The first man arrested in North Texas on suspicion of pointing a laser at a plane said Wednesday that he did it because he was "tired of circling helicopters" above his house. In a sometimes rambling interview at the Dallas County Jail, Sammy Ladymon described himself as an amateur astronomer and said he bought a $40 laser the size of a pen at an electronics store. Read more
Next week sees the 50th birthday of an invention that was initially described as a "death ray", or - more charitably - "a solution looking for a problem". For most, the development of the laser - and with it the ability to generate an intense, narrow beam of light of a single wavelength - was a matter of complete indifference. Yet today, lasers can be found everywhere, from laboratories at the cutting edge of quantum physics to supermarket checkouts and hospitals. Read more
The number of illegal lasers seized by Customs has doubled in the past six months. Border Protection Minister Brendan O'Connor said lasers with beam emission levels of more than one milliwatt could be imported to Australia only with a permit. Read more
Ed ~ By opening the laser pointing device a small power control screw can be located and adjusted to decrease the power. However a hacked illegal laser will probably still require a permit.
Gregor said he didn't know why people point lasers at airplanes, but he noted that some of those arrested in the incidents had been consuming alcohol and others were teenagers. He said some contacts could also be accidents caused by amateur astronomers who use lasers to help them aim their telescopes or to point out constellations. Read more