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Laser Strikes On Aircraft Increasing In Frequency (usatoday.com)
puddingebola writes: The FAA is reporting a record number of laser strikes on aircraft for 2015. From the article: "The Federal Aviation Administration recorded 5,352 laser strikes through Oct. 16, up from 2,837 for all of 2010. ... Some airports have reported more than 100 laser strikes this year: Los Angeles had 197; Phoenix had 183; Houston had 151; Las Vegas had 132, and Dallas-Fort Worth had 115. On July 15, during a 90-minute period, 11 airliners and one military aircraft reported laser strikes near New York City-area airports. Those incidents remain under investigation by the FAA, FBI and New Jersey state police."
At first I think it was just general stupidity and playing around.
Watching a Laser is interesting, because it isn't something we naturally see, so there is almost a magical quality to it. So shining it at an airplane just to see if it would light up or scatter hitting a propeller seems interesting to try.
However now... I expect it is because it makes the news, so they get a odd sense of satisfaction that news happen because of their action.
If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
I live about 5 miles from a commercial airport and planes fly over all the time.
I'm curious how someone on the ground is able to aim at the windshield of the cockpit from the ground. It seems like geometry of shining a laser at a plane would be such that if you were reasonably close to a plane, the windshield wouldn't be line of sight to an observer on the ground.
Maybe if you were fairly close, at a higher elevation and the plane was taking off pretty much in your direction.
I can see how helicopters or other aircraft with more of a completely transparent nose would be vulnerable to ground observers shining lasers, but jetliners look to me like they have the cockpit windshield on the top half of the nose hemisphere.
What am I missing here?
I've got a green laser. It's cool to shine it outside at night, because it creates a very visible beam.
It's also very tempting to shine it at things, to see how far away I can see a reflection. Aircraft a certainly a tempting target, being both moving and fairly far away.
I haven't and won't, because I understand the potential risk, but I do understand the temptation. And there are a lot of stupid people out there.