Probing a Laser Hit on a commercial jet.........

[YankssRule]

This article is in todays NY Daily News:

Probe laser hit
on plane :wired

CLEVELAND - Authorities are investigating a mysterious laser beam that was directed into the cockpit of a commercial jetliner flying at 8,500 feet.
The beam appeared Monday when the plane was 15 miles from Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, the FBI said.

"It was in there for several seconds, like [the plane] was being tracked," FBI agent Robert Hawk said. The pilot landed the plane, and air traffic controllers used radar to determine that the laser came from a residential area in suburban Warrensville Heights.

Hawk said the laser had to have been fairly sophisticated to track a plane traveling at that altitude. Authorities had no other leads, and are investigating whether the incident was a prank or if there was a more sinister motive.

Federal officials have expressed concern about terrorists using laser beams to distract or temporarily blind a pilot.

A memo sent to law enforcement agencies recently by the FBI and the Homeland Security Department says there is evidence that terrorists have explored using lasers as weapons.

In September a pilot for Delta Air Lines reported an eye injury from a laser beam shone into the cockpit during a landing approach in Salt Lake City. The incident occurred about 5 miles from the airport. The plane landed safely.

[MadScientist]

A pilot reported a laser beam on approach to Colorado Springs last week as well. At least that's what I heard this morning.

[HOLLYWOOD]

On CNN's website today, there was an article saying that there has been six instances of lasers in the cockpit in the past four days. Ugh!

I'm flying out tomorrow night and this is not what I need to be hearing on the news!

[CaptainStark]

A couple of our guys were blasted on takeoff by the laser show at the Luxor in Vegas several years ago. The FO got retina burns from the show, which was on his side. That put an end to random blasting of high power lasers into space.

Red handheld lasers are not the issue. These green lasers are MUCH higher power and someone is trying to gage their effectiveness on pilots.

Fortuantely, I keep my eyes closed on takeoff and landings so this won't bother me.:shocked :rolling

Ray:ray

[Passenger Mark]

Hollywood,

This is not an issue for you, as you take-off over the ocean. Not much out there. And the LASD does a fantastic job of checking ANYTHING that is out there.

I think they should give each passenger one of those lasers. And the next time someone shoots one from the ground at the aircraft, each passenger sends it back to them!

[MadScientist]

Fortuantely, I keep my eyes closed on takeoff and landings so this won't bother me.

:rotflmao

When landing, do you also say to yourself: "Please let this be the runway, please let this be the runway"? :pray :lol

[CaptainStark]

No,

That's what the other guy is for. I say, "Hows it looking over there.":eek

Ray:ray

[canoga]

Just one more reason to hate Cleveland.....

I'm taking off from Hopkins at the end of March.

Not what I wanted to hear.

[ChiefAtHeart]

I just find it strange that this is happening in so many cities across the nation. It just seems like a joint effort to me. However, it seems like a long shot for the terrorists when there are so many other targets that would seem easier to get to. I don't know what is going on. Capt. Ray - how likely is it that they could get the laser beam in just the right spot at just the right time? And if they managed to affect the pilot's sight, couldn't the co-pilot then take over?

[noflyingfan]

This is starting to worry me as well. More and more of these are happening. My first thought, of course, was terrorists (either ones with a really great plan up their sleeves or ones who have just run out of ideas), but then I thought maybe some of them are high-tech pranksters. I don't know who'd go to all that trouble just for an evil giggle, but in this day and age....

But Ray's post made me wonder...have I gone too far away from being afraid to fly? Because that didn't really phase me at all, and even if I was on a plane of his and he told me, in all seriousness, that he kept his eyes closed during takeoff, I wouldn't be bothered.

[CaptainStark]

noflyingfan,

I think it means you are cured.

You have asked the questions and reconciled in your own mind the risks we take every day in just leaving the house. You have now come to realize that flying, like every other activity in life, involves some risk. You sound like you have been able to make peace with the fact that while flying involves some risk, it's certainly less risky than riding in a car, something we all take for granted.

Congrats!

Ray:ray

PS You have also clearly figured out the attempts at humor doled out by this pilot. Humor is a stress reliever. Get as much as you can in this day and age!

[Jeff California]

www.cnn.com/2005/US/01/03...index.html (http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/01/03/laser.aircraft.ap/index.html)


Hate to fuel a fire, but heres another from today..

Cant pilots wear special glassses to eliminate this concern?

[noflyingfan]

Considering what I pay for car insurance, flying is certainly less expensive than driving.

[canoga]

Jeff - I was just thinking of special goggles as well. But then I thought 'What the h*ll have we become as a society?' Goggles so some nut won't burn your eyes out with lasers? At some point I just gotta accept that I can't control everything and take that leap of faith. The good news is that, the more things I find to worry about, the closer I am getting to just throwing up my hands and daring fate to crash my plane. I'm almost to the point where I can't keep up with the new worries my overactive mind comes up with.

As the new year rang in, my first thought was THIS is the year when I take my next flight (before midnight, I could still say NEXT year, LOL). Not looking forward to it but not paralyzed yet either. :lol

p.s. Why doesn't Cleveland get a little weather box at the bottom of the page????? :dunno I want you guys to be able to share in my misery of the terrible weather we have here.

[Jeff California]

Caught one!!


www.cnn.com/2005/US/01/04...index.html (http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/01/04/laserbeam.aircraft.ap/index.html)

[WillFlyToDisney2]

Oh geez, he blamed his DAUGHTER???

What a total Moron.

Kelley

[invert29]

I really hope they make an example of him to send the message to the other morons doing the same thing.