[no subject]

Lasers: NORAD's Got a "Good" One ...

Showing Errant Pilots the (Really Bright) Light

    First, recall that shining a laser at an airplane is a felony under the
Patriot Act (as New Jersey resident David Banach is finding out the hard
way). Now, enter NORAD's "Visual Warning System" (VWS). As pilots all over
the country report being temporarily blinded, as the TSA issues warnings
that terrorists might be using lasers to blind pilots to bring down
airliners and as the FAA and FBI begin a concerted effort to find and
prosecute lasing suspects, NORAD is planning to shine lasers into your
cockpit if you bust the ADIZ around Washington, D.C. And in what must be the
media-relations challenge of the year, Mike Kucharek, chief of media
relations for NORAD, is trying to help us tell the difference between good
lasers (NORAD's) and bad lasers (everyone else's?). "There is no correlation
between the lasers being reported on by the news media as the VWS is only
being tested in the National Capital Region," Kucharek said in a statement
sent to AVweb on Wednesday. Kucharek said NORAD, which is working on the
project with the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office and the FAA, will be
testing the unit through Jan. 20 (inauguration day) and it's not only pilots
who might be wondering what's going on. With security at a fever pitch for
the inauguration, NORAD is now telling Washington-area residents not to
worry about the red and green beams of light they might see cutting through
the night sky. If the system works, plans are in the works to make it a
permanent fixture of the ADIZ, Kucharek said.

... Why It Would Be in Your Cockpit ...

    Kucharek stressed that the lasers being used in the VWS will not damage
the eyes or anything else. He told AVweb the lasers (the good ones) are less
powerful than the laser pointers (the bad ones) suspected of causing widely
reported mischief over the past few weeks. But he also said the "visually
conspicuous lights" are designed to get a pilot's attention. They are "...
distinct from other light signals currently used by FAA Air Traffic Control,
[and] are designed to provide a clear warning to pilots who enter the ADIZ
without authorization and cannot be contacted on VHF voice radio by Air
Traffic Control," he said. "Only aircraft that are unauthorized or
unidentified and unresponsive would be visually warned." Presumably, the
bright lights are supposed to prompt the hitherto unaware and unresponsive
pilot to contact ATC and ultimately get out of the ADIZ, or simply make a
hasty retreat. And if he or she doesn't? While the statement doesn't say,
you might assume the next step would involve something with jet engines
armed with items potentially more harmful than a laser. If NORAD decides to
deploy the laser system (and the FAA agrees), there will be a "Special
Advisory Notice from the FAA describing the lights and prescribing action,"
Kucharek said.

... And the FAA's New Rules About Lasers

    Starting Jan. 19, pilots must immediately report any laser sightings to
air traffic controllers, who then would advise all pilots in the area and
contact law-enforcement officials, according to a new FAA Advisory Circular
released yesterday. A warning will also be broadcast on the ATIS if the
event happens in the airport vicinity. Pilots who encounter a laser should
avoid direct eye contact and shield their eyes to the extent possible, the
AC (wisely) advises. Pilots are also asked to file a written report of the
encounter after landing. Transportation Secretary Norm Mineta announced the
new measures at a press conference in Oklahoma City yesterday. "We will do
everything we can to make sure each case is aggressively prosecuted. ... We
are treating lasers in the cockpit as a serious aviation safety matter," he
said. He stressed that while laser encounters have recently increased, there
is no indication that terrorists are at work. The incidents seem to be the
result of pranks or carelessness. "We will work with police to identify the
source of the lasers," the secretary said. Since Dec. 23, there have been 31
reported laser incidents involving aircraft, seven in the past weekend
alone. Since 1990 there have been over 400 similar (reported) incidents.

Regards,

KGB

-----
Kevin G. Barkes
Email: kgb () kgb com | Web: www.kgb.com
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