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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."
First, that is still zero risk to the guy with the laser pointer. Second, since the risk of killing a hundred people on an airplane is zero I'm not following.
.001% the deaths would be so few as to be statistical noise compared with any significant cause of death. The wealth generated would be enough to wipe out the national debt and pay for a free national healthcare and college education system for the remaining 99.99% of the population on par with the best private hospitals and ivy league schools in perpetuity just with the compounding interest.
Due to extreme difference in altitude you can't shine into the cockpit, the pilots eyes, or disrupt the craft or the flight in any way.
The only thing you can do with a laser pointer is mess up the view for a private pilot who wasted a bunch of money on his own plane and pilot's license. And since I don't get to enjoy the feeling of looking down on everyone in private plane I have zero sympathy and neither should anyone else. What I and most people do get to enjoy is looking up at the sky (which is free) and pointing out constellations and educating our children (maybe $15) which is what we should all care about and protect.
On an unrelated topic, did you know if we wiped out the top
Oh shut the fuck up.