Agency Information Collection Activities: Emergency Clearance: Public Information Collection Requirements Submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB): B4UFLY Smartphone App

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is announcing an opportunity for the public to comment on FAA's intention to collect information from the public. In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, FAA invites public comments about our request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for approval for an information collection. We are requesting an emergency review under 5 CFR part 1320(a)(2)(i) because public harm is reasonably likely to result if the normal clearance procedures are followed. In compliance with the requirement of section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we have submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) the following requirements for emergency review. The FAA has documented over 675 pilot and law enforcement reports of unmanned aircraft `events' in 2015. In comparison, the FAA received 238 of these reports in the entirety of 2014. This increase in reports, particularly in close proximity to airports, suggests that many unmanned aircraft system (UAS) operators are unaware of safety guidelines and policies and are unaware of the potential hazards these operations may pose to manned aircraft operations. The FAA's B4UFLY smartphone app will provide situational awareness of flight restrictions--including locations of airports, restricted airspace, special use airspaces, and temporary flight restrictions--based on a user's current or planned flight location. The risk posed to the National Airspace System (NAS) by increasingly unsafe UAS operations makes the immediate release of this app vital.