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WestJet pilot injured by green laser, placed on medical leave

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WestJet pilot injured by green laser, placed on medical leave

Old 22nd May 2019, 18:11
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WestJet pilot injured by green laser, placed on medical leave

A WestJet pilot flying from Newfoundland to Orlando International Airport had his eyes burned by a green laser light, U.S. Federal Aviation Administration officials said Wednesday.

Spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said in an email that the WestJet Airlines aircraft was about 40 kilometres from the airport when the laser light hit the pilot. The flight landed safely a short time later, and the pilot was placed on medical leave, which is routine in such cases.

The airline said in a statement that the incident took place Saturday but gave few details, citing privacy concerns.

Full article here: https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/westjet...ando-1.4432362



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Old 22nd May 2019, 18:18
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These incidents are more frequent and dangerous. There was an incident at RCAF Base Shearwater NS Canada last week involving a CP140 Aurora which aborted take off. The perpetrators of these attacks should be dealt with severely.
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Old 22nd May 2019, 18:28
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Amendment to the Law:

Attempted mass murder?
Terrorism?
Both!

Simple rely.
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Old 22nd May 2019, 18:33
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Are there any airports that are famous for getting lots of these? I recall london city being a top culprit, further afield i also know of Algiers and Tunis being subject to regular laser attacks.
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Old 22nd May 2019, 18:35
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Corfu, Glasgow (23)
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Old 22nd May 2019, 18:46
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Nobody invented reflective laser-proof aviator glasses yet?
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Old 22nd May 2019, 18:59
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Originally Posted by Graham Borland
Nobody invented reflective laser-proof aviator glasses yet?
I've seen some pretty ridiculous things but yet to meet someone wear sunglasses at night ... yet.
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Old 22nd May 2019, 19:25
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I've seen some pretty ridiculous things but yet to meet someone wear sunglasses at night ... yet.
You obviously haven't been in Italy.

I got 'hit' by a green laser a few years ago, only briefly and from 150m away approx, it affected my vision for a few days.
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Old 22nd May 2019, 19:41
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Originally Posted by SpringHeeledJack
You obviously haven't been in Italy.

I got 'hit' by a green laser a few years ago, only briefly and from 150m away approx, it affected my vision for a few days.
Spelt with a or with @. Some kind of code?
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Old 22nd May 2019, 20:09
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I got hit on several occasions while teaching NVFR on SEP, even though I saw them coming and try to stare away that tiny fraction of time it's enought for a headache and long minutes of being glared.
I always reported to the ACC or TWR who informed the local police.
A sad thing.
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Old 22nd May 2019, 20:13
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Originally Posted by bill fly
Spelt with a or with @. Some kind of code?
Pprune automagically changes the spelling to the form shown.

Links to at least one somewhat popular website get changed too.

http://aviationarchives.********.com...ht-manual.html
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Old 22nd May 2019, 20:17
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In the CBC article here:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfo...aser-1.5144981

They are saying:

"When any sort of light enters the flight deck, pilots are trained to look away and maintain focus but they must also remain vigilant with respect to their surroundings and monitor the apron prior to landing."

(My emphasis) Is this some sort of new procedure with which I am not familiar?
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Old 22nd May 2019, 20:35
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Wink

Originally Posted by ve3id
In the CBC article here:
and monitor the apron prior to landing."

(My emphasis) Is this some sort of new procedure with which I am not familiar?
well, no point in landing if there's no parking spot available...............
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Old 22nd May 2019, 20:43
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Originally Posted by A320LGW
Are there any airports that are famous for getting lots of these? I recall london city being a top culprit, further afield i also know of Algiers and Tunis being subject to regular laser attacks.
I’ve been targeted a couple of times going into Cairo. Other colleagues report the same problem there.
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Old 22nd May 2019, 22:00
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Old 22nd May 2019, 22:55
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Larnaca has had a high incidence in the past. Happened to me there.
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Old 23rd May 2019, 08:55
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Originally Posted by A320LGW
Are there any airports that are famous for getting lots of these? I recall london city being a top culprit, further afield i also know of Algiers and Tunis being subject to regular laser attacks.
Cairo, Egypt. We used to come in without landinglights. If you put them on it attracted the lasers immediately.
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Old 23rd May 2019, 09:47
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Originally Posted by Officer Kite


I've seen some pretty ridiculous things but yet to meet someone wear sunglasses at night ... yet.
At the recent Airbus Safety conference this was brought up.

They tried laser reflecting / dispersing screens but that didn't really work with the different angles involved.

There are now laser proof glasses that can be worn at night. Totally complaint with Airbus cockpits.

Honeywell make some. Google for them, but doesn't say what cockpits they are compliant with.
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Old 23rd May 2019, 10:00
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What’s needed is a laser system for civil. aircraft that automatically fires back.
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Old 23rd May 2019, 10:12
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Originally Posted by Sunfish
What’s needed is a laser system for civil. aircraft that automatically fires back.
Well, yes, as long as the laser is used to guide the bombs being released on the target.
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