These portable, low-battery operated devices are available all over the internet ranging from about 10$ -to 500$, with a beam power of maybe up to a few hundred milliwatts. These devices when used against aircraft are harmful and can blind or disorient the pilot and jeopardized the safety of the craft and everyone aboard.

What is a handheld laser used for?

Lasers are categorized by strength, ranging from Class 1 (Those used to play CDs) to Class 4 devices (Those strong enough to cut metal), However the strength of laser pens can vary.

Introduced in the 1990s, the small laser pointers that are used for business presentations, entertaining pets or pointing out stars might be the most familiar type for ordinary people. Affordable higher-powered laser pointers also are widely available online.





When you point a laser into the sky at night, the beam seems to end after a few hundred meters. However, this is a dangerous illusion and you could be arrested. A person can think their laser beam can't reach an aircraft, since the beam looks "short".

Light from a laser does not stop in mid-air, but continues going. A pilot at the other can clearly see the light from even a relatively low powered 5 mW green laser, at a distance of over 2miles. The beam can look like this



Even a weak beam can be a distraction. The photo below show a 1mW beam see at a distance of 12 miles



Pilots can be "temporarily blinded" and in some cases lasting eye injuries.

According to Aviation expert John Nance "During a critical phase of flight or at takeoff, if you have both pilots simultaneously covering their faces and they can't see the instruments, you're going to increase [the chance] that they're going to over-control or under-control the airplane," said Nance.

How a laser strike incident is reported

Here's an example of how an incident is reported in the US. Local authorities interview witnesses and gather evidence about the event, including videos or other visual evidence.



FAA data suggests the number of reported laser strikes in 2022 is on track to surpass last year's all-time high. During the first quarter of this year, the FAA received 2,275 reported laser strikes, up from 1,944 in 2021.

The FAA thinks part of the reason these strikes are surging the way they are is that laser pointers are powerful and cheap.

Paying the price of a laser strike

It is not an offense to possess a laser but strong laws have been passed by countries which allows offenders to be charged and sent to prison for shining a light at an aircraft in flight so as to dazzle or distract the pilot.

In 2014 three men from Leicestershire were jailed for using laser pens to dazzle pilots coming in to land at East Midlands Airport in the UK.

On April 7, 2022, a man in Philadelphia was sentenced to one year in jail and fined $1,000 for aiming a laser at a police helicopter that was on a regular nightly patrol.

On April 19, 2022, a man in Michigan City, Mississippi, was sentenced to three years' probation for shining a laser 49 times at aircraft, mainly FedEx planes, arriving at Memphis International Airport over a period of months in 2021.

As of today, No plane crashes have been reported from laser strikes


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5oYWmZ6t-Y

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lq97027f4Js

https://www.usatoday.com/story/graphics/2023/04/26/laser-strikes-against-aircraft-increase/11696684002/