[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 131 (Monday, July 11, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41159-41160]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-14640]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

[Docket No. 2022-0176]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Requests for Comments; 
Clearance of Renewal Approval of Information Collection 2120-0776, 
Airspace Authorizations in Controlled Airspace

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

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 Information Collection 
2120-0776. The Federal Register Notice with a 60-day comment period 
soliciting comments on the following collection of information was 
published on February 18, 2022. The FAA proposes renewal of the 
collection of information related to requests to operate small Unmanned 
Aircraft Systems (sUAS) in controlled airspace. FAA will use the 
collected information to make determinations whether to authorize or 
deny the requested authorization of sUAS operation in controlled 
airspace. The proposed information collection is necessary to issue 
such authorizations or denials consistent with the FAA's mandate to 
ensure safe and efficient use of national airspace.

DATES: Written comments should be submitted by August 10, 2022.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed 
information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of 
this notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this particular 
information collection by selecting ``Currently under 30-day Review--
Open for Public Comments'' or by using the search function.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Victoria Gallagher by email at: 
[email protected]; phone: 609-485-5127.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FAA received three comments from the 
public. Two were supportive. The first was anonymous and expressed 
approval of the collection. The second supportive comment was from 
Airlines for America, which noted that the collection of such 
information can be used in furtherance of the FAA's regulatory approach 
for the seamless

[[Page 41160]]

integration of UAS operations in the National Airspace System (NAS). 
Airlines for America commented that FAA must ensure adequate safety 
precautions to avoid collisions of UAS with manned aircraft and that 
the proposed collection will help identify compliant from noncompliant 
operations and further this safety model.
    The final comment was from the Air Line Pilots Association, 
International (ALPA), which commented that the collection of 
information to process authorization requests has not been subject to 
sufficient safety risk evaluation and therefore cannot be fully 
determined whether the information collected is adequate to verify if 
safe operations can be conducted. Further, ALPA commented that it 
believes the FAA's current minimum requirements for information in a 
Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC) 
application are not sufficient. According to ALPA, additional 
information including aircraft registration, make and model 
information, and post-flight information should be collected. In this 
Information Collection renewal request, the FAA proposes to use LAANC 
and the web portal to collect information that provides a means for 
small UAS operators operating under Sec.  44809 to comply with Sec.  
44809's established requirements and safety processes. This proposed 
information collection is sufficient to meet safety standards and 
captures essential information.
    ALPA also commented that the FAA has not determined through its 
Safety Management System process the risk that UAS operating in 
controlled airspace introduce to the NAS and, therefore, ALPA is unable 
to determine if the information collected is adequate. This second 
category of comments is substantially the same as comments that ALPA 
submitted in response to Information Collection 2120-0768's 60 Day 
Notice published on February 12, 2018 (83 FR 6082) and to the Notice of 
Proposed Rule Making that was eventually implemented as a final rule at 
81 FR 42063 on June 28, 2016 and codified as 14 CFR part 107. The FAA 
analyzed the proposed information to be collected under Sec.  44809 and 
determined that the information is adequate for the FAA to meet safety 
standards.
    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: 2120-0776.
    Title: Airspace Authorizations in Controlled Airspace under 49 
U.S.C. 44809(a)(5).
    Form Numbers: There are no forms associated with this collection.
    Type of Review: Renewal of existing Information Collection.
    Background: There has been an increased number of small UAS 
operating in the NAS in recent years, and regulations and statutes have 
been enacted to establish the use of small UAS in the NAS. Included in 
these is 49 U.S.C. 44809(a)(5), which states that a strictly 
recreational user of small UAS must have authorization from the FAA to 
fly a small UAS ``in Class B, Class C, or Class D airspace or within 
the lateral boundaries of the surface areas of Class E airspace 
designated for an airport.'' In order to process airspace authorization 
requests, the FAA requires the operator's name, the operator's contact 
information, and information related to the date, place, and time of 
the requested authorization, which can be up to twelve hours in length. 
This information is necessary for the FAA to meet its statutory mandate 
of maintaining a safe and efficient national airspace. See 49 U.S.C. 
40103, 44701, and 44807. The FAA will use the requested information to 
determine if the proposed authorization to operate can be conducted 
safely.
    The FAA proposes to use LAANC and an FAA web portal to process 
authorization requests from the public to conduct flight operations 
under 49 U.S.C. 44809(a)(5).
    Respondents: Small UAS operators seeking to conduct flight 
operations under 49 U.S.C. 44809(a)(5) within controlled airspace. 
Between 2022-2025, the FAA estimates that it will receive a total of 
757,380 requests for airspace authorization (735,416 through LAANC and 
21,964 through the web portal).
    Frequency: The requested information is necessary each time a 
respondent requests an airspace authorization to operate a small UAS 
under 49 U.S.C. 44809(a)(5) in controlled airspace.
    Estimated Average Burden per Response: The FAA estimates the 
respondents using LAANC will take five (5) minutes per airspace 
authorization request and those using the web portal will take thirty 
(30) minutes per request.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden: For airspace authorizations, the FAA 
estimates that the average annual burden will be 24,089 burden hours. 
This includes 20,428 burden hours for 245,139 LAANC respondents and 
3,661 burden hours for 7,321 web portal respondents.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on July, 5 2022.
Victoria Gallagher,
UAS LAANC Program Manager, AJM-337.
[FR Doc. 2022-14640 Filed 7-8-22; 8:45 am]
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