[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 15 (Tuesday, January 26, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7165-7166]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-01686]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

[Docket No. FAA-2020-1056]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Requests for Comments; 
Clearance of a New Approval of Information Collection: Unmanned 
Aircraft Systems (UAS) Market Survey

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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 for a new information collection. 
The Federal Register Notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting 
comments on the following collection of information was published on 
November 17, 2020. The collection involves an electronic distribution 
of a survey to gather information on current practices for pilots of 
unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). The target information to be gathered 
is the common fatigue-related practices, and the minimum knowledge, 
skills, abilities (KSAs), testing, and staffing procedures required for 
operating UAS. The information to be collected will be used to inform 
future rulemaking and the development of supporting guidance. The 
information is necessary because the existing regulatory framework, to 
include the certification of airmen, was not designed with remote 
pilots in mind. To broadly integrate UAS and remote pilots into the 
National Airspace System, further rulemaking will be required to 
address remote pilot certification for air carrier operations and 
flight and duty time periods applicable to remote pilot air carrier 
operations.

DATES: Written comments should be submitted by February 25, 2021.

ADDRESSES: Please send written comments:
    By Electronic Docket: https://www.regulations.gov (Enter docket 
number into search field).
    By mail: Kevin Williams, Ph.D., Bldg. 13, Rm. 250D, 6500 S 
MacArthur Blvd., Oklahoma City, OK 73125.
    By fax: (405) 954-4852.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ashley Awwad by email at: 
[email protected]; phone: (816) 786-5716.

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.
    OMB Control Number: 2120-XXXX.
    Title: Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Market Survey.
    Form Numbers: There are no forms associated with this collection.
    Type of Review: New information collection.
    Background: The FAA published a Notice in the Federal Register on 
November 17, 2020, seeking comment for a period of 60-days on its 
intent to conduct a UAS market survey that

[[Page 7166]]

would collect information pertaining to UAS air carrier-like operations 
(85 FR 73334). The FAA received supporting comments from four 
organizations: Airlines for America, Small UAV Coalition, Helicopter 
Association International (HAI), and the National Agricultural Aviation 
Association (NAAA).
    HAI believes this collection is a valuable opportunity and will be 
an effective source of information to inform FAA. NAAA commented that 
it is vital that a safe, low-altitude airspace exist for all users and 
advocates for pilots of UAS operations to hold a pilot certificate. 
NAAA added that the proposed collection would support establishing the 
minimum knowledge, skills, abilities, testing, and staffing procedures 
required for operating UAS. Similarly, the Small UAV Coalition supports 
the proposed collection recognizing the benefits of establishing 
minimum requirements in terms of aeronautical knowledge and in-flight 
practical training and testing for remote pilots conducting air carrier 
operations and suggests adjustments are necessary from existing remote 
pilot certificate requirements for operations conducted under 14 CFR 
part 107.
    Three of these commenters included recommendations for who should 
be eligible to respond to the survey. HAI suggested the FAA seek 
responses from the broadest possible cross-section of operations. HAI 
noted that many legacy rotorcraft organizations conducting a wide 
variety of operations have integrated UAS into their operations with 
more expected to follow. Data gathered from persons with experience in 
both manned and unmanned operations could be valuable. NAAA recommended 
that respondents include pilots with manned aircraft experience in 
operating around UAS, specifically those that normally conduct 
operations in low-altitude environments, though not necessarily 
experienced in flying unmanned aircraft.
    The FAA agrees that information from a broad cross-section of the 
aviation industry is important in gathering the data it seeks with this 
collection. The survey is designed such that respondents can indicate 
which area of the industry they represent. This will aid in 
understanding the more specific information gathered in the survey 
regarding knowledge, skill, training, testing, and fatigue-related 
policies and procedures. The FAA has specifically included some of the 
recommended industries of agriculture, infrastructure, and emergency 
response. If a respondent's industry is not part of the generated 
listed, they will have the opportunity to write it in. Because of the 
UAS-specific information and experience we are seeking, we are 
requiring that the respondents have some kind of work-related 
experience with unmanned aircraft or that their organization currently 
operates or plans to operate unmanned aircraft commercially.
    The Small UAV Coalition noted in its comments that the FAA did not 
explain how it arrived at the estimate of 180 respondents. The Small 
UAV Coalition believes the survey should include Part 107 waiver 
holders because of the experience they have in complex UAS operations, 
particularly those beyond the line of sight of the remote pilot.
    The FAA arrived at the estimate of 180 respondents due to both 
statistical reasons and prior experience with survey data collections. 
The requirement for 180 respondents represents a sufficient amount 
needed to draw reliable and valid conclusions from the data while 
reducing the American public's paperwork burden as much as possible. 
Exceeding this number will not be problematic from a statistical 
viewpoint, and given that the survey is being distributed 
electronically, should not be a problem from a paperwork burden 
viewpoint as well. The FAA has generated a list of potential 
respondents to invite for participation, which helped to estimate the 
potential number. However, the number of respondents is not limited to 
only those on that list. The survey link can be forwarded or made 
available to others. Acknowledging the comments received regarding 
distribution and who it should include, the FAA will provide the survey 
link to NAAA, HAI, and the Small UAV Coalition by means of an 
invitational email. Enclosed in the invitational email is a survey link 
that states, ``You may forward this survey to your colleagues and peers 
who meet this criteria, even if you do not.'' Thus, these organizations 
can then email the survey invitation to their membership as they deem 
appropriate given the information the FAA has provided. Due to privacy 
concerns, the FAA will neither share nor accept participant contact 
lists but will encourage the organization to share the survey link with 
individuals who meet the survey criteria.
    The Small UAV Coalition also suggested that the academic experts 
should include those ``who have examined how fatigue may occur while a 
human operates a machine with increasing levels of autonomy as well as 
complexity in tasks'' noting that these experts may not have experience 
with UAS operations, but their information may be valuable.
    The FAA appreciates the suggestion and agrees that the fatigue 
information recommended would be valuable but such information exceeds 
the scope of the survey. The FAA has other research tasks that better 
capture this type of fatigue information. This particular survey is 
seeking operation-specific details and policies that organizations may 
have concerning time on duty in relationship to tasks, and other 
fatigue-related policies. As noted previously, this survey would not 
prevent someone with that kind of expertise from responding, but the 
questions are not designed to capture other research that is available.
    Respondents: 180 respondents.
    Frequency: One-time collection.
    Estimated Average Burden per Response: 45-minute burden per 
response.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden: 135 hours, total burden.

    Issued in Oklahoma City, OK, on January 21, 2021.
Ashley Awwad,
Management and Program Analyst, FAA Aviation Safety, Civil Aerospace 
Medical Institute, Flight Deck Human Factors Research Lab (AAM-510).
[FR Doc. 2021-01686 Filed 1-25-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P