Supporting Statement A
Federal Aviation Administration
Survey of Airmen Satisfaction with Aerospace Medical Certification Services
OMB #2120-0707
Changes:
Survey question items have been revised to use current terminology.
1. Explain the circumstances that make the collection of information necessary. Identify any legal or administrative requirements that necessitate the collection.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), through the Office of Aerospace Medicine (OAM), is responsible for the medical certification of airmen and certain other personnel under 14 CFR 67 to ensure they are medically qualified to operate aircraft and perform their duties safely. In the accomplishment of this responsibility, OAM provides a number of services to airmen and has established goals for the performance of those services. This is a biennial survey designed to meet the requirement to survey stakeholder satisfaction under Executive Order No. 12862, “Setting Customer Service Standards,” and the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 (GPRA).
The survey of airman satisfaction with Aeromedical Certification Services assesses airman opinion of key dimensions of service quality. These dimensions, identified by the OMB Statistical Policy Office in the 1993 “Resource Manual for Customer Surveys,” are courtesy, competence, reliability, and communication. The survey also provides airmen with the opportunity to provide feedback on the services and a medical certificate application tool they use. This information is used to inform improvements in Aeromedical Certification Services. The survey was initially collected in 2004 and collected approximately every two years through 2023. Across collections, minor revisions have been made to the survey items and response options to reflect changes in operational services.
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.
Responding to the information collection is voluntary.
Airmen who have sought a medical certification within two years of the survey administration will be invited to participate in the survey.1
The collection is reporting (i.e., a survey).
The survey will take place approximately every two years (i.e., biennial).
The survey will collect and report opinions of key dimensions of service quality. Demographic information will be collected from respondents, but any information disseminated to the public will be presented in aggregate form.
The survey will be administered by the Safe Operations in Aerospace Research (SOAR) Lab of the Civil Aerospace Medical Institute with the support of Cherokee Federal.
The information obtained from the survey will be used to brief the Federal Air Surgeon, the Regional Flight Surgeons, and the Director of the Civil Aerospace Medical Institute (CAMI) following the survey closing.
Data will be used by the senior managers of OAM to:
Evaluate stakeholder satisfaction with aeromedical certification services provided by or on behalf of the FAA.
Identify areas in which improvements in service delivery can be made.
Assess changes in stakeholder satisfaction as a result of those improvements.
All publications of data would be provided in a technical report or journal article. The information from the survey will also be briefed in the Federal Air Surgeon’s Medical Bulletin, the aviation trade press, and at scientific meetings as appropriate.
It is anticipated that the information collected will be disseminated to the public or used to support publicly disseminated information. FAA OAM will retain control over the information and safeguard it from improper access, modification, and destruction, consistent with FAA standards for confidentiality, privacy, and electronic information. See the response to Question 10 of this Supporting Statement for more information on confidentiality and privacy. The information collection is designed to yield data that meet all applicable information quality guidelines.
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.
Online survey method.
Online survey administration modes (i.e., computers, tablets, and mobile devices) reflect common experience and expectation, reducing the burden on the individual respondent when compared to other modes of survey administration (e.g., phone, postal mail).
Online surveys allow for skip patterns when presenting question items.
Incomplete surveys are saved and can be modified by the airman.
Once submitted, the airman no longer has access to the survey.
Airmen may contact the researcher and request a link to access their responses if they need to make changes.
Airmen may print a copy of the survey before submitting.
Online surveys can be completed 24/7 for a minimum of 90 days from when the invitation was sent to when the survey is closed.
Reminders to complete survey will be sent to nonresponders via e-mail at 2 week intervals during the data collection period.
If response rates are found low near the end of the 90 day period, the survey administrators may send a reminder letter via postal mail to remaining nonresponders.
The results of the survey will be used to improve FAA services. Results will be disseminated through several publication channels. Examples include:
The OAM technical report series.
Federal Air Surgeon’s Bulletin.
Aviation trade press, including Airline Pilot and the AOPA magazine.
Presentations at scientific meetings and publication in scientific journals.
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.
This is the only data collection effort to solicit feedback regarding airman medical certification exams at the FAA.
The OAM is the only known party who would request this data, and OAM representatives are involved in survey development, are briefed on the findings, and are delivered the final reports.
No other information sources have been identified which would provide the required information.
Airmen are the sole source of information for their satisfaction and feedback regarding aeromedical certification services provided by or on behalf of the FAA.
5. If the collection of information involves small businesses or other small entities, describe the methods used to minimize burden.
Collection of information does not involve small businesses or other small entities.
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.
Failure to collect the stakeholder satisfaction data from airmen will seriously jeopardize OAM efforts to improve its customer service.
Failure to collect the information will result in the OAM being in non-compliance with Executive Order 12862 and GPRA.
The survey is administered approximately every two years to continually assess service quality, as the services are continually being updated based on need. These administrations are needed to ensure quality of services in a timely manner.
7. Explain any special circumstances that would cause an information collection to be conducted in a manner:
No special circumstances exist.
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 September 22, 2025 (90 FR 45459) solicited public comment.
One comment was received which expressed support for the collection.
No actionable comments were received.
Communications with both FAA and non-FAA stakeholders have not yielded significant or noteworthy changes.
9. Explain any decisions to provide payments or gifts to respondents, other than remuneration of contractors or grantees.
No payments or gifts will be provided to respondents.
10. Describe any assurance of confidentiality provided to respondents and the basis for assurance in statute, regulation, or agency policy.
All data provided will be kept private to the extent possible by law. The data collection will be subject to oversight by CAMI’s Institutional Review Board (IRB) per 45 CFR § 46 and FAA Order 9500.25A. To preclude the identification of individual responses, all identifying information will be removed from the survey data prior to use by the FAA. Only analyses and reports of aggregate data will be produced and released. The opinion data will be collected, analyzed, and reported in accordance with guidelines from the Office of the Secretary of Transportation on Customer Service Standards.
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.
No questions of a sensitive nature relating to sexual behavior, religious attitudes, or other matters commonly considered private, will be asked.
12. Provide estimates of the hour burden of the collection of information.
Previous administrations suggest 10-15 minutes to complete the survey.
It is anticipated from previous administrations that about 35% of the surveys will be returned, resulting in approximately 5,566 usable surveys from an estimated 15,903 to be invited for participation in the new 2025 collection.2
To ensure that the request for the new collection is reasonable, a count of 6,100 responses is estimated out of 17,400 invited.3
Annual hour burden: It is estimated that, on average, respondents will require about 10-15 minutes to complete. The estimated hour burden for each data collection cycle would be 1,525 hours under the most likely response rate of 35% (i.e., 6,100 responses * 0.25 hours or 15 minutes). The base annual wage for pilots per Bureau of Labor Statistics Data is $198,100.4 The fully burdened annual salary including fringe benefits and overhead according to the Department of Health and Human Services is a factor of 2 of the base wage, coming to $396,200.5 The hourly wage at the fully burdened rate is $190 ($396,200/52 weeks/40 hours).The estimated cost per data collection cycle, at a cost of approximately $48 per respondent (i.e., $190 x 0.25 hours), would be approximately $267,456 (i.e., 6,100 responses x $48 per response).
IC 1 |
||
Summary
|
Reporting |
Recordkeeping |
# of Respondents |
6,100 |
0 |
# of Responses per respondent |
1 |
0 |
Time per Response (hours) |
0.25 |
0 |
Total # of Responses |
6,100 |
0 |
Total Burden (hours) |
1,525 |
0 |
13. Provide an estimate for the total annual cost burden to respondents or record keepers resulting from the collection of information.
None.
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 estimated cost to the Federal government for collecting airman satisfaction data is about $81,307.
Contract research support from Cherokee Federal will assist in this project. The tasks the contractor will perform with fully burdened cost estimates are as follows:
Product/Delivery |
Projected Cost |
Background and content development |
$6,000.00 |
Survey development |
$4,000.00 |
Online survey distribution, reminders, technical support |
$9,600.00 |
Database build and analyses |
$26,500.00 |
Report development, presentations |
$1,400.00 |
Project management |
$7,500.00 |
TOTAL |
$55,000.00 |
Federal staff hourly rate and estimated hours per year are as follows:
Role |
Annual Salary6 |
Hourly Rate |
Hourly Rate, Burdened7 |
Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) Rate8 |
Estimated Hours Per Year |
Estimated Total Cost Per Year |
PI |
$120,266 |
$58 |
$79 |
0.10 |
208 |
$16,432 |
Administrative |
$120,266 |
$58 |
$79 |
0.06 |
125 |
$9,875 |
TOTAL |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
$26,307 |
15. Explain the reasons for any program changes or adjustments.
There are no program changes or changes in requirements. However, editorial revisions are made to survey items to ensure consistent usage of currently accepted terminology:
FAA Notice FAA N 7930.2U (2025) prompted language changes to “airman.”
Question Prompt |
Change |
Which best applies to you? (response required) |
"Pilot" replaced with "Airman" in a response option. |
What was the cost of your examination for your airman medical certification (excluding costs for any additional testing, evaluations or referrals recommended by the AME or required by the FAA)? |
"Pilot" replaced with "Airman." |
How did you pay for your airman medical certification examination only (excluding any additional testing, evaluations or referrals recommended by the AME or required by the FAA)? [mark all that apply] |
"Pilot" replaced with "Airman." |
Did you have any additional requirements associated with your airman medical certification examination (e.g., additional testing, evaluations, or referrals recommended by the AME or required by the FAA)? |
"Pilot" replaced with "Airman." |
What was the approximate total cost for all additional requirements associated with your airman medical certification examination (e.g., additional testing, evaluations or referrals recommended by the AME or required by the FAA)? |
"Pilot" replaced with "Airman." |
Why were you dissatisfied with the quality of AME services? [mark
all that apply] |
"Pilot" replaced with "Airman." |
Based on your most recent experience with your AME, to what extent does the FAA airman medical certification process ensure the safety of the National Airspace System? (response required) |
"Pilot" replaced with "Airman." |
What are your reasons for responding [‘Not at all’, ‘Limited extent’, or ‘Moderate extent’] to the question asking to what extent the FAA airman medical certification process ensures the safety of the National Airspace System? [mark all that apply] |
"Pilot" replaced with "Airman." |
What are your reasons for responding [‘Considerable extent’ or ‘Great extent’] to the question asking to what extent the FAA airman medical certification process ensures the safety of the National Airspace System? [mark all that apply] |
"Pilot" replaced with "Airman." |
What year was your most recent FAA medical certification examination? |
Response options for Year updated. |
Which airman certificate(s) do you currently hold? [mark all that apply] |
"Pilot" replaced with "Airman." |
Which region handled your most recent application for airman medical certification? (response required) |
"Pilot" replaced with "Airman." |
Do you have any additional feedback for the FAA, beyond what you have already provided, regarding airman medical certification services? [mark all that apply] |
"Pilot" replaced with "Airman." |
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.
Survey results will be made available approximately 12 months after data collection completion.
Descriptive statistics will be calculated in the intervening period and provided as part of the results.
Results will be disseminated through several publication channels including:
The OAM technical report series.
Federal Air Surgeon’s Bulletin.
Aviation trade press, including Airline Pilot and the AOPA magazine.
Presentations at scientific meetings and publication in scientific journals.
Data will be presented at the aggregate level.
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 applicable.
18. Explain each exception to the topics of the certification statement identified in “Certification for Paperwork Reduction Act Submissions.”
No exceptions.
1 Within the past 25 months for Class III pilots.
2 Estimates derived by applying the increase from the 2021-2023 period to the 2023-2025 period.
3 An additional 10% is added to account for statistical uncertainty and prevent undercounting.
4 Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Airline and Commercial Pilots, at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/transportation-and-material-moving/airline-and-commercial-pilots.htm (visited August 21, 2025).
5 Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, “Guidelines for Regulatory Impact Analysis” (2016), https://aspe.hhs.gov/system/files/pdf/242926/HHS_RIAGuidance.pdf. On page 30, HHS states, “As an interim default, while HHS conducts more research, analysts should assume overhead costs (including benefits) are equal to 100 percent of pretax wages….” To isolate the overhead rate, the Department subtracted the benefits rate of 69 percent from the recommended rate of 100 percent.
6 Based on latest available records for 2022 at https://www.federalpay.org
7 Burden represents Federal employee overhead rate of 36.25% applied per OMB Memo M-08-13.
8 FTE estimated from previous collections.
| File Type | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document |
| Author | Hall, Barbara L (FAA) |
| File Modified | 0000-00-00 |
| File Created | 2025-12-31 |