Supporting Statement 2120-0015 20190820

Supporting Statement A

FAA AIRPORT MASTER RECORD

1. Explain the circumstances that make the collection of information necessary. Identify any legal or administrative requirements that necessitate the collection.

49 USC 329(b) empowers and directs the Secretary of Transportation to collect and disseminate information on civil aeronautics. In addition, Section 47130 of the U.S. Code Title 49, Sub VII, Part B, Chapter 471, mandates the collection of airport safety data. Aeronautical information is required by the FAA in order to carry out agency missions such as those related to aviation flying safety, flight planning, airport engineering and federal grants analysis, aeronautical and flight information publications, and the promotion of air commerce as required by statute.

The safety information collected includes, but is not limited to, the following: airport name, associated city, airport owner and airport manager, airport latitude, longitude, elevation, runway description, services available, runway approach light systems, communications frequency, airport use, number of operations and based aircraft, obstruction data, and pertinent general remarks.

In addition to the FAA’s requirements, the information is used extensively by other segments of the civil and military aeronautical communities, since it is the agency’s central source for the collection of airport safety data used in aeronautical and flight information publications. Other users of the data are private industry, state agencies (state airport directories, aeronautical publications, and system planning), and other government agencies (National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency).

Within the FAA, the collection and dissemination of this information is known as the Airport Data and Information Program. By the end of 2019, the agency will collect this information via an interactive web form located within the Airports GIS application (https://airports-gis.faa.gov/agis/public/). (As of September 23, 2019, an updated version of this system will be launched as the Airport Data Information Program or ADIP. We’ve used “ADIP” to refer to this system for the remainder of this document.) In addition, and as a supplement to the interactive web form, PDF versions of forms 5010-1, 5010-2, 5010-3, and 5010-5 will still be available to airports who choose to use them.

Since implementation in 1958, the Airport Data and Information Program has provided for:

(a) Accurate record and depiction of conditions at civil airports, heliports, gliderports, balloonports, seaplane bases, and ultralight flightparks.

(b) A comprehensive agency aeronautical repository designed to eliminate redundant collection and dissemination processes.

(c) Timely and accurate aeronautical information, which is essential to the safety of the flying public.

(d) Promotion and encouragement of safe operating conditions at airports through contact with airport management and follow-up coordination.

(e) Assurance that data are collected and published with a degree of consistency and frequency with the exercise of FAA responsibilities.

(f) Efficient means for producing both recurring and one-time reports derived from the data collected and needed for agency management direction, including airport improvement program planning, the issuance of federal grant funds, forecasting, budgetary, and statistical analyses.

The Airport Data and Information Program employs methods of information collection such as: physical inspection, airport reporting and mail solicitation. The physical inspections are conducted by FAA, State, and contract inspectors who work with the airport to confirm data is correct and current. Airport reporting is accomplished by the airport sponsor or manager when they submit changes directly to the FAA. Mail solicitation is the process whereby the FAA mails the owners of private use airports a copy of their FAA Form 5010-2 and asks them to review the data on their airport, verify the data or make any relevant changes to the data, submit revision using the interactive web form within ADIP or sign the form and mail it back to the FAA.

Civil airports are divided into two categories: those open to the public and those not open to the public. Currently there are approximately 19,660 airports in the Airport Data and Information Program. Approximately 5,090 airports are open to the public and about 14,570 are closed to the public. The 5,090 airports that are open to the public can be further broken down into approximately 524 Part 139 airports and approximately 4,566 non-Part 139 airports. In addition we estimate that about 150 new airports are added to the FAA records each year, while at the same time the same approximate number are reported abandoned or deactivated. The information collected in this program is safety critical and directly supports the FAA goal of enhancing the safety for pilots in flight and also enhancing the safe maintenance of airports. The program therefore reduces dollar loss by preventing aviation incidents in the air and on the ground.

This collection of aeronautical information supports the DOT strategic goal on safety.

2. Indicate how, by whom, and for what purpose the information is to be used. Except for a new collection, indicate the actual use the agency has made of the information received from the current collection.

This collection is for reporting aeronautical data by Federal, State, or contract inspectors (for public-use airports) or airport owners and managers (for private-use airports). The data is mandatory, public in nature and the agency's source for the information used in aeronautical and flight information publications. It is used by various entities of the civil and military aeronautical communities. Other users of the data include private industry, aviation associations, state agencies (state airport directories, aeronautical publications, and system planning), and other government agencies (National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency).

Airport Master Record (5010) data is collected under the Airport Data and Information Program on an as needed basis, but the goal is to obtain a yearly update of all airports on record with the FAA either through physical inspection, self-reporting by airport management or mail solicitation. Data from private-use airports is currently collected every 3 years. The 5010 forms (5010-1, 5010-2, 5010-3, and 5010-5) identify location, airport ownership and management, services available, based aircraft, facilities, operations, runway data, lighting and approach aids, obstruction data, declared distances, remarks, and inspection data.

If this data were not collected, U.S. government aeronautical and flight information publications such as sectional aeronautical charts, Airport/Facility Directories, and other flight information manuals could not be produced or maintained.

When a new landing facility opens, a Federal, State, or contract inspector will fill in the 5010-3 form for a public-use facility or the airport owner/manager will fill in a 5010-5 form if the airport is private-use. This initial report of aeronautical information feeds into the FAA’s Airport Data and Information Program and, once processed by the FAA, is used to generate the pre-populated 5010-1 or 5010-2 Airport Master Record for the airport, depending on its status as public- or private-use.

Data from the 5010 forms also feeds into the FAA Air Traffic National Airspace System Resource (NASR) database, where it is made publicly available and used for planning purposes by the FAA, airports, state and local governments, pilots, and others.

During physical inspections of public-use airports, State inspectors and regional FAA Airport Safety Certification Inspectors will spend a small part of the inspection confirming the data on the 5010-1 and updating it as necessary. Occasionally, public-use airport owners/managers might view their 5010-1 data and report necessary changes to the FAA Airport Engineering Division, which administers the Airport Data and Information Program, or to other components of the agency.

The FAA Form 5010-2 is an abbreviated version of FAA Form 5010-1. The FAA uses this form to accomplish a mail solicitation to private-use airports. Every 3 years, we use this solicitation to ask private-use airports to review the data on the 5010-2 form and let the FAA know if the form is correct as is or requires changes. This submission can be done by signing and returning the paper form or, as of September 2019, logging into the ADIP system and making the changes online.

If changes are made to 5010-1 or 5010-2 forms, the data in the ADIP and NASR systems are updated and revised Forms 5010-1 and 5010-2 become available for download, reflecting the most up-to-date record for that airport.

3. Describe whether, and to what extent, the collection of information involves the use of automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

At present, data from the public-use 5010 forms can be submitted 100-percent electronically by authorized State and FAA inspectors via an FAA/ARP-funded system (https://5010web.com) that feeds data into the FAA’s National Airspace System Resource (NASR), a system operated by the Air Traffic Aeronautical Information Services.

In September 2019, the FAA will complete the process to allow both inspectors and public- and private-use airports to add or update 5010-1 and 5010-2 forms digitally through the ADIP system (https://airports-gis.faa.gov/agis/public/). This system will become the authoritative source for this data. This fully electronic process will make updates more efficient and less burdensome for inspectors and airports and allow more timely identification and correction of data inaccuracies within the authoritative source database.

The FAA, however, will continue to allow airports to print off copies of their 5010-1 and 5010-2 forms, mark changes, and submit them to the FAA by mail if the airports choose to do so. We will also continue to provide fillable PDFs of the blank 5010-3 and 5010-5 forms on the FAA website (https://www.faa.gov/forms/) that airports can submit via mail or email. Once we implement a digital signature process for external users later this year, airports will also have to option to access fillable signable fileable PDF versions from this same location and submit them to the FAA.

The public can currently access 5010 data through lookup tools hosted on the FAA website, including on the ADIP main page (https://airports-gis.faa.gov/agis/public/#/public) and through the Airport Data and Contact Information application (https://www.faa.gov/airports/airport_safety/airportdata_5010/).

The FAA also makes the entire 5010 dataset available to the public through a digital subscription (https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/flight_info/aeronav/aero_data/NASR_Subscription/).

Both the FAA and industry use this subscription dataset to populate web applications that make the data available in user-friendly formats to the public, such as the Airport Data and Contact Information tool discussed above.

The FAA privacy office has determine that since this collection is directed toward airports and not individuals and because the personal information collected (business contact information) on the airport owners and managers is not retrievable by a unique identifier of the individual (name, address, phone, email, etc.), no privacy act statement is needed at this time.

4. Describe efforts to identify duplication. Show specifically why any similar information already available cannot be used or modified for use for the purposes described in Item 2 above.

The FAA’s Airport Data and Information Program is the FAA’s official means of collecting aeronautical information on airports. The data to be collected via the online portal, mail solicitation and fillable PDFs all feeds into a single dataset.

5. If the collection of information involves small businesses or other small entities, describe the methods used to minimize burden.

In most cases, small businesses (aviation flying schools, crop-dusting, hospital heliports, etc.) are merely confirming existing data, which requires only a minimum amount of burden. Since the physical description for these landing facilities changes infrequently, the owner normally reports only minor administrative changes such as updates to address and phone number. We ask these airports to review their existing information every 3 years via mail solicitation using contractor services. The airports can submit any changes identified as part of this solicitation via the interactive web form or via hardcopy by mail if they choose.

Of the 4,176 private-use airports that we expect to submit 5010 data each year, less than 1.5 percent (48) are new respondents who must complete a 5010-5 form. We expect the burden for these new respondents to only be 1 hour, and we make available Advisory Circular 150/5200-35, Submitting the Airport Master Record in Order to Activate a New Airport, to assist them with this process.

6. Describe the consequence to Federal program or policy activities if the collection is not conducted or is conducted less frequently, as well as any technical or legal obstacles to reducing burden.

Not collecting this data would pose a serious hazard to air navigation. It would interfere with the FAA’s mission related to aviation flying safety, flight planning, airport engineering and federal grants analysis, aeronautical and flight information publications, and the promotion of air commerce as required by statute and it would reduce safety for pilots and the flying public.

Data from public-use facilities is currently collected annually; data from private-use facilities is solicited every 3 years. Less frequent collection of data would lead to inaccurate information in aeronautical publications and pilot handbooks, posing a serious hazard to air navigation and increase the time needed for FAA specialists to review and verify records.

Once all participating airports have the ability to submit data electronically into ADIP in September 2019, we expect the increased efficiency will allow the more timely identification and correction of data inaccuracies within the authoritative source database.

7. Explain any special circumstances that would cause an information collection to be conducted in a manner:

There are no special circumstances.

8. Provide information on the PRA Federal Register Notice that solicited public comments on the information collection prior to this submission. Summarize the public comments received in response to that notice and describe the actions taken by the agency in response to those comments. Describe the efforts to consult with persons outside the agency to obtain their views on the availability of data, frequency of collection, the clarity of instructions and recordkeeping, disclosure, or reporting format (if any), and on the data elements to be recorded, disclosed, or reported.

A Federal Register Notice published on May 2, 2019 (84 FR 18916) solicited public comment. No comments were received.

9. Explain any decisions to provide payments or gifts to respondents, other than remuneration of contractors or grantees.

There are no payments or gifts to respondents.

10. Describe any assurance of confidentiality provided to respondents and the basis for assurance in statute, regulation, or agency policy.

We offer no assurance of confidentiality.

11. Provide additional justification for any questions of a sensitive nature, such as sexual behavior and attitudes, religious beliefs, and other matters that are commonly considered private.

There are no sensitive questions.

12. Provide estimates of the hour burden of the collection of information. The statement should:

There are approximately 19,660 airports in the Airport Data and Information Program. Approximately 5,090 airports are open to the public and about 14,570 are closed to the public (private use). We estimate the annual submission rate for 5010-1 forms for public-use facilities is 95 percent for a total of 4,834, including 524 Part 139 certificated airports. The annual submission rate for 5010-2 forms for private-use facilities, which we reach out to every 3 years, is approximately 85 percent for an annualized total of 4,128 forms. Based on the current and past data, we expect the total number of public- and private-use facilities to each increase by .001 and .01 percent, respectively, giving us the number of expected submissions of the 5010-3 (5) and 5010-5 (48) forms.

Summary (Annual numbers)	Reporting	Recordkeeping
IC 1 (5010-1)
# of Respondents	4,834	0
# of Responses per respondent	1	0
Time per Response (hours)	1.25	0
IC 2 (5010-2)
# of Respondents	4,128	0
# of Responses per respondent	1	0
Time per Response (hours)	.25	0
IC 3 (5010-3)
# of Respondents	5	0
# of Responses per respondent	1	0
Time per Response (hours)	1.25	0
IC 4 (5010-5)
# of Respondents	48	0
# of Responses per respondent	1	0
Time per Response (hours)	1	0
All ICs
Total # of responses	9,015
Total burden (hours)	5,919

We estimate the total labor cost to all respondents will be $650,621. This amount includes the burden to State or contract inspectors ($68 per response) and airports managers/owners (approximately $40 per response).

We estimate the time burden for the State and contract inspectors who collect and report 5010 data for non-Part 139 public-use airports to be 1 hour per response.

The total mean hourly wage of a Transportation Inspector (support activities for air transportation)¹ of $34 (rounded), multiplied by 2 to account for benefits plus other overhead costs such as rent, utilities, and office equipment² for the 4,310 public-use non-Part 139 airports (5010-1) and 5 new public-use airports (5010-3):

• ($34 x 2) x (4,834 - 524 + 5) = $293,420

We estimate that airport managers/owners will spend 15 minutes confirming data for Form 5010-1; 15 minutes responding to and submitting changes for Forms 5010-1, 5010-2, and 5010-3; and 1 hour completing Form 5010-5.

The mean hourly wage of a General Operations Manager (airport managers/owners)³ of $78 (rounded), multiplied by 2 to account for benefits plus other overhead costs such as rent, utilities, and office equipment⁴:

• 5010-1: [($78/4) x 2] x 4,834 = $188,526

• 5010-2: [($78/4) x 2] x 4,128 = $160,992

• 5010-3: [($78/4) x 2] x 5 = $195

• 5010-5: ($78 x 2) x 48 = $7,488

13. Provide an estimate for the total annual cost burden to respondents or record keepers resulting from the collection of information.

Currently, there are no costs other than the labor costs recorded above for public-use airport owners and managers. Their 5010-1 and 5010-3 data is submitted electronically by State, contract, or federal inspectors online into a federal system.

As of September 2019, the owners and managers of private-use airports will be able to submit the aeronautical data from 5010-2 and 5010-5 online as well. These private-use airport owners and managers will continue to receive mail solicitations, however, as a means of encouraging them to update their data, and they will have the choice to submit changes by mail if they choose to do so. If all of these owners/managers choose to return their forms via mail rather than use the online system, the total cost could be (4,128 + 48) x $0.55 (cost of first class stamp) = $2,296.80. This is the estimated total annual cost burden (material cost) to respondents.

14. Provide estimates of annualized costs to the Federal government. Also, provide a description of the method used to estimate cost, which should include quantification of hours, operational expenses (such as equipment, overhead, printing, and support staff), and any other expense that would not have been incurred without this collection of information.

The total annualized cost to the Federal Government is $4,019,917. This includes the labor cost of federal inspectors and the FAA staff who process the data as well as contract costs for the mail solicitation and development and maintenance of the ADIP system.

The mean hourly wage of a Federal Transportation Inspector⁵ of $53 (rounded), multiplied by 2 to account for benefits plus other overhead costs such as rent, utilities, and office equipment⁶ for the 524 Part 139 airports is:

• ($53 x 2) x (524) = $55,544

Once the data is received, it must be processed by 2 Aeronautical Information Specialists within the FAA, who collectively spend 30 hours per week (1,560 hours annually) working with the data submitted for all 5010 forms. This job is similar to the Operations Research Analyst⁷ profession, which has a mean hourly way of $42 (rounded), multiplied by 2 to account for benefits plus other overhead costs such as rent, utilities, and office equipment⁸:

• ($42 x 2) x (1,560) = $131,040

The mail solicitation to private-use airports is administered by GCR, Inc., through a contract with the FAA.

• Mail solicitation: $3,500,000.

The ADIP system encompasses several programs, including the Airport Data and Information Program. We estimate the annual cost of development, updates, and maintenance to the Airports GIS system to allow collection and processing of 5010 data will be as follows:

• ADIP: $333,333

15. Explain the reasons for any program changes or adjustments.

The agency has separated collection activity into appropriate information collections; there have not been additional forms added.

The burden for this collection is being adjusted, based on data collected since this collection was last renewed in 2016.

Costs and time for both respondents and the government have gone up because of changes in the way costs and time were previously calculated. Previous costs to respondents did not factor in the labor costs of either State or contract inspectors or airport owners and managers nor the mailing costs of private-use airports in response to the mail solicitation. Previous time burdens did not include the amount of time public-use airport owners and managers spend confirming data. Further, previous costs to the Federal government included neither salaries nor overhead of staff collecting or processing 5010 data. This renewal also includes the additional cost of the ADIP system, which will become the primary portal through which all 5010 data is submitted. This will consolidate the online and paper processes that currently exist. As airports become more familiar with the system, we expect the cost of the mail solicitation to go down considerably as we will be able to send electronic notices directly from ADIP to participating airports and only use mail solicitation for those airports that have not chosen to participate in the electronic process.

16. For collections of information whose results will be published, outline plans for tabulation and publication. Address any complex analytical techniques that will be used. Provide the time schedule for the entire project, including beginning and ending dates of the collection of information, completion of report, publication dates, and other actions.

Air Traffic’s Aeronautical Information Services Directorate publishes one-half of all the data collected in their daily National Flight Data Digest (NFDD). The NFDD is the single dissemination source in the U.S. for all civil charts and civil flight publications published by U.S. Government mapmakers and private industry mapmakers. No complex analytical techniques are used. The NFDD is published daily, and from it are derived several aeronautical publications and pilot handbooks, all having different chart publication dates.

Aeronautical Information Services also publishes the complete dataset every 28 days and makes it available through a web subscription. Other entities both within the FAA and outside use the web subscription to make the data available in a variety of formats. Examples include https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/flight_info/aeronav/aero_data/Airport_Data/ and https://www.faa.gov/airports/airport_safety/airportdata_5010/.

17. If seeking approval to not display the expiration date for OMB approval of the information collection, explain the reasons why display would be inappropriate.

Not seeking approval to not display expiration date.

18. Explain each exception to the topics of the certification statement identified in “Certification for Paperwork Reduction Act Submissions.”

There are no exceptions to this certification.

1 Occupation 53-6051, BLS Occupational Employment Statistics, 2018. See https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes536051.htm.

2 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Guidelines for Regulatory Impact Analysis, Table 4.2, Constructing Default Estimates of the Value of Time, 2016. See https://aspe.hhs.gov/system/files/pdf/242926/HHS_RIAGuidance.pdf.

3 Occupation 11-1021, BLS Occupational Employment Statistics, 2018. See Industry profile for Management of Companies and Enterprises: https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes111021.htm.

4 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Guidelines for Regulatory Impact Analysis, Table 4.2, Constructing Default Estimates of the Value of Time, 2016. See https://aspe.hhs.gov/system/files/pdf/242926/HHS_RIAGuidance.pdf.

5 Occupation 53-6051, BLS Occupational Employment Statistics, 2018. See https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes536051.htm.

6 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Guidelines for Regulatory Impact Analysis, Table 4.2, Constructing Default Estimates of the Value of Time, 2016. See https://aspe.hhs.gov/system/files/pdf/242926/HHS_RIAGuidance.pdf.

7 Occupation 15-2031, BLS Occupational Employment Statistics, 2018. See https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/ oes152031.htm

8 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Guidelines for Regulatory Impact Analysis, Table 4.2, Constructing Default Estimates of the Value of Time, 2016. See https://aspe.hhs.gov/system/files/pdf/242926/HHS_RIAGuidance.pdf.