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Daytona Beach police arrest aviation student in airline laser pointing

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Sanchez said he was playing with the green laser light pointing it in various directions, the report states. The suspect said he saw an incoming plane "on short approach," the report states. Conley recognized the phrase as an aviation term and asked Sanchez if he was a pilot. Sanchez said he is studying to be a pilot at ATP Flight School, an airport property tenant. "It just perplexes me that someone who wants a future in aviation would do this." (www.news-journalonline.com) More...

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paramedic46
Chuck McDowell 21
I'm a medical pilot and also a paramedic. It's a known fact," You can't fix stupid".
Bernie20910
Bernie20910 -5
True. The best you can hope for is that he takes himself out of the gene pool early.
bbabis
bbabis 3
Come on Bernie, you know better. That's the worst you can hope for. The best would be that the young man truly realizes what a stupid thing he did and goes on to be a fine individual that contributes to society. If every one of us who did something stupid in our life died, the global warming caused by man crowd would be out of business.
lynx318
lynx318 3
NOT!!
devsfan
ken young 4
Umm. This is not some stupid prank. That kid endangered the lives of perhaps up to 1,000 people( in the air and on the ground. Adding to the severity of the CRIME. Yes a CRIME, is that this kid was a student of aviation...
Sorry.....This kid wrecked his future. He should have thought of the consequences of his actions BEFORE acting.
Bernie20910
Bernie20910 1
Did I say die? No, I said remove himself from the gene pool. This one does not need to reproduce IMHO. I mean, really, what person with an interest in aviation is unaware of the laser pointer problem? And this is an aviation student, learning to fly? There is no way that I would believe he's clueless about the dangers posed, so that leaves him just disregarding the dangers. What else is this idiot going to disregard in the future? No, really, we don't need to have his particular genes passed on. We have enough idiots already.
locomoco
M.F. LaBoo 0
Oh, don't try to be coy playing with words. It's perfectly clear what you meant, unless by chance you were hoping he'd walk in front of an operating radar dish and fry his eggs. "Die" wasn't what you said, but it's obviously what you meant.
Flightdog
Roger Curtiss 6
No-it is NOT obvious that he meant anything other than what he wrote. I interpreted it as a dig at this moron procreating and I would expect many others did as well.
Bernie20910
Bernie20910 -3
If that's what I intended to say, that's what I would have said. I choose my words carefully, so that they covey exactly the meaning I want them to. If you choose to believe they have a different meaning, that's your problem, not mine.
joelwiley
joel wiley -3
orchidectomy would suffice for the gene pool. What you infer may not be what was implied.
FlyEagleOne
FlyEagleOne 3
My gosh, isn't this going over the top a bit. Does anyone believe in redemption. Kids do stupid things, even dangerous ones. However many learn from those mistakes and go on to greater things. I guess none of you ever threw a can of gasoline on a fire either; not that you will admit to.
KennyFlys
Ken Lane 5
I'm sorry. You cannot convince me this kid did not know any better. Unless he was completely green in flight training, I'm not buying it.

Even then, common sense dictates you do not point a laser at someone.
FlyEagleOne
FlyEagleOne 2
Never said it wasn't wrong of him to do. But does he have to live with it the rest of his life or learn from his mistakes. Sure he should have known better if he is an aspiring pilot. Young and dumb comes to mind. I trust he has already learned his lesson.
KennyFlys
Ken Lane 2
Yes. Given the danger to safety of flight, yes.

How is this any less safe than brandishing a gun? In this case, you actually affect the pilot. Merely brandishing a gun you've not yet shot anyone. The former is an act. The latter is a threat.
bbabis
bbabis 1
I'm with you Eagle but this is a hang'n crowd. God forbid if any of their loved ones ever did anything stupid. This has become pretty convoluted but it is fun to read.
allench1
allench1 1
what you said was takes himself "OU"T of the gene pool, therefore out= remove = no longer here. you did not say "remove" the first post. As you and I know you have a history of attacking on this web site when you see an opportunity.
rwf1001
Robert Fleming 14
This guy USED TO BE an aviation student-now he's a FELON
paramedic46
Amen!! I'm glad I will never see him sitting right seat on my flight deck.
THRUSTT
THRUSTT 1
He'll be in the left seat.!!!
quitty123456789
Jordan Welch 2
If he ever was able to continue in his flight courses, he could be hired by Republic Airways. They hire if the applicant has had no misdemeanors or felonies since the interview date.
joelwiley
joel wiley 2
Not a felon until after the trial. Destruct button on his student status may be engaged before then.
CaptainFreedom
"Stupid is as stupid....."....how does that one end again?
lynx318
lynx318 1
Does¿
RonBurgundy
Ron Burgundy 6
The real question here is why? "It just perplexes me that someone who wants a future in aviation would do this."

A two-crew airliner is one thing-I don't think they would get so startled as to cause an incident. But what if it was a student pilot on his first night solo? Low, slow, and all the sudden distracted, prompting a go-around. P-factor and kicking the left rudder by mistake could kill someone flustered and blinded.

Bummer of an article.
billy12string
I agree, that is the problem. I just had a headwind gust that took out my airspeed 200' off the runway. If some one distracted me with anything I might not have throttle to the wall, flaps up and gone around as I did. Just another smear on the "Numbers"!
bbabis
bbabis -2
Nothing perplexing here. People do stupid things. Like your example though, you have to step way way outside the box and add several other factors to come up with an example of how this activity MIGHT be dangerous, while in the next 5 minutes someone will kill and/or be killed while texting and driving. Laser pointing activity would simply go away if the news left it alone.
Bernie20910
Bernie20910 3
If your "it'll just go away if the media stops" argument was valid then there never would have been anything to start this. The media got into the act after there were already a number of incidents. Sorry, but your argument doesn't hold water.
bbabis
bbabis -1
Please reread. I said it would go away if they just ignored it. I said nothing about them starting it.
Bernie20910
Bernie20910 3
Do you not understand how logic works? Saying that "if they ignore it then it will go away" implies that you believe they are the cause. You know, that whole "cause and effect" thing you may have heard of? You're right, they didn't start it, so how can you honestly believe that it would end if the media ignored it? The only thing that would change is the coverage. You'll still have idiots out there like this guy, "just waving it around at the airport", you just won't read about it in the papers or see it on the TV news. It's a naive and childish "solution", one that postulates that if you stick your fingers in your ears, close your eyes and go "lalalalalalalalal" the problem ceases to exist, because you can't see or hear it.
bbabis
bbabis 1
Bernie my friend, discussion is a wonderful thing but like lasers we seem to be on different wave lengths. I value your thoughts. We'll chat again. Keep shining bright.
THRUSTT
THRUSTT 0
You're right...
RonBurgundy
Ron Burgundy -1
You're right, that's a good point. Ebola scares the heck out of people, yet people text and drunk drive every day and kill people.
blueashflyer
blueashflyer 6
nothing a sock-full of nickels couldn't fix
Flightdog
Roger Curtiss 2
To quote the eminent Bugs Bunny, "What a maroon".
lcsegundo
lcsegundo 2
After this bad experience I hope that this guy, as a student to be a pilot, becomes a defensor against that criminal practice.
banthony51150
Bruce Anthony 2
Stupid...stupid...stupid... lets hope this young man DOESN'T get into the flying business other than with 8 1/2 X 11 paper... airplanes, that is...
lynx318
lynx318 1
What & have him take out the eye of that hot little secretary,I think not!
alan75035
alan75035 2
Sounds like a recruiting poster boy for the TSA.
Dl8698
David Loh 2
On latest news. Virgin Atlantic flight VS025 Air turn back due pilot affected by laser shone from ground. Don't ask me for links. Just use google.
KennyFlys
Ken Lane 3
But according to a few other panty wastes, it's just a little prank that doesn't deserve such harsh punishment.

Never mind the potential danger to flight crews on top of the cost of turning around an airliner costing how many thousands an hour to operate?

Here's a piece on it:
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2016/02/laser-strike-forces-virgin-atlantic-flight-to-turn-back-to-london/
billy12string
How could he possibly be a flight student? I'm a student and I hate the fear of a goose, a deer or a drone taking out my little C172. But, a guy with a laser or heaven forbid, a gun of any type pointing at an aircraft is a wacko felon. Lock him up, never let him fly, never let him get another.
bbabis
bbabis 2
Sounds like you have Mediaphobia William. See your doctor and maybe take up sailing. Oh wait, there's sharks.
billy12string
You apparently don't live in NWI! Deer are on the runway, geese fly around in formation at the airport and asses fly drones!
THRUSTT
THRUSTT 1
Well that's a first for me, a donkey with a drone...
chalet
chalet 0
If you still maintanin that laser was inventend 25 years ago and that they are harmless boys toys why don't you buy one such device and have someone aim the rays straight to your eyes from a mile away for a few seconds and then try to walk straight for a few feet and tell us if you would feel confortable that some jerk does that towards an airliner 30 seconds away from touch down.
joelwiley
joel wiley 1
Or perhaps a more down-to-earth test: 2 lane road, moderately heavy traffic,65mph speed limit- lase a few oncoming drivers and see what happens.
bbabis
bbabis 1
You bring up a great point Joel. Drunks and other drivers who fail to dim their headlights cause much more death and mayhem than pen light lasers ever will and the media gives it no attention. It's just not as interesting as lasers and airplanes with the associated wow factor to sheeple viewers.
bbabis
bbabis 1
People insist on putting words in other's mouths. No one has said that lasers are harmless or just for boys. I've also in no way condoned what Mr. Sanchez did. This instance of the stupid use of a green pen light laser is the discussion. I'm saying that It is not the huge deal that people are trying to make it out as. If you didn't read them, here are the pilot's words.

"McMillan said he was attempting to land the aircraft on runway 25R, descending about 500 feet when he was hit with a green laser beam that lasted one to two seconds, the report states.
McMillan said he was able to land the plane without any problem..."

My experience has been the same. Others may vary.


You are correct that I am wrong about the laser's invention. It turns out it was 55 years ago.
chalet
chalet 0
A bona fide experienced pilot can not broach that this is no big deal; tell that to the GM at MacCarran in Vegas and see what kind of reaction he has. Fortunately you are not in the loop of anything related to aviation safety enforcement. End of discussion.
bbabis
bbabis 1
Sad to see you go. It's been fun. Best to you in 2016.
lynx318
lynx318 1
A deer? Oh you mean a Battle Stag! http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk230/sordid_sentinel/1269190587_gentlemen-broncos-battle-stag-1.gif
zennermd
zennermd 1
I had an eagle almost clip my left wing once while I was flying a C152. Passed right off my left wing and proceeded to pull a 180 and try to chase me.
bbabis
bbabis 2
I assume you got away. ;-)
zennermd
zennermd 7
This time. But I have a feeling he is out there.... watching, waiting for me to return, so that he may finish the job.
bbabis
bbabis 1
LOL! Keep your eyes peeled Michael. The pilot and C152 population is already too low.
zennermd
zennermd 1
No worries, I am installing some 50 cal.'s in the wings. ;) I call it bird be gone.
BaronG58
BaronG58 3
Michael.back in the early 80's I had a duck strike my right wheel pant at 2000 ft. Aircraft was a Grumman Tiger. A/C started shaking like a washing machine during spin cycle with clothes all on one side. Had to slow-flight it to the nearest airport and remove both main gear pants. When I got back to home base FBO I walked in, put the pants on the counter and said " here's you plane back". Look on his face was priceless.
joelwiley
joel wiley 2
Might consider a tail one as well, considering where your last saw the bird.
zennermd
zennermd 2
We will call it the lil' fort.
joelwiley
joel wiley 2
According to one site, 50 cal rounds weigh 117.48 gm. Will yoru C152 be able to carry more rounds than an F-35? Just wondering.
Bernie20910
Bernie20910 2
Assuming it carries just one it will probably be more effective in the stealth role. Two rounds and it'll have it outmatched.
zennermd
zennermd 2
Well, this particular 152 did have the Sparrow Hawk conversion...
billy12string
Be careful of the tail gun location, the recoil must make you pass Vne, the wings might break!!!
zennermd
zennermd 1
haha, never thought about that! I think a smaller caliber in the tail, just to be safe.
Bernie20910
Bernie20910 2
Or go recoilless. But then you have the opposite problem of maybe dropping below stall speed.
zennermd
zennermd 1
That would be a bummer. You would shoot yourself out of the sky... in a matter of speaking.
lynx318
lynx318 1
How bout a belly turret¿ C152 MidgetFortress.
billy12string
Must have gone full throttle in a C152 to get away!!! ROFLMHO!!!
Dl8698
David Loh 3
For those pilots here who insist that shining lasers into eyes of pilots on approach is no big deal, why not volunteer to be test subjects?
Fly a plane of your choice in a controlled experiment. On the approach people on the ground will shine lasers into your eyes. Preferably the lasers will be of the highest power currently available anywhere in the world. Then if you do not crash then you have proven your case. Any nay sayer dare to do that? If not then don't insist that it is harmless and let others prove you wrong. Any one caught shining a laser at an aircraft on approach should be charged with attempted murder. If he is not trying to make the aircraft crash what the hell was he hoping to accomplish?
bbabis
bbabis 3
Since you don't read before posting, I'll put it here for you again. From the pilot in this article:

"McMillan said he was attempting to land the aircraft on runway 25R, descending about 500 feet when he was hit with a green laser beam that lasted one to two seconds, the report states.
McMillan said he was able to land the plane without any problem..."

My experience has been the same. Again from the article:

"At least 3,700 incidents were recorded in 2013 — compared to just 283 in 2005. And that doesn't include the thousands of attacks that go unreported every year, the agency reported. Though laser light-into-aircraft incidents have increased, there are no reports that laser pointers are responsible for bringing down any airplanes or seriously injuring people..." Test volunteers are not needed.
Bernie20910
Bernie20910 -2
"...there are no reports that laser pointers are responsible for bringing down any airplanes or seriously injuring people..."

That we know about. Kind of hard to ask the deceased if they got blinded/distracted by a laser, and something like that sure isn't going to show up on an autopsy. How many fatal accidents have there been in recent years where no explanation could be found and/or that were written off as "pilot error"? Can we say with absolute certainty that idiots with lasers didn't factor in any of those? I don't think we can, so it's entirely possible that such idiots have already caused death and destruction with their "games" and "playing around". Who's going to be the next possible victim? Maybe you? Nah, not you. I forget, you're Super-Pilot, able to resist the strongest of lasers. Surprised you even need an aircraft to fly.
bbabis
bbabis 1
Its also entirely possible that I might win the PowerBall drawing, but I think the odds are the same.
lynx318
lynx318 0
No PowerBall has better odds, oops manure storm approaching, better change course.
Gpoon49
Gene Poon 2
This guy is only a WANNABE pilot. Just as there are wannabe police officers, wannabe firefighters, wannabe locomotive engineers. The wannabes think that "interesting occupations" are all play and no work. They weed themselves out pretty quickly. He'll probably wind up being an ambulance chasing lawyer.
AWAAlum
AWAAlum 2
If you can read, you know this isn't just a fun thing to do. It's all over the media and has been for a long while. This lad had to know what he was doing and the possible consequences. Only thing is, he didn't realize that he may also suffer consequences. Potentially, this could have resulted in murder. It's not a prank - it's a crime.
jordanabrown
Alan Brown 2
Since he is an "aviation student", he knows what the problems are with pointing lasers at towers and aircraft and he did it anyway. I hope he gets a good stiff sentence as an example to others.
bbabis
bbabis 0
That'll solve it Alan. A rapist may sit in a jail cell and dream of his next rape when he gets out, but is Mr. Sanchez going to sit there and dream of pointing lasers at airplanes and towers when he gets out?
devsfan
ken young 2
Well, kid. you just had a short career. Good luck selling cell phones in a shopping mall kiosk
lynx318
lynx318 2
More like his new favourite phrase will be "Do you want fries with that?"
chalet
chalet 2
Such an stupid jerk displaying a dumb attitude towards aviaton safety deserves the FAA pulling his Sudent Pilot license and ban him from piloting not even a wheelbarrow.
bbabis
bbabis 3
When did you last dial your phone or text and drive? That's a much dumber attitude toward safety considering what can happen. Do you still drive, much less fly?
joelwiley
joel wiley 1
Granted both are DTPS. This site is aviation focused and a number of the readers hold aviators to a higher standard than your average cretin
THRUSTT
THRUSTT 3
Police are held to a higher standard, look at what they're doing. Point is, we have or will all do something stupid... I have!!!
FlyEagleOne
FlyEagleOne 1
Amen, and there are a few I'd like to take back but still hold my Commercial. And in one of my careers, I was a Deputy Sheriff.
FlyEagleOne
FlyEagleOne 1
I doubt if chalet is even a pilot or has a drivers license. Why not lock the kid up for life for a stupid mistake he will learn from big-time. Sheesh, is there no compassion?
mviscito
I think you are on the wrong board - all you seem to want to discuss is texting and driving. There are websites devoted to that. This is a website devoted to aviation. Cancer kills thousands of people per year and yet people still smoke. Is that somehow relevant to this conversation also by your logic?
The fact is that this kid did something he knew he shouldn't be doing. If he didn't know, he should have. Regardless, what he did was illegal and even if he didn't know, 'Ignorantia juris non excusat'
joelwiley
joel wiley 1
Maybe I looked in the wrong place, but did not find an arrest record in Velusia County.
Perhaps he was cited and released?
mortons
ken morton 1
Not politically correct. Check his green card
dalvino
Daniel Alvino 1
Maybe he should become a bus driver.
joelwiley
joel wiley 1
A320? 350? 380neo maybe ?
Dl8698
David Loh 1
All this arguement about whether a pilot being UNEXPECTEDLY hit in the eyes by a laser is dangerous or not is nothing but guys just arguing for the sake of arguing. Ok ok. We don't really know. Question is DO WE WANT TO FIND OUT THE HARD WAY? HOW MANY MUST DIE FIRST? And before anyone start blabbing off about texting while driving kills but we still do it, lets stick to the topic here. Lasers and pilots. Do we preempt or do we wait for proof?
lynx318
lynx318 1
99.99% might be just hand held lasers, but you never know when the 0.01% might have an attached sniper rifle.
lynx318
lynx318 1
Come to think of it, in weapons toting crazy 'Merica, what's stopping it being a laser guided S.A.M.?
Doobs
Dee Lowry 1
You're so right...can't fix stupid. He committed a felony and put a laser on his future. Obviously not the sharpest knife in the drawer.
Hapticz
pete krohn 1
all aflutter and excited about one careless fool who did what any curious, reckless and indifferent person would do. when i'm blinded by 10k lumen LED dual headlights on a street or even as a pedestrian on a night with drizzle reflecting the light rays everywhere, i may also make the error of some sort, and crash into something, fall off the curb or inadvertently stumble into some thug 'ready to kill anyone' for the heck of it. yes, being a pilot is such a high minded lofty task, with responsibilities above and beyond the scope of lowly earth huggers, we forget that some of the few BILLION of humans just tend to screw up, unlike pilots. perhaps this kid was attempting to down a plane to reduce the competition to breed by a few hapless flight personell or travellers? all these incidents are getting nowhere as technology keeps pumping out more and more opportunities for devices to do something beyond their original intent. just how many planes have been crashed by ANY of these lasers so far? so many ready to castrate, confine, and literally destroy, when no actual damages have even yet occurred.
zaba53
Chester Zaba 1
He won't be studying to be a pilot any more. LOL
Flightdog
Roger Curtiss 1
He can study all he wants...he just will not be hired as a pilot.
FlyEagleOne
FlyEagleOne 1
You know that how Chester? He hasn't been convicted of anything......yet! Not that a conviction precludes one from getting a pilots license, especially if they did their time.
zaba53
Chester Zaba 2
Are you some kinda' lawyer, or something. I remembered being asked how many traffic tickets were on my record when I applied for just a PPL, years ago. Maybe things are more lax now-a-days. I'll correct myself. Things ARE more lax now-a-days, and not for the better. Look, even if "it was all just an accident", it was a stupid thing to do and maybe, just maybe he just isn't ready for the responsibility. He's already admitted to it and being an aviation student is more than aware of the problem.
Guts
Steve Gutzmer 1
That's reckless endangerment, and should be charged as such. His ATP should be delayed. This is beyond stupid.
ruse21
Andre Perez 1
Was it Forrest Gump who said: "Stupid is as Stupid does!"
I hope the authorities don't slap his hand and tell him "don't do it again".
The FAA should take all documents pertaining to his flying, and RED LINE him so he
cannot get close to an airplane.
This jerk does not belong to the aviation community.
moxfox
David moxely 1
He knows better, agree with Chuck, can't fix stupid !!
harrisonbarger
Do you think the aviation school has picked up on this?
bbabis
bbabis 0
Many years ago, 25 or more, myself and another pilot were hit by a strong laser that seemed to track us when arriving Las Vegas. It was no problem and I got a chuckle back from tower when I suggested they "dim the lights a little." Now, with terrorism as the backdrop, so many seemingly sane people have fallen for the media driven hysteria that laser pointers can somehow bring down aircraft. Well, outside of Tom Clancy and Hollywood, it has never happened and never will happen. Put it in the same category as putting a nickel on the tracks hoping to derail a train. Believe me, Its way down on the list of terrorists-r-us' plans for disrupting commercial aviation. The sooner these stories are not reported on the sooner idiots will stop getting their kicks from it. Sure, report 'em, fine 'em, even make 'em put it where the sun don't shine, but please move onto something like "Lasers used for fog dissipation" that really does help aviation safety.
chalet
chalet 0
FYI there were not laser beams 25 years ago, so stop saying stupid things tht never happened and to use your own words: When did you last dial your phone or text and drive?
lynx318
lynx318 1
Straight from my favourite source Wikipedia (groan) "The first laser was built in 1960 by Theodore H. Maiman at Hughes Laboratories, based on theoretical work by Charles Hard Townes and Arthur Leonard Schawlow."
bbabis
bbabis 1
Lasers were invented in the 60's. 'Nuff said there. The one that got us and others I think was a show that came from the apex of the Pyramid at the time. Pretty cool. As far as your last sentence, you make my point. We all do stupid things which in no way makes Mr. Sanchez or anyone on here stupid. As for me, I don't stare into lasers and my phone stays in my pocket in the truck. Bluetooth is a wonderful thing.
Bernie20910
Bernie20910 0
Hate to bust your bubble, take isn't/wasn't a laser from the Pyramid.
Bernie20910
Bernie20910 0
dang auto-correct! take = that
Dl8698
David Loh 3
You mean auto error?
jkcooney
Joseph Cooney 0
In the famous words of Forrest Gump: "Stupid is as stupid does."
Mirtha84
Mirtha Soyka 1
Hopefully his arrest record will show every time he tries to applies for a job in aviation if he ever gets that far?
209flyboy
209flyboy 0
People who do this don't realize how dangerous this is, especially a budding pilot who has undoubtedly heard about this practice.
bbabis
bbabis 0
No doubt its a dumb thing to do but the more the media plasters it all over the electron airwaves the the more dumb little minds get the idea. Laser "Attacks" have increased 1100% with "Thousands" unreported and yet not 1 incident no matter how minor because of it. I'm sure the government has their plans to spend billions of our children's money to combat this potentially horrific problem. If just one student would botch a night landing and fold in the nose gear of their trainer and blame it on a laser attack, the media would orgasm all over itself! Oh the humanity!
sparkie624
sparkie624 0
If he is guilty, he should go to prison... No compassion for people doing this type of crap.
bbabis
bbabis 4
Really Sparks. Laser pointer people in prison? OK, maybe a week. I doubt he will return to his life of crime after that. Any longer and he'll just be learning how to do real crime.
sparkie624
sparkie624 0
Shining a laser in the eyes of the captain can kill everyone on board... They should stand for one count of attempted murder for every soul on board.. and yes... REALLY and I mean HARD time.
bbabis
bbabis 1
Shirley you jest! Me thinks you've taken the media hype hook-line-and-sinker. I've been blinded more by sun reflecting off car windows in airport parking lots. That FAA building in BNA is a killer when the sun is right. And by God, the way they lay some airports out, sometimes you just have to land into the sun. We certainly can't arrest all them for attempted murder.
billy12string
I always know where the sun is...
sparkie624
sparkie624 0
The sun doing it is one thing... Intentionally blinding people is another... No I do not Jist on that one... The effect on lasers have been proven and well advertised.... Everyone knows the effect of it and that it is illegal... He knew what he was doing and should get no leniency...
bbabis
bbabis 1
The effect of lasers has NOT been proven. You watch to much 60 minutes and dateline where the photography amplifies the effect, which is what they want. Do you know that speeding is also illegal, can kill lots of people, and most people know they are doing it. No leniency, no leniency, no....
joelwiley
joel wiley 2
Before you make that assertion, you might try searching sites like the National Institutes for Health. A quick search
http://search.nih.gov/search?affiliate=nih&commit=Search&page=1&query=eye+damage+laser+pointer&utf8=%E2%9C%93

yielded a number of studies, among them:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25308223
"The effect of <insert product here> has NOT been proven" is a common statement. Consider it's use by the Tobacco industries in the 1960's, 70's, 80's . . . .
bbabis
bbabis 0
Yes Joel, it doesn't take many live brain cells to know that you shouldn't look directly at a laser thats in your hand for a minute or more. All lasers are labeled as so from the FDA. We are talking about the effect thru triple pane windshields for at most a second or two from lasers at least thousands of feet away at significant angles. If someone is shooting a high powered laser at you from the runway threshold we a different problem. Those are the pictures you see though from the prime time scare shows as they go for sensationalism. As I've said, I've been hit by about as large of a laser as there is, and its wince, blink, and move on. No issues. Fighting a sneeze on short final is a much bigger problem.
Bernie20910
Bernie20910 0
If you had actually "been hit by about as large of a laser as there is", you would not be typing that, you would be dead. You accuse "the media" of sensationalism, and turn around and do it yourself, in the opposite direction.
bbabis
bbabis 2
I'm not talk'n death rays hear Bernie. It was from a Vegas laser show. I'm making the assumption they use pretty strong ones there, money being no issue.
Bernie20910
Bernie20910 1
You have a real problem then with accurately stating things. "I assume they have some pretty strong ones there" and stating as if absolute fact that, "I've been hit by about as large of a laser as there is" are two very different things. Seems to me you like to exaggerate and sensationalize just as much as you accuse the media of doing.
billy12string
Agreed, at least make one scapegoat. Most others will get the point.
THRUSTT
THRUSTT 2
Mechanics that make false entries in logbooks are more deserving of jail time, Babis is right, I bet this guy won't do it again...
Dl8698
David Loh 0
If you have proof report to the authorities. If not keep quiet. Keep your suspicions to yourself
Bernie20910
Bernie20910 0
No, because they don't let you have lasers in prison. But let him off with a warning or slap on the wrist and you just reinforce to him that "it's no big deal", and that nothing really bad will happen to him if he gets caught.

And, you're also now, literally, giving everyone else the green light (pun intended) to do it as well, because, again, nothing really bad will happen to them for doing it.

It used to be that the FCC monitored the CB frequencies and handed out some pretty hefty fines and even jail time for infractions, and the airwaves were pretty clean. Then they stopped doing that due to budget and manpower cuts. Try listening to those frequencies nowadays, especially around big cities. The regs haven't changed all that much regarding what you can or can't do on those freqs, just the enforcement got extremely lax and infrequent.
KennyFlys
Ken Lane 0
They need to fry his little ass. This punk has got to be incredibly stupid to not know any better.

Revoke any ticket he holds and never, ever let him fly again! That's on top of a couple years in prison.
FlyEagleOne
FlyEagleOne 2
Yea Ken, burn burn him at the stake or better yet, send him to Iran and let Jihadi John have a go at him. Good Lord some of you people think this is the highest crime of the nation. Careful on that soapbox, you don't get hit with a laser and fall off.
bbabis
bbabis 0
Very disheartening of the aviation community here. Kill him, fry him, castrate him, beat him, lock him up in hard time, and Lord knows what else has been suggested by posters here. I'm sure no one here has ever taken off with a plane over gross, out of CG, or both. This is proven to cause injury and death, as opposed to lasers, and pilots know the dangers involved and yet do it anyway. Is it attempted murder when they do, or just a stupid mistake or lapse in judgement?

We've all make stupid mistakes. Thank God they can be fixed and we learn. If he hasn't already, he'll learn his lesson and may he be better for it.
AWAAlum
AWAAlum 2
Even if a murder is committed by mistake, it's still murder and still earns prison time.
stevencercy
stevencercy 1
I mostly stay out of the fray here, but in my view this case seems more polarizing than other issues so I want to chime in. I know it's long, so sorry in advance.

For a given offense, there will always be people who either are inclined to say “let him burn” or tend to be more forgiving. At the outset, let me state a few things to minimize the likelihood of misunderstanding what I have to say: 1) I do not condone what this guy did; 2) he should have known better; 3) he is absolutely responsible for his actions, and; 4) he should be punished appropriately.

As I’ve acknowledged before here, I’m not a pilot, but I do know a little about brain development and function. According to the news piece, the guy is 23 years old. To simplify a bit, the human brain, and more specifically, the prefrontal regions, are still maturing at that age, particularly in males. Impulse control and appropriate behavioral inhibition have not developed fully. How this gets expressed, and the degree to which it becomes a problem, depends on countless other factors in a person’s life; these can mitigate or exacerbate the biological facts to varying degrees.

We may be inclined to infer intention from action, but the truth is we can’t know for sure what he was thinking without asking him (and maybe not even then), nor can we know what his mental capacities are. So let’s make a couple preliminary assumptions, which of course may be wrong. Let’s say he’s probably not “stupid”; he was capable of being accepted onto a pilot training program after all. He’s also probably not a sociopath or a terrorist, and did not intend to down the plane and kill anyone. It seems more likely to me that this is a person with pretty poor impulse control and judgment, who has a toy he likes, wants to use it to amuse himself, and disregards all else, including the possible health and safety implications for others, as well as his very own future. None of this is to excuse him (see again 1 through 4 above); it is merely a possible explanation. I have seen a lot of people like that, and most aren’t criminals. In addition, look at how he responded to the police officer when she confronted him: he gave himself up in a split second. That is not sociopathy; to the contrary, that reaction is pretty naïve, and is also likely another indicator of his lack of impulse control and absence of nefarious intent. Ultimately the police and DA will have to sort all of that out, but I suspect that he will look back on this episode with remorse, and maybe he can learn from it. So for what it’s worth, I tend to side with the more liberal folks in this group. Forgiveness is a virtue. Cynicism can be pretty destructive.
lynx318
lynx318 1
That's alot of comment for someone staying out of the fray?
Bernie20910
Bernie20910 1
Yeah, but much like the talking heads on TV, he didn't actually say much, but "Ultimately the police and DA will have to sort all of that out" sums it all up pretty well.
Bernie20910
Bernie20910 1
Exaggerate much?
bbabis
bbabis 1
Bernie20910
Bernie20910 0
Please show me, who advocated killing him? Frying him? Castrating him?

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