[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 20 (Tuesday, January 30, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4394-4395]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-01800]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration


Agency Information Collection Activities: Requests for Comments; 
Clearance of Renewed Approval of Information Collection: Small Unmanned 
Aircraft Registration System (sUAS)

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

[[Page 4395]]


ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, FAA 
invites public comments about our intention to request the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) approval to renew an information 
collection. The Federal Register Notice with a 60-day comment period 
soliciting comments on the following collection of information was 
published on November 3, 2017. Aircraft registration is necessary to 
ensure personal accountability among all users of the national airspace 
system. Aircraft registration also allows the FAA and law enforcement 
agencies to address non-compliance by providing the means by which to 
identify an aircraft's owner and operator. This collection also permits 
individuals to amend their record in the registration database.

DATES: Written comments should be submitted by March 1, 2018.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments on 
the proposed information collection to the Office of Information and 
Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget. Comments should be 
addressed to the attention of the Desk Officer, Department of 
Transportation/FAA, and sent via electronic mail to 
[email protected], or faxed to (202) 395-6974, or mailed to 
the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management 
and Budget, Docket Library, Room 10102, 725 17th Street NW, Washington, 
DC 20503.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Claire Barrett by email at: 
[email protected]; 202-366-8135; Barbara Hall by email at: 
[email protected]; phone: 940-594-5913.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Public Comments Invited: You are asked to comment on any aspect of 
this information collection, including (a) Whether the proposed 
collection of information is necessary for FAA's performance; (b) the 
accuracy of the estimated burden; (c) ways for FAA to enhance the 
quality, utility and clarity of the information collection; and (d) 
ways that the burden could be minimized without reducing the quality of 
the collected information. The agency will summarize and/or include 
your comments in the request for OMB's clearance of this information 
collection.
    OMB Control Number: 2120-0765.
    Title: Small Unmanned Aircraft Registration System (sUAS).
    Form Numbers: There are no FAA forms associated with this 
collection.
    Type of Review: Renewal of an information collection.
    Background: The Secretary of the Department of Transportation (DOT) 
and the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) 
affirmed that all unmanned aircraft are aircraft. As such, in 
accordance with 49 U.S.C. 44101(a) and as further prescribed in 14 CFR 
part 47, registration is required prior to operation. See 80 FR 63912, 
63913 (October 22, 2015). Aircraft registration is necessary to ensure 
personal accountability among all users of the national airspace 
system. Aircraft registration also allows the FAA and law enforcement 
agencies to address non-compliance by providing the means by which to 
identify an aircraft's owner and operator.
    Registration is required for all aircraft, including small unmanned 
aircraft weighing more than 0.55 pounds on takeoff, including 
everything that is on board or otherwise attached to the aircraft and 
operated outdoors in the national airspace system. See 49 U.S.C. 44101-
44103; 14 CFR 48. Upon registration, the Administrator must issue a 
certificate of registration to the aircraft owner. See 49 U.S.C. 44103.
    Registration, however, does not provide the authority to operate. 
Persons intending to operate a small unmanned aircraft exclusively as 
model aircraft must operate in compliance with section 336 of Public 
Law 112-95. Persons intending to operate their small unmanned aircraft 
not exclusively in compliance with section 336 must operate in 
accordance with part 107 or part 91, in accordance with a waiver issued 
under part 107, in accordance with an exemption issued under 14 CFR 
part 11 (including those persons operating under an exemption issued 
pursuant to section 333 of Public Law 112-95), or in conjunction with 
the issuance of a special airworthiness certificate.
    As a result of the May 19, 2017 ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals 
for the District of Columbia Circuit (Taylor v. Huerta), the Small UAS 
Registration and Marking interim final rule was vacated to the extent 
it applied to model aircraft until Congress restored registration for 
model aircraft in the National Defense Authorization Act of 2018 (P.L. 
115-91). Consequently, the FAA has discontinued its process for 
registration deletion and refund for owners operating in compliance 
with section 336. All owners of small unmanned aircraft weighing more 
than .55 pounds must register prior to operating outdoors in the 
national airspace system.
    Respondents: Approximately 1.9 million registrants annually.
    Frequency: Information is collected on occasion.
    Estimated Average Burden per Response: 4.25 minutes per response.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden: About 141,158 hours.

    Issued in Washington, DC on January 24, 2018.
Barbara Hall,
FAA Information Collection Clearance Officer, IT Enterprises Business 
Services Division, ASP-110.
[FR Doc. 2018-01800 Filed 1-29-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-13-P