[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 183 (Wednesday, September 21, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58531-58532]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-24158]
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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
Transportation Security Administration
[Docket No. TSA-2004-19147]
Intent to Request Renewal From OMB of One Current Public
Collection of Information: Flight Training for Aliens and Other
Designated Individuals; Security Awareness Training for Flight School
Employees
AGENCY: Transportation Security Administration, DHS.
ACTION: 60-day Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) invites
public comment on one currently approved Information Collection Request
(ICR), Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number 1652-0021,
abstracted below, that we will submit to OMB for renewal in compliance
with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA). The ICR describes the nature of
the information collection and its expected burden. The collection
involves conducting background checks for all aliens and other
designated individuals seeking flight instruction (``candidates'') from
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)-certified flight training
providers. Through the information collected, TSA will determine
whether a candidate is a threat to aviation or national security, and
thus prohibited from receiving flight training. Additionally, flight
training providers are required to conduct a security awareness program
for their employees and to maintain records associated with this
training.
DATES: Send your comments by November 21, 2011.
ADDRESSES: Comments may be e-mailed to [email protected] or delivered to
the TSA PRA Officer, Office of Information Technology (OIT), TSA-11,
Transportation Security Administration, 601 South 12th Street,
Arlington, VA 20598-6011.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joanna Johnson at the above address,
or by telephone (571) 227-3651.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Comments Invited
In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C.
3501 et seq.), an agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is
not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it
displays a valid OMB control number. The ICR documentation is available
at www.reginfo.gov. Therefore, in preparation for OMB review and
approval of the following information collection, TSA is soliciting
comments to--
(1) Evaluate whether the proposed information requirement is
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency,
including whether the information will have practical utility;
(2) Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden;
(3) Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to
be collected; and
(4) Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those
who are to respond, including using appropriate automated, electronic,
mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms
of information technology.
Information Collection Requirement
OMB Control Number 1652-0021, Flight Training for Aliens and Other
Designated Individuals; Security Awareness Training for Flight School
Employees, 49 CFR part 1552. Pursuant to section 612 of the Vision
100--Century of Aviation Reauthorization Act, TSA is required to
conduct background checks for all aliens and other designated
individuals seeking flight instruction with Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA)-certified flight training providers. In September
2004, TSA developed and implemented these requirements at 49 CFR part
1552, prescribing standards relating to the security threat assessment
process that TSA conducts to determine whether candidates are a threat
to aviation or national security and thus prohibited from receiving
flight training. The collection of information required under 49 CFR
part 1552 permits TSA to gather candidates' biographic information and
fingerprints, which are used to perform the background checks.
Additionally, flight training providers are required to conduct
security awareness training for their employees to increase awareness
of suspicious circumstances and activities of individuals enrolling in,
or attending, flight training. The flight training provider may use the
initial security awareness training program offered by TSA, or an
alternative initial training program offered by a third party, or
training designed by the flight training provider itself. Each flight
training provider employee must receive recurrent security awareness
training each year, and flight training providers must maintain records
of the training completed throughout the course of the individual's
employment, and for one year after the individual is no longer a flight
training provider employee.
Based on the numbers of respondents to date, TSA estimates a total
of 31,000 respondents annually: 26,500 candidates and 4,500 flight
training providers.
Respondents are required to provide the subject information every
time an alien or other designated individual applies for pilot training
as described in the regulation, which is estimated to be twice a year
per candidate, for a total of 53,000 responses per year. In response to
comments to the interim final rule, TSA delineated the types of
training events that would be subject to the requirements. TSA
specified that candidates applying for flight training in aircraft
weighing 12,500 lbs. or less would be subject to requirements only if
they are training towards an initial certificate, an instrument, or
multi-engine training. See TSA's clarifying interpretation document
(Document ID: TSA-2004-19147-0337), dated January 5, 2005, titled
``Flight Schools and Individuals Subject to 49 CFR part 1552; RE:
Interpretation of `Flight Training' for Aircraft with an MTOW of 12,500
Pounds or Less and Exemption from Certain `Recurrent Training'
Information Submission Requirements Contained in 49 CFR part 1552.''
This document is available in the docket for the interim final rule on
``Flight Training for Aliens and Other Designated Individuals; Security
Awareness Training for Flight School Employees'' (Docket ID: TSA-2004-
19147). This clarification reduced the number of candidates anticipated
[[Page 58532]]
from the original estimates made in November 2004. In addition, 1,500
more flight training providers have participated in this program.
TSA estimates that it will take the 26,500 candidates 45 minutes
per application (twice per year) to provide TSA with all of the
information required, for a total approximate application burden of
39,750 hours per year. Flight training providers must keep records for
five years from the time they are created, and it is estimated each of
the 4,500 flight training providers will carry an annual record keeping
burden of 104 hours, for a total of 468,000 hours. Thus, TSA estimates
the combined hour burden associated with this collection to be 507,750
hours annually.
Issued in Arlington, Virginia, on September 15, 2011.
Joanna Johnson,
TSA Paperwork Reduction Act Officer, Office of Information Technology.
[FR Doc. 2011-24158 Filed 9-20-11; 8:45 am]
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