COA Application Processing System (CAPS)

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Act of 2018, Pub. L. 115-254 Section 44807, Special Rules for Certain Unmanned Aircraft Systems, directs the FAA to integrate unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) safely into the National Airspace System (NAS). The FAA Air Traffic Organization (ATO) is responsible for implementing policies to integrate UAS operations into the NAS, while also collaborating with industry and across government. ATO has developed and implemented processes for granting operational approvals and waivers for UAS to fly in the NAS. The FAA issues a Certificate of Waiver or Authorization (COA) that permits persons, public agencies, organizations, and commercial entities to operate unmanned aircraft, for a particular purpose, in a particular area of the NAS as an exception to the FAA Regulations.

In support of this mission, ATO developed and implemented the COA Application Processing System (CAPS) to process the approval of Public  and Civil  COA applications submitted by both public and commercial proponents. A proponent (also known as an applicant or requestor) is the point of contact that represents the persons, public agencies, organizations, or the commercial entity responsible for submitting the information required to apply for a COA. CAPS is a web-based application that enables proponents to submit COA requests and allows FAA COA processors to efficiently and effectively assess and process COA applications.

This Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) was developed pursuant to Section 208 of the E-Government Act of 2002 because the FAA is utilizing a web-based capability in which an applicant/proponent’s personally identifiable information (PII) is collected to process their COA application.