Thousands of laser strikes on aircraft each year are a danger to pilots – and their passengers
Thursday, February 18, 2016 - 09:00
in Physics & Chemistry
For anyone working in the aviation industry or who has travelled on a plane, the news that a Virgin Atlantic flight had to turn back to London Heathrow after one of the pilots suffered an eye injury due to a laser pointer aimed at the cockpit is distressing – but certainly not surprising. This has become a growing problem, and is especially worrying now that the lasers used vary from harmless presentation laser pointers to laboratory-strength lasers that can blind. In the US alone, there are now more than 5,000 reported incidents a year, and more than 1,400 incidents in the UK. Virtually all professional pilots have either experienced it themselves, or know someone who has.