Laser blind the airliner pilot, then the cops that come after you

[mikea]

The pilot of a passenger jet was blinded by a laser device as the aircraft came in to land at Durham Tees Valley Airport, police said.

The KLM jet, with 40 people onboard, landed safely after the co-pilot took the controls on Sunday night.

A Cleveland Police helicopter was also targeted as it searched an area around the airport near Darlington.

...

When the police helicopter was sent to investigate, it too was targeted by the laser device.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7568645.stm

Being England, the kid'll probably get a stern taking-to by his lordship.

 

[KennyFlys]

I saw this piece on Point Niner.

A few months ago, a student and I were nearly home on a night cross country. The student was under the hood but I was scanning the sky as necessary and happen to look right. I saw a light flicker from below that caught my eye. I looked down and realized it was a green laser being pointed at us. I stopped looking down and immediately called Houston Approach to advise them. I never got a chance to check but I'm pretty certain a UA was issued and other aircraft were warned. It was close to an arrival route four-thousand feet above us.

 

[mmleon]

I was targeted a few months back as well while flying by Windsor Locks in CT. Told ATC about it and also kept an eye on the spot (ready to quickly look away), turned around and marked the spot on my GPS. Approach proceeded to warn everyone in the area about the laser as per their procedure. I also called the local FBI office and filed a report and have not heard anything else from them.

Being an evening flight and [as I found out later] ATC vectored me over a charted noise-sensitive area, I can pretty much guess the motives of the a-hole...

 

[Richard]

I was painted once, then I had the visual of a lit telephone pole rocket past.

 

[mmleon]

After you dumped chaff and flares of course...