cardiomd

Yes, but at least most 121 ops are going to be in Bravo when lased... I would say it is better to be heads down if lit than take chances, because you probably won't see another plane to avoid it anyway if the laser is on you.

Besides, that is what TCAS is for, right? Well ultimately ADS-B out will ultimately give a complete picture. Kind of.

If the laser is bright enough your blink reflex will somewhat protect your eyes, and I would definitely not "force" yourself to look at the beam or look for the beam. You CAN override a blink reflex and look into a damaging stimulus.

I'd be extremely surprised if this guy had more than a transient eye injury, if any. The laser spread gives an energy required that would be very high when looking at the light that enters your tiny little pupil, and just is not likely with a handheld pointer.

USMCFLYR

Houston flights hit with dangerous laser strikes

Even with an increasingly vigorous prosecution of these incidents, the frequency is increasing; though I'm sure better reporting is partly the reason for the rise.

USMCFLYR

Continuing saga across the country

Laser hit airliners over Long Island: FAA - CBS News

cardiomd

Very predictable events - also as below simply more / cheaper laser pointers out there that fall into hands of kids and pranksters.

As for "increasingly vigorous prosecution," this is a costly folly run into on many fronts. You could make the death penalty for lasering an aircraft, and aircraft would still be lasered.

Educational campagin, make it less "cool" and (light) regulation of sales of the devices. Not ridiculous expensive sentences, or more goverment agency involvement.

RhinoPherret

The standard laser pointer sold is supposed to be within class IIIa: 1-5mW.

You do realize that hand held lasers can be bought within the class IIIb: 5-500 mW power range.

You do realize that physical harm to flight deck crew members can occur within the approach/departure flight parameters they have been used so far.

Do you not consider pointing a laser at an aircraft that can cause harm to the flight deck crew worthy of a strong punishment, regardless of the cost of punishment?

If someone pointed a laser at one of your family members while they were driving and caused them to crash and injure themselves and/or others or worse, what would you consider an appropriate sentence?

cardiomd

OMG laser we're all gonna die!!

My feelings wouldn't change based on if it was my family or not, and neither should yours. Nobody has crashed a plane because of a laser pointer as of now, and my family is not going to crash a car from a laser? I'd be more concerned about consumer drones on short final or wandering into echo, some of those are pretty big now.

I'd bet in my next 1000 hrs I might be lased. I think this going to be a big, big, big problem as these things become trivial cost and are imported in masse from China and wind up in the hands of middle-schoolers on summer break.

My point is it is very difficult to lock up stupid. It makes me shudder when people advocate excessive sentences for stupid things, kind of like American "Sharia law" punishments. I don't advocate no punishment. Just not 10+ years.

And a massive education campaign, like some have been doing, and now found on almost all websites where you can order them.

Laser Pointer Safety - NEVER aim laser pointers at aircraft

RhinoPherret

Ah…right. Because a massive education program from an internet source will surely put a stop to this kind of reckless stupid behavior. Massive education plans have worked so well as an example with ah, let’s see, drunk driving? Are you kidding me? Really? Just really? I am assuming Fantasyland must be your favorite section of Disneyland.

As you said, people are going to do idiotic things regardless. There there are consequences for doing idiotic stupid things in life. Sometimes they are not nice or fair consequences. But then I could care less about the severity of the consequences because I do not go around aiming lasers at aircraft or other people etc.

FXDX

So Doctor, you can't imagine a scenario where two pilots are blinded during an approach could possibly crash and kill hundreds of people on board and on the ground? Its not a trivial matter to get hit with a laser. Imagine if you had to get YOUR eyes checked every 6 months in order to keep YOUR job and some nimrod with a laser decided to randomly point it at you every once in a while just for kicks. Your opinion might change on the seriousness of getting hit with a laser.

cardiomd

I agree might not be the most effective, but it is likely more cost-efficient and effective than locking people up, which consumes a significant percentage of our national resources already. These war-on-drug style programs don't work either and are quite costly! Being a fiscal conservative I detest the prison-industrial complex that is somehow big business in America.

Also agree consequences are not necessarily fair but that is why lady cardiomd has a job, and doesn't mean we shouldn't "try" to make things fair. I doubt many people that lase aircraft are repeat offenders (repeat laser-s). From the demographics most are just young pranksters that need their life to be turned around.

cardiomd

I'm below the flight levels a lot more than many of you... fatter target, nose down on G/S, and slower on approach. Oh, and yeah, my eyes are pretty essential to my job. Some people say I'm crazy to fly small planes but it is a risk I take. In the scope of threats to flight, I rank this pretty low. But it is nice to have a bogey-man out there we can all pile on and obviously this is something that is a purely unneeded risk.

Blink reflex will protect you, and go heads down. Threat is minimal but yes very annoying.

I'm not that easily frightened, but hey, whatever gets people worked up.