Washington: US officials are worried about a steady increase of people pointing lasers at aircraft cockpits. They say the intense light can distract and temporarily blind pilots and has caused some to relinquish control of planes and helicopters to their co-pilots or abort landings.
Over the past six years, the Federal Aviation Administration has recorded a steady increase in reports from across the country of people pointing lasers at aircraft cockpits. This year, there have been more than 2,200 incidents, up from fewer than 300 in 2005.
There hasn't been an air crash so far, but the incidents have aviation officials worried.
"It sounds silly, but this is a serious problem," FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt wrote Wednesday in a post on a Transportation Department blog.
"We know that laser pointers are an important tool for astronomers and casual stargazers," Babbitt wrote. "But we just can't stress enough the importance of being careful when you are shining them into the night sky."
The rise in incidents has coincided with a growing hobbyist market for handheld lasers that are far more powerful
- and potentially dangerous - than the typical laser pointer.
At the same time prices have dropped. Lasers that once cost more than $ 1,000 can now be bought online for a few hundred dollars or less.
Some lasers are marketed with holsters that can be clipped onto a belt, creating a gunslinger-like appearance.
Earlier this year, Lucasfilm threatened legal action against Wicked Lasers, a Hong Kong-based company whose lasers have aluminium handles that resemble the lightsabers of the "Star Wars" movies. Lucasfilm later dropped the threat.
"Wicked Lasers defeats dark forces of George Lucas," the laser company's website brags.
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