We had a laser attack the other night going into LGW about 23:30 local, coming towards the Tunbridge Wells region, roughly 6000 ft straight to 26L final.
A green bright laser shining up, lighting the whole cockpit up. Whoever it was needs the balls chopping off... They were obviously listening on director as we reported it & the laser was swiftly turned off.... Whats the point ?

is the UK court system as lenient as Canada?

In Canada 2 years ago a guy chopped off someone's head on the bus. The guy got off without prison time.

Lots of lasers around EWR last night-ATIS advertised 'unauthorized laser illumination' south of the field. Shortly thereafter tower advised departing aircraft of laser illumination north of the field.

I was a passenger on a flight out of LGW last night approx 1945. While north of the airfield directly abeam the terminal area a bright green laser was directed up at the aircraft seemingly from near one of the car parking areas.

Face it, this problem isn't going away. With higher powers and more collimated beams as technology explodes, the threat will get worse .... for a time. Stiffer sentences may deter some, not enough to really matter. Eventually the thrill will wear off as most everyone, by then, will have played with a laser and shone it skyward.

Until then though, why not protect yourselves on the FD with simple theatrical gel filters? I am aware of the risk in altering the color view through the forward cockpit windows, but also understand that those windows are mounted at an angle where ground based laser beams have trouble entering.
It's the side windows where most laser strikes enter from, I am assuming.

This video demonstrates that several colors of gel filters will completely absorb green laser light.

YouTube - Color example with lasers

These filter sheets come in sizes that can be easily trimmed to cover the entire clear view windows. They should cling to the glass via static. Just toss it up there in known high threat environments.

There's a company called Rosco that sells these filters in any color you can imagine, sheet size is around a 2 foot square.

Laser hits on arriving aircraft almost seem at epidemic levels in Muscat. Speedbird called one in two nights ago. Can't believe the lunacy of people doing this.

Just goes to prove how many idiots out there do contribute to the dilution of the gene pool.

I am a la*ser enthusiast and seeing this thread from a las*er community I do have to say their are idiots out there, but dont hate the lase*r, hater the player.

I have a laser that can illumitate a water tower from >1 mile away. However i am responsible and fully check when operating. Now I know these are dangerous but so are guns and I think you are hating the wrong thing. Idiots are to blame, not tool of the almighty science.

As this thread shows, the threat of laser attack becomes greater each day. I have been "illuminated" many times, in many places but the ones I can remember are in MME (had a word with Special Branch, house visited etc.) and in AMS from a moving car. I (and the rest of the occupants) were lucky as nobody was injured but the thing that is most likely is temporary blindness and distraction, both of which are potentially lethal to airliners. Apart from the miscreants having parts of their anatomy removed, what I would like to see is aircraft modified so that a very unambiguous A/P engage button is installed. It should be designed so that the A/P is selectable with eyes shut so that at least you can engage the thing and perform a go around (or in the case of F70/100 fly the thing reasonably well).

PM

Another one being reported by Auntie today. Dumfries area.

BBC News - Police probe plane l@ser incident over Dumfries

Delighted to report that Luton Police actually caught a guy doing this last week. They had a report and caught him in the act, great stuff!

"In recent weeks two motorists, including a taxi driver, have been forced to pull over after being temporarily blinded."

This is getting ridiculous.
I have always been a supporter of Safe and Responsible use of low power laser pointers in certain pursuits (ie astronomy) but these blatant attempts to cause injury and accident needs stamping on hard and fast, period.

GR

They need proper licensing, probably to the extent of guns.

It's just getting stupid now, any chav can get one, and cause all manner of chaos with one.

As a certificate owner I doubt this will change one thing.
If the idiots have them they will abuse them.
If they do, then they should be jumped on from a great height.

Then the owners banged up.

Licensing is unlikely to change things. Guns are licensed, but it's generally the unlicensed ones that do the damage.

In an ideal world (hah!), widely-available l@sers could be made available only at a fixed wavelength which could then be blocked by filters on the flight deck, either film on the 'screen or designed into glasses.

He only got four months for his sentence. I don't understand why it is treated as a minor offence rather than attempted mass murder or terrorism.

I have been targeted at LTN and DUB as well as over Borehamwood. Their end of the gene pool may be shallow, but it is very wide.:hmm:

Watford Observer 11 Oct 2010

South Oxhey man jailed for airline laser attack at Luton Airport

A South Oxhey roofer who used a powerful laser pen to temporarily blind the pilots of a crowded passenger jet has been jailed.

Christian Webb, 25, targeted the Ryan Air Boeing 737 after it landed at Luton Airport on the evening on August 9 this year and taxied to its stand.

Luton Crown Court heard on Friday how both pilots were forced to duck when the intense green light hit them. They were left “dazzled” by the attack and were temporarily unable to see clearly when the aircraft was still moving.

Police were alerted when Webb, of Gleneagles Close, turned the light on staff working in the nearby air traffic control tower.

Officers confronted Webb as he sat in his van in a nearby car park, where was waiting to collect his father from the very same aircraft.

Beverley Cripps, prosecuting, explained how Webb, when confronted, handed over a small red laser pointer to police.

But when the vehicle was searched a larger laser pen was discovered which emitted a powerful green beam of light.

Webb pleaded guilty to recklessly and negligently acting in a manner likely to endanger an aircraft and its passengers.

Defence counsel Furrukh Usmani argued that his client had acted out of “naivety and stupidity” and was "completely oblivious" to the danger he was causing.

He added that Webb was now feeling "remorseful" for his actions that night and for the worry he had caused his family.

Judge Richard Foster, however, said his actions had been “thoroughly stupid and dangerous.”

He said it was only good fortune that an accident hadn't occurred, adding: “This sort of behaviour in and around airports is not acceptable.”

Webb who is planning to marry his girlfriend next year was jailed for four months.

As he was led away to begin his sentence furious members of his family shouted from the public gallery "It's a waste of tax payers’ money." and "There was no disturbance whatsoever on the plane."

South Oxhey man jailed for airline laser attack at Luton Airport (From Watford Observer)

I'm still stuggling to understand the logic of this use of the @ sign in the L word. ISTR reading that it was based on the fact that using the full word would result in an increase in adverts for said items on this site. But by doing that, you'd be burning the vendors' ad budget with ads that we in fact unlikely to result in a sale. Or is the fear that potential attackers will be drawn to PRRuNE by the presense of the L word? Someone bring me into the picture, please...

Them Sea Shepherd muppets thinks it is alright to point lasers at captains...

THE high seas battle between Japanese whalers and the Sea Shepherd conservation group has gone hi-tech with the use of a military grade laser... Sea Shepherd's hi-tech weaponry to harass whalers | The Daily Telegraph






.

Not quite the same, but just as dangerous....

A while back, on a night flight into Napa county airport (California), some feckwit was sitting approximately 1 mile off the end of the runway with a pretty high powered white strobe light. Totally destroyed my night vision and forced a go-around (Piper Navajo).
Not particularly dangerous I guess, but could have been a lot worse! The tower was closed at the time, so all I could do was report it to Oakland center....don't know if anything was done about it at that time. So.....guess it's not just the 'high tech' ...thingies......(don't want to run afoul of the 'L' word). :eek:

Stupid, will only lead to further escalation and barbarism...