e a nd

insp ec t i on st a nd a rds in r e f e r e n c e to 14 C

. F .R. P a rt 43. S ee

, e .g., 14 C. F .R. § 91.405 (a ) ( stati n g that ea c h

own e r o r op e r a tor of a n a ir c r a ft " sh a ll h a ve t h e a ir c r a ft insp e c ted a s p re s c rib e d in sub p a rt E o f this pa r t and

sh a ll b e t w ee n r e qu i r e d insp ec t i ons ...h a ve disc r e p a n c i e s r e p a i r e d a s p r e s c rib e d in p a rt 43 of th i s ch a pt e r" )

.

An e x e mp t ion f

r om t h e se r e g ulations is n ee d e d b eca u s e P a rt 43 a nd these se c t i ons on l y a p p l y to ai r c r a ft with

an a i r wo r th i n e ss c e rtifi c a te, whi c h the U AS t o be op e r a ted und e r this g r a nt of e x e mp t ion wi l l not h a v e

.

Eq u ival e n t Le v e l of Sa

f e ty

An e quival e nt l e v e l of s a f e t y will be ac hie v e d b ec a use m a in t e n a n c e a nd in s p ec t i ons will be p e r f o rm e d

in a c c o r d a n c e with t he Man u f ac tu r e r ' s Manu a l a nd a n y r e q u ir e d manu f a c tur e r S a f

e t y o r Se r vi c e B ul l e t i ns.

F u r the r

, a s r e qui r e d b y Air Cam ’ s O p e r a t i ons Man ua l s, the P I C will c ondu c t a p r e

- fl i g ht i nspe c t i on of the

U AS and a ll a ssoci a ted e quip m e nt t o acc ount f o r a ll disc re p a n c ies a nd/or ino p e r a ble c omponents.

Ma i nten a n c e will be p e r f o rm e d a nd v e r i fi e d to a ddr e ss a n y c ondi t ions po t e nt i a l l y a f f e c t i n g s a fe o p e r a t i on of

the U AS and no fli g hts will o cc ur unless, a nd unt il

, a ll f l i g h t c r i t ic a l compon e nts of t he U A S h a ve b ee n

fo u nd to be a irwo r t h y a nd in a c ondi t ion sa f e f o r o p e r a t i on. A f

u n c t i on a l t e st fl i g ht wi l l be c ondu c t e d

f ol l owing the r e pla c e ment of a n y fli g h t

- c ritic a l compon e nts. As r e quir e d b y Air Cam s ’ O p e r a t i ons Manu a l s,

the P I C who c ond u c ts t he f u n c t i on a l t e st fl i g ht wi l l m a ke a n e nt r y in t he U A S a ir c r a ft r e c o r ds of the fli g ht.

Air Cam ’ s O p e r a t i ons M a nu a l also in c ludes re qu i r e ments to follow the m a n u fac tu r e r ’ s U A S

a ir c r a ft/compon e nt, mainten a n ce , o v e rh a ul, r e pla ce m e nt, i nspe c t i on, a nd l i fe l i m i t r e quir e ments f o r the

f ol l owing a ppl ic a ble c omp o n e nts: pow e rt ra in s y stem ( pow e rpl a nt), p r op e l l e rs, a vion i c s a nd c ontrol sur fa c e s

(in c lud i n g a i le rons/ e levons ) , str u c tur e s & a ir f r a me, ca me r a s y s t e m, el ec tr i ca l s y stems (in c lud i n g b a t te ri e s),

g round c on t rol station, ha z a rd ac c e ssori e s, and s p a re p a rts. F u r the r

, Air Cam ’ s O p e r a t i ons Manu a l s a lso

i n c ludes p r o c e dur e s to do c ument a nd maintain a rec o r d o f the U A S main t e n a n c e , pr e v e ntative m a i nten a n ce

,

a l t e r a t i ons, status of re pla c e ment /o v e rh a ul compon e nt p a rts, a nd the total t i me in s e rv i c e of the U ASs us e d

und e r this G ra nt of E x e mp t ion. As a whol e , the m a in t e n a n c e a nd insp ec t i o n pr oce du r e s r e qu i r e d in Air

Cam ’ s Op e r a t i ons Man ua l s e nsure t h a t an e quival e nt or hi g h e r l e v e l of s a f e t y will be ac hiev e d.U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t ion

July 22, 2015

P a g e 16

P I L O T

- I N

- C O MM AND O F T H E UAS

E

. 14 C. F

. R. § 61.113: P r i vate P i l ot P r iv i leg e s a n d Li m ita t io n s

Air Cam s e e ks e x e mp t ion f r om 14 C F R § 61.113, w h ich re stricts priv a t e pi l ot c e rtifi ca te holde r s f r om

f l y i n g a i r c r a ft f

or c om p e nsation or h ir e

, a nd would a lso r e quire a s e c ond c lass medi ca l c e rtifi ca te. T h e

purp o se of P a rt 61 is t o e nsure that the skill and c ompet e n c y of a n y P I C mat c h e s the a irs p ac e in whi c h the

P I C will be o p e r a t i n g

, a s w e ll a s r e quir i ng c e rtifi c a t i ons if the p r ivate pi l ot i s c a rr y i n g p a sse n g e rs o r c ar g o for

hi re

. I n th i s c a s e

, while the U A S s will be op e r a ted a s pa r t of a c o m me rc ial op e r a t i on, it ca r r i e s neither

p a s s e n g e rs n o r ca

r g o for hire. I n t h e G r a nt of E x e mp t ion t o Astr ae us A e ri a l 12 , the F AA d e t e r m ined th a t t he

unique c h ar ac te r is t ics of U AS op e r a t i on outside of c on t roll e d a irsp a c e did not w a r ra nt t he a ddi t ion cost a nd

r e strictions a t t e nd a nt wi t h r e quiri n g a the P I C to ha v e a Co m me rc ial P i l ot C e rtifi ca te a nd C l a ss II Me d i c a l

C e rtifi ca te. T he ful f

i l l m e nt of the a ddi t ional re q u ir e ments for a p riv a te pi l ot t o b ec ome qu a l i fi e d a s a

c om m e r c ial pi l ot would not le a d to a n y a ddi t ional s a f e t y b e n e fits wh e n U A S op e r a t i ons a r e invo l v e d.

Eq u ivale n t Le v e l of Sa

f e ty

The re strictions Air Cam h a s pl ace d on i t s U A S o p e r a t i ons m ee t or e x cee d t he re strictions si m i l a r l y

i m posed on Astr ae us A e ri a l. Air Cam w i ll op e r a te on p r iva t e pro p e r t y a w a y f r om p e rsons a nd p r o p e r t y not

invo l v e d in t he op e r a t i o n

. Air Cam will a lso obta i n a n A T O issued COA prior to condu c t i n g a n y o p e r a t i ons

und e r this G ra nt of E x e mp t ion. All op e r a t i ons will be c ondu c ted in a cc o r d a n c e with ai r spa c e r e qui r e me n ts i n

the A TO issu e d COA in c lud i ng c l a ss of a irsp a c e

, a l t i t ude lev e l a n d pote n t i a l t r a nspond e r r e quir e ments. A

N O T A M will also be is s u e d a s r e quir e d b y the a ppl i ca b l e CO A

.

I n a ddi t ion t o these f

l i g ht re strictions, Air Cam will f u r ther e ns u re s a fe o p e rat i on b y r e quiri n g that a n y

P I C be thorou g h l y v e rs e d not o n l y in ai r sp a c e a nd c o m mun i ca t i on is s u e s p e rt a in i ng to a ll a ir c r a ft o p e r a tors

but also in the u nique a spe c ts of U A S f l i g ht. As set f

o rth in the O p e r a t i ons Man u a l s, pi l ots will h a ve

e x p e ri e n c e not on l y in U AS ope r a t i ons g e n e r a l l y but h a ve l o g g e d fl i g ht t i m e in t he spe c ific m a k e a nd model

us e d for the op e r a t ions b e fo r e th e y a re p e rmit t e d to pa r t i c ipate i n c om m e r c ial fl i g hts on b e h a lf of Air Cam

.

T h e p i l ot qualifi ca t i on, tr a in i n g

, a nd c u rr e n c y requir e ments in the O p e r a t i ons Manu a ls ensu r e t h a t Air Cam ’

pilo t s a r e c ompet e nt and p r o fi c ient in t he U A S th e y a re o p e r a t i n g

. Air Cam ’ tr a in i n g a nd qu a l i fi ca t i on

r e quir e ments a re c onsistent with those c ontain e d in prior F AA Se c t i on 333 G ra nts of E x e mp t io n

, a nd will

pro v ide a h i g h e r lev e l of c ompet e n c y a nd pro f ici e n c y for i t s pilo t s and w i ll e nsure a t le a st an e quival e nt l e v e l

of sa fe t y

.

_______________________

1 2 E x e mp t ion No. 11062 ( F AA D o c k e t No. F AA

- 2 014

- 0352 )

.U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t ion

July 22, 2015

P a g e 17

O P E RAT I NG P ARA METE RS O F T H E UAS

F

. 14 C. F

. R. § 91.7 ( a ) : Civil Ai rcr a f t A ir w o r thi n e ss

Although t

h e re will be no a irwo r th i n e ss c e rtifi c a te issued f or the U A S s, Air Cam s e e ks a n

e x e mp t ion f

r om 14 C

. F .R. § 91.7 (a ), whi c h r e q uir e s that a c iv i l aircr a ft be in ai r wo r t h y c ondi t ion t o be

op e r a ted. The F A A h a s s t a ted th a t no e x e mp t ion i s r e quir e d for 14 C. F .R. § 91.7 (a ) to the e x tent that the

re quir e m e nts of P a rt 21 a re w a ived or f ound inapplic a ble

. 13 A cc o r di n g l y

, P e t i t i on e r r e qu e sts that the

re qui r e m e nts for § 91.7 ( a ) be t r ea t e d in a cc o rd a n c e with S ec t i on V ( A )

, supra.

G

. 14 C. F

. R. § 91.9 ( b ) ( 2 ) : Civil Ai rcr a f t F l i g h t Ma nu al i n t h e Ai rcr a f t and 14

C. F

. R. § 91.203 ( a) a n d (b ): Ca rr yi n g Civil Ai r c r a f t Cer ti f ic a tion a n d R e gist r a t ion

Tit l e 14 C. F .R. § 91.9 ( b ) (2) a nd § 91.203 ( a ) a nd ( b) re quire t h e op e r a tor to ca r r y a irwo r th i n e ss

docum e nts a nd other a i r c raft m a nu a l s onbo a rd the a i r c raft. Pursu a nt t o 14 C. F .R. § 91.9 ( b ) (2 ) :

(b) No p e rson m a y op e r a te a U.S

. - r e g is t e r e d c iv i l air c r a ft

...

(2) F o r w hich a n Airpl a ne or Rotor c r a ft F l i g ht M a nu a l i s r e quir e d b y § 21

. 5 of th i s ch a pte r , unless

the r e is av a i l a ble in the a ir c r a ft a c u r r e nt app r o v e d Ai r p l a ne or Rotor c r a ft F l i g ht M a n u a l, app r ov e d

man u a l ma te r ial, ma r ki n g s, a nd pl a c a rds, or a n y c omb i n a t i on the re o f

.

P u r suant to 14 C

. F .R. § 91.203 (a ) a nd (b ) :

( a ) E x ce pt a s p r ovided in § 91.715, no p e rson m a y op e r a te a c iv i l a ir c r a ft u n less it h a s within i t t he

f ol l owin g :

(1) An a p p rop r iate a nd c u r r e nt ai r w o rthin e ss c e rtifi c a te...

(b) No p e rson m a y o p e r a te a c iv i l a ir c r a ft unl e ss the a irwo r th i n e ss ce r t ific a te r e quir e d b y p a rag ra ph

(a ) of th i s s ec t i on or a sp e c ial fli g ht a uth o ri z a t i on i ssued und e r § 91.715 is disp l a y e d a t t h e c a bin or

c o c kpit e ntr a n c e so that it is l e g ib l e to p a sse n g e rs o r c r e w.

Giv e n the small s iz e a nd c onfi g u r a t i on of the U ASs, it would be i m poss i ble to ke e p a irwo r th i n e ss docum e nts

a nd other a i r c raft m a nu a l s on bo a rd the U A S b e c a use th e re is s i m p l y no room a nd the U AS has n o ca bin or

c o c kpi t.

__________________

1 3 S e e id. a t 13

- 14, 22U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t ion

July 22, 2015

P a g e 18

Eq u ival e n t Le v e l of S a

f e ty

I n a n F AA O f

fi c e of Ch i e f Couns e l ' s Opinion d a ted A u g ust 8, 2014, a nd p r e p a r e d b y D ea n E.

G ri f fith, Atto r n e y

, A G C

- 220, it w a s a c k n owl e dg e d that the intent of 14 C. F .R. 91.9 ( b) a nd 91.203 (a ) a nd ( b )

is met if the pi l ot of the u nmann e d a ir c r a ft h a s ac c e ss t o the U AS fli g ht manu a l, r e g is t r a t i on c e rtifi ca te, a nd

ot h e r r e quir e d do c uments f r om t he g r o und c ontrol s t a t i on f r om which he o r she is o p e r a t i n g the a i r c raft

. 1 4

As th i s F AA O f

f i c e of Chief Couns e l Opin i on c la r ifies, the in t e nt of the r ule is to e nsure the pilot h a s a c c e ss

t o these k e y d o c uments during fli g ht. Th e r e fo r e

, a n e q u ival e nt l e v e l of s a f e t y will be ac hie v e d b y e nsuri n g

that the pilot h a s ac c e ss t o the do c uments a t t he gro u nd c ontrol s t a t ion f r om which he or s h e is p i lo t ing the

U AS.

H. 14 C. F

. R. § 91.103: P ref l i g h t Ac tion

Air Cam s e e ks an e x e mp t ion f r om 14 C

. F .R. § 91.103, whi c h r e qui r e s a P I C to be c ome f a m i l i a r w i t h

sp ec ific in f

o r mation be f

o r e e a c h fl i ght, i n c lud i ng info r mation c ontain e d in t he F A A

- a ppro ve d F l i g ht Manu a l

on board the a ir c raft. W hi l e the P I C will be fa m i l i a r w i t h a ll info r mation ne ce s s a r y to s a f e l y c ond u c t t he

f l i g ht, a n e x e mp t ion i s r e qu e sted to the e x tent that a n F A A

- a ppro ve d F l i g ht Manu a l i s r e quir e d.

Eq u ival e n t Le v e l of Sa

f e ty

An e quival e nt l e v e l of s a f e t y w i ll be pro v ided b y f

ol l owing the Air Cam ’ s O p e r a t i ons Man ua ls a nd

the Man u fa c tur e r ' s Man u a l . The P IC will p e r f o r m a s e r i e s of c h ec kl i sts d e s i g n e d to identi f y a n y d e f ec ts or

i n op e r a ble c omponents in acc o r d a n c e with t he Air Cam ’ s Op e r a t i ons Man ua ls, including c h e c kl i sts c ov e ring

P r e

- F l i g h t

, L a u n c h, L a ndi n g

, a nd P os t

- F l i g ht pr o ce du r e s. The P I C will a lso be r e q uir e d to r e view w ea t h e r,

fli g ht r e qui r e ments, b a t ter y c h a r g e , landi n g a nd tak e o f f distan c e , UA p e r f

o r man c e d a ta, a nd c ont i n g e n c y

landi n g a r ea s

— b e f o r e i n i t iation of fli g ht. Air Cam ’ s Op e r a t i ons Man ua ls a nd the M a nuf a c tu r e r ' s Man u a l

will be k e pt at the g round c ontrol s t a t i on a nd will be a c ce ss i ble to the P I C a t a ll t i mes w hi l e op e r a t i ng the

U AS.

I. 14 C.F.R. § 91.109(a): Flight Instruction

_______________________________________

1 4 Memo ra ndum f

r om M ar k B u r y

, F AA Assistant C hief Couns e l for I nt e rn a t i on a l L a w, L e g is l a t i on a nd

R e g u l a t i o n, to J ohn Dun ca n, F A A F l i g ht S tand a rds Se r v i c e ( A u g . 8, 201 4 ); s e e also Do c k e t No. F A A

- 2 0 1 4

-

0352 a t 16

- 18.U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t ion

July 22, 2015

P a g e 19

Air Cam s e e ks an e x e mp t ion f r om 14 C

. F .R. § 91.109 (a ), w hich p rovid e s in p e rtine n t pa r t that " [ n ] o

p e rson m a y o p e r a te a c iv i l aircr a ft ( e x c e pt a m a nn e d f r e e b a l l oon) that is b e ing used for f l i g ht i nstru c t i on

unl e ss t h a t air c raft h a s ful l y f un c t i oning du a l cont r ols

. " U A S s and r e mo t e l y pi l oted a ir c raft, b y t h e ir d e si g n,

do not ha v e f

un c t ional du a l cont r ols. I nst e a d, fli g ht con t rol is acc omp l ished thro u g h t h e use o f a d e vice

t h a t c o m m unic a tes w i t h the a ir c r a ft via r a dio c om m unic a t i ons. A cc o r din g l y

, a n e x e mp t ion wi l l be r e quir e d

for the f l i g h t i nstru c t i on r e quir e ments of 14 C

. F .R. § 91.109 (a ).

Eq u ival e n t Le v e l of Sa

f e ty

Giv e n the si z e a nd sp ee d of the U A S s that Air Cam in t e nds to us e

, a n e quiv a lent lev e l of s a fe tr a in i n g

c a n sti l l be p e r f

o r med without du a l c ontrols be ca u s e no pi l ot or p a sse n g e rs a r e a bo a rd the U AS, and a s

r e quir e d b y the Air Cam ’ s Op e r a t i ons Man u a l s, a ll p e rsons w i l l be a s a fe dis t a n c e a w a y in t he e v e nt t h a t t he

U A S e x p e ri e n ce s a n y dif f i c ul t ies du r ing f

l i g ht i nstru c t i on. Mor e ov e r, a s r e qui r e d b y the Air Cam ’ O p e r a t i ons

Man ua ls, a ll f

l i g ht tr a in i ng will be c ond u c ted in cont r ol l e d a nd st e rile environme n t. As a whol e

, the s a f e t y

pr o ce du r e s p r ovided f

or in Air Cam ’ s O p e r a t i ons M a nu a l s e nsure that the p r o posed U A S op e r a t i ons p r ovide

a n e quival e nt or hi g h e r l e v e l of s a f e t y th a n that p r ovided b y t h e f l i g ht i nstru c t i on re g ulatio n s.

J. 14 C. F

. R. § 91.119(c): M i n i m u m S a f e Alti t ud e s

Air Cam r e qu e sts a n e x e mp t ion f r om t he m i ni m u m sa f

e a l t i t ude re qu i r e m e nts of 14 C. F .R. §

91.119( c )

. 1 5 S ec t i on 91.119 p re s c rib e s t h e m i ni m um sa f e a l t i t ud e s und e r whi c h a ir c r a ft m a y not ope ra te,

in c lud i n g 5 0 0 f

e e t abo v e the su r f

a c e a nd a w a y f

rom a n y p e rson, v e ssel, v e hicl e , or stru c ture in non

- c o n g e st e d

a r e a s. S e e 14 C

. F .R. § 91.119 (c ). S ec t i on 91.1 1 9 ( d) a l l ows f or a h e l i c opter to op e r a te a t le ss t h a n those

m i ni m um a l t i tudes w h e n it ca n be o p e r a ted " without h a z a rd to p e rsons or pro p e r t y on t h e sur f ace

, " p ro v ided

th a t " e ac h p e rson o p e r a t i n g the h e l i c opt e r c omp l ies w i t h a n y rout e s or a l t i t ud e s spe c ifi c a l l y p re s c rib e d for

h e l i c op t e rs b y the F A A

. "

An e x e mp t ion i s r e quir e d b eca use t h e pro p osed U AS ope ra t i ons will norm a l l y n e e d to o cc ur b e low

4 00 fe e t A G L

. I n c ir c ums t a n ce s wh e re the U AS i s used to insp ec t a stru c tu r e whose h e i g ht e x c e e ds 400 f e e t

A G L , the U AS wi l l not be op e r a t e d more t h a n 100 fee t abo v e the h i g h e st point on the stru c tur e

, a n d with i n

50 fee t hori z ontal l y of the str u c tur e

. A d di t ional l y , d u e the n a ture of the p ropos e d o p e r a t i ons, the P i l ot and/or

Obs e rvers ( s) m a y n ee d t o be less than 500 f e e t a w a y f

rom the U AS.

_________________________

1 5 R e l i e f f rom § 91.119 ( a ) will not be n ece ssa r y b e c a use Petitioner will be a b le to p e r f o r m an e me r g e n c y

landi n g without undue h a z a rd to p e rs o ns or p r op e r t y on the g r o und in t he e v e nt of a f a i l u re

. P e t i t i on e r ' s

pro p osed U A S op e r a t i ons wi l l not o cc ur ov e r c o n g e st e d a r e a s, a nd the r e fo r e a n e x e mp t ion f r om § 91.119(b)

will not be n e c e ssa r y

. S e e e .g ., G r a nt of Ex e mp t ion No. 11157 to S lu g w e a r, I n c ., d b a L i k e on a tr e e A e ri a l

(FA A

- 2 014

- 0534 a t 15)U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t ion

July 22, 2015

P a g e 20

Eq u ival e n t Le v e l of Sa

f e ty

Compa re d to fli g ht op e rat i ons with roto rc r a ft w e i ghing f a r mo r e than t h e ma x i m um w e i g hts propo s e d

h e r e in, a nd g i v e n the l ac k o f f l a m m a ble f

u e l wi t h the U A S s, a n y r isk a ssoci a ted w i t h these o p e r a t i ons is f a r

l e ss t h a n t h ose th a t pr e s e nt l y e x ist with conv e nt i on a l a ir c r a ft. A n e quiva l e nt l e v e l of s a f e t y will be ac h iev e d

g iven the si z e , w e i g ht, and s p ee d of the U A S s, a s w e ll the c ontr o l l e d loc a t i on wh e re t h e o p e r a t i ons will

oc c u r

. I n o r d e r to a void a n y risk to m a nn e d a ir c r a ft, f l i g ht op e r a t i ons will be re stri c ted to 400 fee t A G L o r

b e lo w , or w h e n inspe c t i ng a str u c ture w h ose he i g ht e x cee ds 400 f ee t A G L , with i n 100 f

e e t a bove the h i g h e st

point on that stru c ture a n d 50 fee t hori z ontal l y of t he stru c tur e

.

As s e t fo r th i n the Op e r a t ions Man ua ls, the U ASs will be op e r a ted in a r e st r ict e d a re a

, a nd a ll f l i g hts

will be op e r a ted a t a l a te ra l d i sta n c e of a t l ea st 500 f e e t f r om a n y non p a

rticip a t i n g p e rsons, unl e ss t h a t pe r s o n

is i n a posit i on wh e re he or she is s hield e d f rom the U AS and a n y poss i ble d e b r is r e sul t ing f r om UAS f

a i l u re

.

As r e quir e d b y t h e Op e r a t i ons Man ua ls, f l i g hts will be te r m i n a ted if a nonp a r t i c ipating p e rson with i n 500 fee t

of the U A S le a v e s a shi e lded position. F u r the r

, U A S op e r a t i ons will oc c ur a t l ea st 500 fe e t a w a y f rom

v e hicl e s o r stru c tur e s unl e ss t he p r op e r t y own e r/ c ontroll e r h a s g r a nted p e rmission and the P I C h a s made a

s a f e t y a ssess m e nt of the r isk of op e r a t i ng c loser to t hose obje c ts and, o p e r a t i ons n e a r the P I C o r Obs e rver

w i l l not p re s e nt an und u e h a z a rd p e r § 9 1 .119 ( a ). Adh e ren c e to these r e strictions in Air Cam ’ s O p e r a t i ons

Man ua ls will e nsure op er a t i ons ca n be c ond u c ted without c ompromising s a f e t y

. 16

K

. 14 C. F

. R. § 91.121: Al t i m e ter S e t t i n gs

Air Cam s e e ks an e x e mp t ion f r om 14 C

. F .R. § 91.121, whi c h r e qui r e s a pe r s on op e r a t i n g a n a ir c r a ft

to m a in t a in c r uis i ng a l t i t ude or f l i g ht le v e l b y r e f

e r e n c e to an a l t i m e ter that is set to the e lev a t i on of the

d e p a r ture a irpo r t or b a

rom e tr i c pr e ssur e An e x e mp t ion i s r e quir e d to t he e x tent that the U ASs do not have a

b a rom e tr i c a l t i m e te r , but r a th e r a GPS a l t i t ude rea d out.

__________________________

1 6 S e e e .g.

, G r a nt of E x e mp t ion No. 11138 to Dougl a s Tr u d ea u ( F A A

- 201 4

- 0481 a t 19 ) :

" I f b a r r i e rs or stru c tur e s a re p re s e nt that ca n suf f i c ient l y p r ot e c t nonp a rtic i p a t i ng p e rsons f r om the UA or

d e b r is in the e v e nt o f a n a c c ident, then the UA m a y op e r a te c loser than 500 f e e t to p e rsons a f

fo r d e d s u c h

p r o te c t i on. The op e r a tor m u st a lso e nsure t h a t nonp a rtici p a t i ng p e rsons r e main un d e r such p rot ec t i on. I f a

s i tuation a ris e s w h e re nonp a rtici p a t i ng p e rsons le a v e such p rot e c t i on a nd a r e with i n 5 00 f

e e t of the U A

,

fli g ht o p e r a t i ons must cea s e i m medi a te l y

. W h e n c onsid e ri n g how to i m medi a te l y c e a se op e r a t i ons, the

p rima r y c on ce rn is the s a f e t y o f those nonp a rticip a t i ng p e rson s

. I n a ddi t ion, the F AA finds that op e r a t i ons

m a y b e c ondu c ted c los e r than 500 f e e t to v e ssels, v e hicl e s a nd stru c tur e s w h e n the own e r/ c ontroll e r o f a n y

s u c h v e ssels, v e hicl e s or stru c tur e s g r a nts p e rmi ssio n f o r th e op e r a t i on a nd the P I C mak e s a s a f e t y

a ssessment of the risk of op e r a t i ng c loser to those obj ec ts and d e t e rmin e s that it does not pr e s e nt an undue

h a z a rd .”U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t ion

July 22, 2015

P a g e 21

Eq u ival e n t Le v e l of Sa

f e ty

The F A A h a s s t a ted th a t a n e quival e nt l e v e l o f s a f e t y to t he r e quir e m e nts of 14 C. F .R. §

91.121 ca n be ac hie v e d in ci rc ums t a n c e s wh e r e : ( 1) the U ASs will be op e r a ted b e low 400 f ee t A G L or

b e lo w 17

, ( 2) with i n V L OS, (3) wh e re GPS b a s e d a l t i t ude info r mati o n is r e l a y e d in r e a l t i me to the op e r a tor

a t a g roun d

- b a s e d o n

- s c r ee n disp la y a nd, (4) w h e re p r ior to eac h fl i g ht, a z e ro a l t i t ude in i t i a t i on p o int is

establish e d for the P I C to co n fi r m a cc u r a c y of the onbo a rd G PS

. 18

The U A S s that Air Cam i ntends to use f or the p r o p osed op e r a t i ons will m e e t all t h e se op e r a t i on a l

c h a ra c te r is t i c s. Mor e ov e r, a s r e qui r e d b y Air Cam ’ O p e r a t i ons Man ua ls, t he P I C will be re qui r e d to

c a l i b ra t e the a ir c r a f

t ' s GPS c ompa s s prior to e ac h fli g ht op e r a t i on. L ike p rior F A A S ec t i on 333 G ra nts of

E x e mp t ion, t he U A S s Air Cam in t e nds to us e

, a nd the sa fe t y m i t i g a t i on p r o ce du r e s co n tain e d in t he

Op e r a t i ons Manu a l s

, both ensu r e that a n e quival e nt l e v e l of s a f e t y will be ac hiev e d, a nd a G r a nt of

E x e mp t ion t o the re quir e ments of § 191.1 2 1 is t h e r e fo r e a ppro p ri a te.

L

. 14 C. F

. R. § 91.151 ( a ) : F u e l R e qu ir e m e n ts f or F l i g h t in V F R Con d itio n s

Air Cam r e qu e sts a n e x e mp t ion f r om 14 C

. F .R. § 91.151 (a ) ' s f u e l r e qui r e ments f

o r f l i g ht in V F R

c ondi t ions. S ec t i on 91.151 st a tes:

(a) No p e rson m a y b e g i n a fl i g ht in a n a irpl a ne und e r V F R c ondi t ions unless ( c onsid e ri n g wind a nd

fo r eca st w ea t h e r c ondi t ions) the r e is e nou g h fu e l to fly to the fi r st po i nt of int e nd e d la n ding a nd,

a ssu m ing nor m a l c r uis i ng s p ee d

–

(1) Du r i n g the d a y , to fly a ft e r th a t f o r a t l ea st 30 m i nutes; or

(2) At ni g ht, t o f

l y a ft e r t h a t for a t le a st 45 m i nutes.

H e r e , the t ec hnol o g ic a l l i m i tations on U A S b a t t e ry po w e r m ea ns t h a t no m ea ni n g ful fli g ht ope r a t i ons

ca n be c ondu c ted w hi l e st i ll maintaining a 3 0

- m i nute b a t ter y r e s e rv e . An e x e mp t ion f r om t he f u e l

r e quir e ments of 14 C

. F .R. § 91.151 (a ) is the r e fo r e r e quir e d.

________________________

1 7 I f t h e h e i g ht o f the str u c t u r e b e i n g inspe c ted e x ce e ds 400 fe e t A G L

, the U A S will not be op e r a ted more

than 100 f

e e t a bove the hi g h e st po i nt on t he stru c tur e

.

1 8 S e e G r a nt of E x e mp t ion No. 11062 to Astr a e us A e ri a l ( F A A

- 201 4

- 0352 a t 2 1 )

.U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t ion

July 22, 2015

P a g e 22

Equivalent Level of Safety

In the Grant of Exemption to VDOS (Exemption No. 11112), the FAA determined that an

equivalent level of safety to the fuel requirements for flight in VFR conditions could be achieved by

prohibiting the PIC from beginning a PHANTOM II, III & INSPIRE I flight unless (considering wind and

forecast weather conditions) there was enough power to fly to the first intended point of landing and,

assuming normal cruising speed, to fly after that for at least 10 minutes. In reaching this conclusion, the

FAA considered that the UAS batteries for the PHANTOM II, III & INSPIRE I provided provide

approximately 2 0 minutes of powered flight (with payload) and provided battery level and battery time

remaining in minut es and seconds to the PIC. 19 The FAA also considered the fact that the PHANTOM II,

III & INSPIRE I operating manual states: “start every flight with a fully charged battery in the aerial

vehicle”, and that in the event that the UAS should run low on power, the PIC will be alerted and can land

the PHANTOM II, III & INSPIRE I as soon as possible. Like the VDOS Grant of Exemption, Air Cam use

of the DJI S1000 , combined with the requirements of Petitioner's Operations Manuals, ensure that an

equivalent level of safety can be achieved.

Similarly, in the Grant of Exemption to Alan Purwin (Exemption No. 11161), the FAA determined

that an equivalent level of safety to the fuel requirements for flight in VFR conditions could be achieved by

prohibiting the PIC from beginning a flight with the PHANTOM II, III & INSPIRE I unless (considering

wi nd and forecast weather conditions), there was enough power to fly at normal cruising speed to the

intended landing point and land the UA with 25% battery power remaining. Air Cam will adhere to this

limitation for PHANTOM II, III & INSPIRE I flights.

Th e PHANTOM II, III & INSPIRE I includes a low battery warning system and the amount of

battery reserve power remaining is transmitted to the PIC via telemetric data feed, which downlinks from

the UAS to a ground

- based

- on

- screen display. 20 As required by Air Cam ’ Operations Manuals, the PIC will

promptly fly the UAS back to the home launch location or pre

- determined abort location where the UAS

may safely land, while still maintaining a minimum of 25 % reserve battery power. Air Cam submits that

the procedures requiring flights to be safely terminated once the batteries fall below 25% capacity,

combined with the requirement that flights only be conducted within a secure, isolated area, using a UAS

weighting less than 25 pounds, and within VLOS of the PIC and Ob server(s), ensure that the proposed

operation will provide an equivalent or higher level of safety to that provided by the regulations from which

exemption is sought.

_________________________ 19 Grant of Exemption No. 11112 to VDOS Global, LLC (FAA

- 2014

- 0382 at 10).

20 The PHANTOM II, III & INSPIRE I ground control station displays, the UASs position, navigation

route, tail number, altitude, heading, north seeking arrow, range to target s, calculated target position,

date/time, and sensor heading and orientation relative to the UAS.U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t ion

July 22, 2015

P a g e 23

VI. DRUG AND ALCOHOL PROGRAM

Air Cam will have policies in place to ensure that no person may participate in UAS flight

operations if they are under the influence of alcohol or any drug.

VII. PUBLIC INTEREST

The public interest will be served by granting Air Cam ’ s Petition for Exemption. Congress has

established a national policy that favors early integration of UAS into the NAS in controlled, safe working

environments such as those proposed in this Petition. Granting this Petition for Exemption helps fulfill

Congr ess' goal in passing Section 333(a) through (c) of the Reform Act

— the FAA Administrator's

assessment of whether certain UAS may operate safely in the NAS before completion of the statutorily

required rulemaking.

The proposed UAS operations in this Petitio n for Exemption significantly improve safety and

reduce risk harm or serious injury to inspecting engineers. Traditional methods of inspecting monitoring

industrial and construction sites, and utility power

- generation facilities and infrastructure requires

inspectors to climb towers or otherwise perform elevated work, which exposes them to the risk of

dangerous falls. Inspectors are often exposed to hazardous chemicals or oxygen

- deficient atmospheres,

burns from steam or from hot equipment, and other mechan ical hazards associated with industrial sites and

construction facilities. The use of small UASs can eliminate these hazards and is ultimately a much safer

method of performing these types of inspections.

The use of small UASs also enhances safety and re duces risk because, unlike manned aircraft weighing

thousands of pounds, carrying crew in addition to flammable fuel, the UASs carry no passengers or crew.

Further, in the unlikely event of an accident, Air Cam small battery powered UASs presents significa ntly

less danger to persons on the ground when compared to operations by conventional manned aircraft. 21 As

Petitioner's UASs are battery powered, the public will also benefit from a reduction in harmful emissions

associated with conventional aircraft per forming in the same functions proposed herein.

_____________________________ 21 See Grant of Exemption No. 11158 to Team 5, LLC (FAA

- 2014

- 0783 at 12):

"Manned helicopters conducting aerial filming can weigh 6,000 pounds or more and are operated by an

onboard pilot, in addition to other onboard crewmembers, as necessary. The petitioner’s UAs will weigh

less than 55 pounds with no onboard pilot or crew. The pilot and crew will be remotely located from the

aircraft. The limited weight significantly reduce s the potentia l for harm to participating and

nonparticipating individuals or property in the event of an incident or accident. The risk to an onboard pilot

and crew during an incident or accident is eliminated with the use of a UA for the aerial filming o peration."U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t ion

July 22, 2015

P a g e 24

Lastly, as recognized by the FAA in prior Section 333 Grants of Exemption to video producers , UASs

provide an additional tool for the aerial photo, video and inspection industry, adding a greater degree of

flexibility, which supplements the current capabilities offered by manned aircraft. 22

VIII. PRIVACY

All Air Cam UAS operations will be conducted in accordance with applicable federal, state, or local

laws regarding privacy. All operations shall be conducted over private or controlled

- access property with

permission from the land owner/controller or authorized repre sentative. Permission from land

owner/controller or authorized representative will be obtained for each flight to be conducted.

IX. FEDERAL REGISTER SUMMARY

Pursuant to 14 C.F.R. Part 11, the following summary is provided for publication in the FEDERAL

REGISTER, should it be determined that publication is needed:

Petitioner seeks an exemption from the following rules in Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations:

Part 21, Subpart H; Part 27; 45.23(b); 45.27(a); 61.113; 91.7(a); 91.9(b)(2); 91.9(c); 91.103; 91.109(a);

91.119(c); 91.121; 91.151(a); 91.203 (a) & (b); 91.405(a); 91.407(a)(1); 91.409(a)(1) & (2); 91.417 (a)

& (b).

The exemption will enhance safety by reducing risk to the general public and property owners from

the substantial hazards associated with performing equivalent film work and aerial inspection and

environmental monitoring of industrial sites, transmission and storage facilities, construction f acilities and

precision aerial surveys with conventional fixed

- wing aircraft, rotorcraft, or other methods.

X. CONCLUSION

Air Cam Petition for Exemption satisfies the criteria articulated in Section 333 of the Reform Act of

2012 including weight, speed, operating capabilities, proximity to airports and populated areas, operation

within VLOS and national security. The proposed UAS operations will benefit the public as a whole by

improving safety and reducing risk by alleviating human exposure to danger or death . In consideration of

the foregoing, this Petition for Exemption provides the FAA with more than adequate justification for

granting the requested exemptions allowing Air Cam to use small UASs for: aerial p hotography

,

p hotogrammetry, and property s u r v e y

, mapping a nd insurance i nsp ec t i on.

_______________________ 22 See e.g ., Grant of Exemption No. 11178 to Picture Factory, Inc. (FAA

- 2014

- 0794 at 18).U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t ion

July 22, 2015

P a g e 25

We thank you for your prompt consideration of our requested exemptions.

Respectfully S ubmitted,

Gary Holloway

Air Cam LLC

319 Maggie Lane

Shreveport, LA 71106

Should you have any questions, or if you need any additional information to support the requested

exemptions, please contact the undersigned at:

Air Cam LLC

P hon e : 318

- 663

- 1380

Email: gary_holloway@bellsouth.net

(The following attached items contain and commercial information exempt from disclosure under the

Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. § 522 et seq. , and should be held in a separate file pursuant to 14

C.F.R. § 11.35(b)).

Attachments:

1. General Operations Manual

2. PIC Operating Manual

3. Company Protocols

4. Location Protocols

5. Flight Communications Protocols

6. Departing Location Protocols

7. Transmitter Protocols

8. Preflight Checklist

9. Post Flight Checklist

10. Equipment Checklist

11. DJI UAS Manufacturer’s Manuals

a. User Manuals

b. UAS Maintenance Manuals