Notice2023-27056
Agency Information Collection Activities: Requests for Comments; Clearance of Renewed Approval of Information Collection: Survey of Unmanned-Aircraft-Systems Operators
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
December 11, 2023
Issuing agencies
Transportation DepartmentFederal Aviation Administration
Abstract
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 October 02, 2022. The collection involves a survey of uncrewed-aircraft-systems (UAS) operators within the United States. The information gathered through the survey's questionnaire on flight behavior and fleet characteristics is used to inform UAS rule making and guide investment in UAS research and infrastructure.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 236 (Monday, December 11, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 236 (Monday, December 11, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 85967-85968]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-27056]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
[Docket No. 2020-0488]
Agency Information Collection Activities: Requests for Comments;
Clearance of Renewed Approval of Information Collection: Survey of
Unmanned-Aircraft-Systems Operators
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 an information
collection. The Federal Register Notice with a 60-day comment period
soliciting comments on the following collection of information was
published on October 02, 2022. The collection involves a survey of
uncrewed-aircraft-systems (UAS) operators within the United States. The
information gathered through the survey's questionnaire on flight
behavior and fleet characteristics is used to inform UAS rule making
and
[[Page 85968]]
guide investment in UAS research and infrastructure.
DATES: Written comments should be submitted by January 11th, 2024.
ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed
information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of
this notice to <a href="http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain">www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain</a>. 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: William Ekins by email at: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#7b2342563a2b3456280e090d1e02083b1d1a1a551c140d"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="3f6706127e6f70126c4a4d495a464c7f595e5e11585049">[email protected]</span></a>; phone: (202) 267-4735.
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: 2120-0797.
Title: Survey of Unmanned-Aircraft-Systems Operators.
Form Numbers: 1 Online Questionnaire per Respondent.
Type of Review: The review is for the renewal of the Survey of
Unmanned-Aircraft-Systems Operators.
Background: The Federal Register Notice with a 60-day comment
period soliciting comments on the following collection of information
was published on October 02, 2023 (88 FR 67862).
We conducted the Survey of UAS Operators for 2021 and 2022 UAS
activity under the original information collection request granted in
March of 2021. These surveys utilized a stratified random sampling
design with the operator's county of residence and type of operator as
strata. The survey collected information through a questionnaire with
76 questions, but due to the skip logic of the questionnaire, the
average respondent only answered 16 questions. The 2021 and 2022
activity surveys received 17,736 and 22,846 responses, respectively.
The information from these surveys have been used to improve the
questionnaire and inform rule making.
This request to modify and renew the information collection is to
continue and improve the support of the FAA's mission of safety and
aligns with Title 49 of the United States Code. The objective of this
collection is to improve the FAA knowledge of UAS operations and better
predict the nature of UAS operations within the national airspace
system (NAS). The information gathered empowers the FAA to make
informed decisions surrounding UAS operations within the NAS.
This information collection renewal asks to improve the survey
design by expanding the target population and adding an additional
stratum to the sampling process. The original survey's target
population included only registered small UAS operators--operators with
UAS weighing less than 55 lbs--within the United States. The survey
under the renewed information collection would expand the target
population to include all UAS, regardless of weight, by including UAS
operators with a section 44807 exemption, which utilizes the aircraft
registry under section 44103 as a sample frame. In addition, data
collected from the 2021 and 2022 UAS activity surveys suggested that
operators with UAS larger fleets have more diverse UAS activity than
UAS operators with small fleets, who are most of the section 349 and
part 107 registries. To improve the sampling of UAS operators,
operators with larger fleets with receive equal sampling to UAS
operators with small fleets by adding a fleet-size stratum to the
sampling process when a registry contains information on the size of
the fleet, such as the part 107 registry.
Selected registrants are invited to complete a questionnaire
regarding the operator's fleet characteristics, flight behavior, and
overall UAS activities. The survey's questionnaire contains over 80
questions, but due to skip logic, the average respondent will only
answer 18 questions. We estimate the questionnaire requires 10 minutes
on average to complete. Responding to the survey is voluntary, and
respondents are given the option of opting out of just the current
year's survey or all future surveys. All collected data are anonymized
and only aggregated data are reported, thereby protecting the identity
of the respondents. The survey will open in November of the year for
which the UAS activity is gathered and close on February 1st of the
following year.
Due to the changing nomenclature of this section of aviation, we
request to change the name of the survey for the Survey of Unmanned-
Aircraft-Systems Operators to the Survey of Uncrewed-Aircraft-Systems
Operators.
Respondents: We expect approximately 113,000 respondents from
across the United States over the three-years authorization of this
information collection. The collection's sample is formed from three
registries of UAS operators: (1) the registry of small, non-
recreational operators under Title 14, Part 107 of the Code of Federal
Regulation, (2) the registry of small, recreational operators under
Section 349 of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018; and (3) the
commercial operators with section 44807 exemptions who are registered
in the aircraft registry under Title 49 of the U.S.C., section 44103
registry.
Frequency: Annually.
Estimated Average Burden per Response: 10 Minutes.
Estimated Total Annual Burden: 6,279 hrs/yr.
Issued in Washington, DC, on December 6th, 2023.
William Ekins,
Economist, Federal Aviation Administration, Office of Aviation Policy
and Plans.
[FR Doc. 2023-27056 Filed 12-8-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P
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