Respondents are sUAS operators who are seeking to fly in controlled airspace under 49 U.S.C. § 44809(a)(5). Respondents are required to provide their name, telephone number, email address, and information related to the date, time, place, and altitude of any planned flight operations in controlled airspace. While reporting the information is voluntary it is required on occasion (each time a respondent desires to fly in controlled airspace). There are no record-keeping or disclosure requirements.
The information requested from respondents is essential to FAA mission needs. The FAA is tasked with the exclusive management of airspace in the United States and must issue regulations and control the use of airspace to ensure the safe and efficient use of airspace.
The FAA uses the information provided by respondents via either LAANC or the web portal for the same purposes. To accomplish the FAAâs mandate of providing safe and efficient use of airspace, FAAâs Air Traffic Control must be aware of any planned operations of sUAS in controlled airspace. sUAS operating in controlled airspace will be entering airspace potentially occupied by a variety of other aviation vehicles. FAAâs Air Traffic Control must provide authorization of planned sUAS operations prior to them occurring to ensure that the operations will not interfere with other air traffic.
The information provided by respondents to request authorization to conduct sUAS operations, whether through LAANC or via the web portal, is used by the FAA to provide (or deny) authorization to conduct a sUAS operation consistent with the FAAâs legal mandate to maintain a safe and efficient airspace.
US Code:
49 USC 44701
Name of Law: General Requirements
US Code:
49 USC 44809
Name of Law: FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018
US Code: 49 USC 44809 Name of Law: FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018
Information Collection 2120-0776 was approved on July 31, 2019 for 49,299 hours per year.
This collection activity was new to the FAA in 2019 and the operation of sUAS in the National Airspace is relatively new with activity like this approved for the first time in 2017. Now that the FAA has processed airspace authorization requests under for nearly three years a clearer picture of the number of authorization requests exists and the FAA is reducing its estimate of the total number of respondents due to there being a lower percentage of respondents requesting airspace authorizations under 49 U.S.C. § 44809 than was anticipated in 2019. The FAA is also reducing the burden hour allocation between LAANC and the web portal as a higher percentage of respondents are using LAANC, which estimates to take 5 minutes per transaction, vs. the web portal, which estimates to take 30 minutes per transaction. The screenshots for the web portal were also updated to reflect the new user interface.
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that the collection of information encompassed by this request complies with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR 1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding the proposed collection of information, that the certification covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.
Supporting Statement_2120-0176_44809 Auths_ (final).docx
FAA_Aerospace_Forecasts_FY_2021-2041.pdf
44809 Airspace Authorizations - Web Portal