Posted on 09/04/2016 5:17:30 PM PDT by Signalman
A WestJet pilot sought medical attention after a laser strike during a flight to Fort McMurray last month, airline officials say.
The laser was shone into the cockpit of a WestJet aircraft on Aug. 22, WestJet spokeswoman Lauren Stewart said in an email. The flight landed safely in Fort McMurray, but the next flight was cancelled until a replacement co-pilot could be brought in.
Pilots are trained to look away to protect their eyes in the event of a laser strike, but the pilot was advised to seek medical attention as a precaution.
"A laser has the potential to cause harm to their eyes," Stewart said. "Sadly, laser strikes are not uncommon and come with real repercussions for our crew. Shining a laser in a manner that could result in injury or serious damage is an incredibly thoughtless thing to do."
Stewart could not comment on the pilot's condition, citing privacy concerns.
Laser strikes happen often in the aviation industry. Forty laser incidents were reported in Alberta in May, and there were 500 laser incidents in Canada in 2015. In May, the federal government launched a social media campaign centred around the issue of people pointing lasers at planes.
The punishment for anyone caught shining a laser at an aircraft is a fine of up to $100,000, five years in prison, or both.
Unless it is perpetrated by a Clinton.
Five years isn’t enough IMHO-—what a dreadful thing to do.
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Why are not the windows coated to reflect laser light?
I assume these are much more powerful than the little dollar one I bought my Grandson. Even that toy was surprisingly bright even at a distance.
I wonder if any have been caught yet? I would venture a guess, and say none.
Someone has to be building and supplying a tracking gimbal to do this.
I can’t imagine the prankster building that. I can’t even imagine a prankster building a good enough laser to do it. There are HeNe kits available but one with decent optics is going to a deep dive into the Edmund Scientific.
That is a good point. I had military surplus Steiner and Fuji binoculars. Each contained a laser shield. I have no idea how they worked.
I phoned Pioneer Optics about the Steiner and the lady I talked to said they would remove the laser shield free of charge. I intended to send it to them but sold it to the owner of a yacht before I could do so.
That is a good point. I had military surplus Steiner and Fuji binoculars. Each contained a laser shield. I have no idea how they worked.
I phoned Pioneer Optics about the Steiner and the lady I talked to said they would remove the laser shield free of charge. I intended to send it to them but sold it to the owner of a yacht before I could do so.
I have a laser pointer that came with a few lenses in a nice little case.
A couple of times I burned a pinhole in some very thin plastic at a few inches.
Even with the glasses, it was still a bit uncomfortable.
It’s sat on the shelf for a couple of years.
The laser seems solid and well built but has some oddball cheapo batteries.
Live televised bloody floggings might be more of a deterrent. The hard part is catching one of these miscreants.
Meh, they buy them on eBay and aim by hand.
The dollar one I bought actually was in a case with three different interchangeable heads. It was very cheaply made but actually worked just fine. It took A-76 batteries.
I doubt it could have done any damage at all except I did tell him not to point it at anyone’s eyes. It was fun to play with.
It’s all fun and games until a 747 with 300 people goes careening into the ocean.
I agree wholeheartedly. 15 year sentence, mandatory.
Why WAIT for something devastating to happen before making the punishment brutal and clear.
I played with the one I bought a few times then it sat on the shelf.
It’s on Ebay now. I’m looking at clearing excess stuff that’s piled up here over the years.
Charge them with terroristic attempted murder on the lives on board and those on the ground on the harm’s way if the plane crashes. A few convictions and 80 year mandatory sentences after, come back and count these terrorist incidences. There will be none.
I don't disagree with that, but my question is, has anyone been nailed yet?
I thought some kid in Long Island was but I could be very wrong.
Must be REALLY hard to catch someone unless somebody squeals.
Yes, a minority of them do get caught. The whole point is to make an example out of them. Jail them with harshest possible punishment and ruin their families’ lives under (I’m sure there are) terrorist threat rules. A few whining sob stories on the brutal crackdown and watch these morons not do that anymore.
Just like RIAA went after the music pirates. They made an example out of these ordinary pirates. Now, they just buy their itunes.
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