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From: (no name) (no email)
Date: Mon Apr 21 2008 - 12:00:57 EDT
A new law proposed today by the premier of New South Wales declares
possession of the handheld lasers a serious crime, punishable by up to 14
years in
prison, depending on the devicebs power.
The purpose of the proposed ban is a nightmare scenario: A passenger jet
crashes after a pilot is blinded by a laser aimed at the cockpit by someone on
the
ground. It only takes a fraction of a second for a pilot to become
temporarily blinded and that could have catastrophic consequences.
The New York Times reported that Australia suffered string of incidents b
mostly involving airline pilots, but also helicopters. Earlier this month, a
23-year-old man was sentenced to three years in prison for pointing his laser
at
another helicopter.
In the United States the Federal Aviation Administration reported an
astounding 287 cases of cockpits hit with laser beams, and the House of
Representatives proposed a law, "The Securing Aircraft Cockpits Against Lasers
Act of 2005,"
against pointing the devices at planes. The law would impose fines up to
$250,000 and prison terms up to five years
.
Over the past few years we have seen handheld lasers touted as rescue
devices. Typical is a hand held laser the size of a cigar intended to be
pointed at a
potential rescue aircraft. The laser is equipped with a beam expander which
turns the point of light into a line. Sweeping the line of light across the
cockpit of the airplane alerts the search crew to your position.
I even have one of these small devices, adding to my sense of security if my
boat is holed by a blundering whale on a dark and stormy night. But given the
Draconic penalties for pointing the laser at an airplane cockpit, I probably
would be better off by blasting away with a handful of flares. So far no
zealous Congressman has suggested that flares are a weapon of choice for
terrorists.
Larry Z
**************
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