FAA Office of Aerospace Medicine 
Civil Aerospace Medical Institute 

Report No: DOT/FAA/AM-23/12

Title and Subtitle: UAS Air Carrier Operations Survey: KSAO Requirements

Report Date: March 2023

Authors: Williams, K., Mofle, T., Hu, P.

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 air taxi services, package delivery, crop dusting, and more. The Code of Federal Regulations for aircraft operations (14 CFR) is restrictive to air carrier applications for UAS. In particular, small UAS (sUAS) regulations (14 CFR § 107) do not explicitly address air carrier operations (14 CFR § 121 and § 135). Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, and Other Characteristics (KSAO) requirements have been researched extensively in traditionally piloted aircraft operations, but recent and continuing developments in UAS applications and UAS automation have resulted in changing roles and responsibilities for crewmembers. The efforts of this survey subject matter experts (SMEs) will help inform current and planned future UAS operations, and support regulators in setting 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). Findings will inform future regulations concerning UAS operator KSAOs in air carrier operations. Standardizing UAS operator KSAO requirements will support the safe and efficient integration of UAS into the NAS, and this remains an important initiative for the FAA and industry stakeholders.

Key Words: unmanned aircraft systems, Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, and Other, KSAO requirements, air carrier operations, training, testing, knowledge 

No. of Pages: 122