Feds And Local Jurisdictions Step Up Penalties

The increased effort to prosecute those who point lasers at aircraft isn't turning out to be much of a deterrent. The FAA says the problem is growing rapidly, despite the imposition of an $11,000 civil penalty in one case in June. There were 2,776 reported cases in 2010. The FAA says we're on track to top that by 35 percent in 2011.

Of that $11,000 penalty, FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt explains, "These are not toys. They certainly are not being used for what they were intended for. That's why we are taking such an aggressive stance."

FAA spokesman Jim Peters tells the Orlando Sentinel one company this year introduced a $300 laser which can cause near-instant retina damage at close range, and another that promises an 85-mile range for $1,000.

Larry Dale is president of Orlando Sanford International Airport, and also a pilot. He theorizes that most of the incidents are not malicious, but simply people playing with lasers. The FAA reports 35 pilot and passenger complaints of temporary problems such as flash blindness, blurry vision, eye irritation and headaches, but no reports of serious or permanent eye damage.

Steve Farris, chief pilot for the Seminole County Sheriff's Office, whose helicopter has been hit by lasers, tells the Sentinel a red or green laser is the color of nav lights, and could make a pilot make a sudden, evasive maneuver, thinking he's about to hit another aircraft.

With the tougher stance by the FAA, and sentences now including stiff fines from local courts, hopefully those warning labels on lasers will get a little more attention.

FMI: www.orlandosentinel.com/os-lasers-aircraft-increasing-20110913,0,7653986.story