FAA Office of Aerospace Medicine 
Civil Aerospace Medical Institute 

Report No: DOT/FAA/AM-22/06

Title and Subtitle: Annotated Bibliography (1997 – 2021): Crew and Staffing Requirements of Unmanned Aircraft Systems in Air Carrier Operations

Report Date: July 2022

Authors: Peter T. Hu, Brittany Nelson, Blake L. Nesmith, Kevin W. Williams

Abstract: There is an increasing demand to utilize unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) for an array of new applications currently outside the scope of written regulation, including taxi services, package delivery, crop dusting, and more. Current Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 107 is restrictive to air carrier applications for UAS. In particular, 14 CFR Part 107 regulations do not explicitly address 14 CFR Part 121 (i.e., air carrier operations) and 14 CFR Part 135 (i.e., commuter air operations). Crew and staffing requirements have been extensively researched in unmanned operations, the annotating of which is the focus of this document, but recent and continuing developments in UAS applications and UAS automation have resulted in changing roles and responsibilities for crewmembers. This annotated bibliography will help inform future regulations from last-mile to high-altitude-long-endurance operations so that these novel applications of UAS can be integrated safely into the National Airspace System (NAS). This annotated bibliography is an effort to synthesize crew and staffing literature to inform future regulations concerning UAS operators in air carrier operations. It encompasses a selection of literature regarding crew and staffing, automation, training, testing, and duty and rest requirements. Articles were collected from PsycINFO, Google Scholar, and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Technical Library databases by searching keywords related to unmanned operations and crew and staffing requirements. Seventy-six articles were determined to be relevant for this literature review. Articles included empirical studies, meta-analyses, literature reviews, and organization guidelines. This annotated bibliography is structured into two primary sections: Unmanned Aircraft Systems and Manned Operations with relevant subheadings. These subheadings were generated based on the general findings that crew and staffing needs should be determined by operational needs, and the rapid pace of development in UAS automation is resulting in changing roles for crewmembers. Standardizing UAS operator crew and staffing requirements will support the safe and efficient integration of UAS into the NAS. This remains an important initiative for the FAA and industry stakeholders.

Key Words: unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), crew requirements, air carrier operations, duty and rest requirements, training, testing, knowledge

No. of Pages: 58