Mar 24, 2024 10:39 PM
https://gizmodo.com/laser-strikes-agains...1851359333
EXCERPTS: The number of laser strikes against planes hit another record last month, according to new data obtained by Gizmodo. And the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) would like Americans to get the message that it’s not just dangerous for people on the ground to shine lasers into the cockpits of passing aircraft, it’s illegal and can land people in prison with stiff sentences.
The FAA received 1,297 reports of laser strikes in the U.S. in February alone, an average of 44.7 per day. That’s significantly higher than January, which saw an average of 36.4 per day. Pilots in 2023 were hit with 13,304 laser strikes in the U.S., the worst year ever recorded.
[...] Laser strikes are dangerous because they can distract pilots, sometimes even temporarily blinding them. When a laser is directed at an airplane, the entire cockpit can fill up with light as it reflects off the glass of the flight deck window, endangering the pilot, crew, and passengers.
But it’s not just commercial airliners getting hit with lasers. One pilot of a small plane in Virginia, Matthew Mellon, told local TV station WCYB about how he was blinded by someone on the ground with a laser pointer earlier this month.... (MORE - details)
EXCERPTS: The number of laser strikes against planes hit another record last month, according to new data obtained by Gizmodo. And the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) would like Americans to get the message that it’s not just dangerous for people on the ground to shine lasers into the cockpits of passing aircraft, it’s illegal and can land people in prison with stiff sentences.
The FAA received 1,297 reports of laser strikes in the U.S. in February alone, an average of 44.7 per day. That’s significantly higher than January, which saw an average of 36.4 per day. Pilots in 2023 were hit with 13,304 laser strikes in the U.S., the worst year ever recorded.
[...] Laser strikes are dangerous because they can distract pilots, sometimes even temporarily blinding them. When a laser is directed at an airplane, the entire cockpit can fill up with light as it reflects off the glass of the flight deck window, endangering the pilot, crew, and passengers.
But it’s not just commercial airliners getting hit with lasers. One pilot of a small plane in Virginia, Matthew Mellon, told local TV station WCYB about how he was blinded by someone on the ground with a laser pointer earlier this month.... (MORE - details)