Annotated Bibliography (1990 - 2019): Knowledge, Skills, and Tests for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Air Carrier Operations - June 2021

Sep 18, 2026

Integration of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) into the National Airspace System requires a comprehensive understanding of the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics (KSAOs) for safe UAS operations. As UAS activity expands beyond Title 14 CFR Part 107, the FAA faces growing needs to standardize pilot, certification, testing, and training requirements for air carrier and commercial operations. This annotated bibliography addresses the gap by documenting pilot requirements from reviewed research literature, supporting FAA rulemaking for over-people and non-segregated operations and air carrier regulatory development.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages101

Reading Time4 h 15 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Key Words

UAS Knowledge

UAS Skill

UAS Testing and Training

UAS Operations

DOT/FAA/AM-21/14 Aviation Safety Office of Aerospace Medicine Washington, DC 20591 Annotated Bibliography (1990 – 2019): Knowledge, Skills, and Tests for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Air Carrier Operations Brett Torrence1 Brittany Nelson1 Gray F. Thomas 1 Blake L. Nesmith1 Kevin W. Williams2 1Cherokee Nation Support, Services, & Solutions Oklahoma City, OK 73125 2Civil Aerospace Medical Institute Federal Aviation Administration Oklahoma City, OK 73125 Date: June 2021 Report Type: Final NOTICE This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Transportation in the interest of information exchange. The United States Government assumes no liability for the contents thereof. This publication and all Office of Aerospace Medicine technical reports are available in full-text from the Civil Aerospace Medical Institute’s publications Web site: ([www.faa.gov/go/oamtechreports](www.faa.gov/go/oamtechreports)) | 1. Report No.
DOT/FAA/AM-21/14 | | 2. Government Accession No. | | | 3. Recipient's Catalog No. | | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 4. Title and Subtitle
Annotated Bibliography (1990 – 2019): Knowledge, Skills, and Tests for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Air Carrier Operations | | | | | 5. Report Date June 2021 | | | | | | | | 6. Performing Organization Code | | | 7. Author(s)
Torrence, B.1 , Nelson, B. 1, Thomas, G. 1, Nesmith, B. 1, Williams, K.2 | | | | | 8. Performing Organization Report No. | | | 9. Performing Organization Name and Address
1Cherokee Nation Support, Services, & Solutions Oklahoma City, OK 73125
2Civil Aerospace Medical Institute Federal Aviation Administration Oklahoma City, OK 73125 | | | | | 10. Work Unit No. (TRAIS) | | | | | | | | 11. Contract or Grant No. | | | 12. Sponsoring Agency name and Address
Office of Aerospace Medicine
Federal Aviation Administration
800 Independence Ave., S.W.
Washington, DC 20591 | | | | | 13. Type of Report and Period Covered | | | | | | | | 14. Sponsoring Agency Code | | | 15. Supplemental Notes | | | | | | | | 16. Abstract
The integration of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) into the National Airspace System (NAS) requires a thorough understanding of the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics (KSAOs) needed for UAS operations. As UAS operations expand beyond Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) Part 107, there is an increasing need for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to standardize pilot requirements, certification requirements, and testing and training requirements, particularly for air carrier and commercial operations. Part 107 does not address air carrier operations; and existing air carrier rules, found in 14 CFR Parts 121 and 135, were not written with UAS in mind. As it stands, there is a gap in our understanding of the minimum knowledge, skills, and testing needed for various UAS operations, which poses a challenge for FAA rulemaking. This annotated bibliography seeks to bridge this gap by documenting the knowledge, skill, and testing requirements for pilots of unmanned aircraft operations based on a review of the research literature. This annotated bibliography will support FAA rulemaking efforts by the FAA’s Flight Standard Service General Aviation and Commercial Division (AFS- 800) for UAS operations over people, expanded operations, and non-segregated operations as well as efforts by the Air Transportation Division (AFS-200) for developing UAS air carrier regulatory requirements. Articles were collected from Google Scholar and FAA Technical Library databases. Eighty-eight articles were identified as relevant, including empirical studies, qualitative reviews, and regulation/guideline documents. This annotated bibliography is structured into four main sections: UAS Knowledge, UAS Skill, UAS Testing and Training, and UAS Operations. The documentation ofKSAOs required of UA

FAQs

What gap does this annotated bibliography address?

It documents the minimum knowledge, skills, and testing needed for different UAS operations, filling a gap because existing air carrier rules were not written with UAS in mind.

How does the bibliography support FAA rulemaking?

It supports FAA efforts by providing a foundation for establishing minimum pilot qualifications and by informing training requirements for UAS operations.

What sources and number of articles were used?

Articles were collected from Google Scholar and the FAA Technical Library databases, identifying eighty-eight relevant articles including empirical studies, qualitative reviews, and regulation/guideline documents.

Sep 18, 2026

Uploaded by Lucas Martin