Commercial drone pilots in the US will need to submit to criminal background checks before obtaining permission to fly, according to newly finalized rules for unmanned aircraft released Tuesday by the Federal Aviation Administration.
The new rules contain several restrictions on commercial drones under 55 lbs—which the FAA calls Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems, or sUAS—including a requirement that commercial pilots must receive a Security Threat Assessment (STA) from the TSA before receiving flight certification from the FAA.
