Christmas light lasers pose issues for planes

They're the new holiday trend this season, and if you've driven around any neighborhood, you've probably seen them: Christmas laser lights projected to walls, garage doors and tree canopies. They save time and work over traditional lights and have a look all their own.

But the improper use of the decorative lights can cause serious problems for pilots, according to  Scott Winter, an assistant professor of aeronautical science at Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne.

"The homeowners don't install them properly, and a part of the laser is positioned above the house, so it's not hitting the house and getting reflected," Winter said.

Those beams that don't hit the house can shine miles away, especially when aimed from the ground up toward a roof or treetop. "It can light up the cockpit or in a worst-case scenario, can hit (pilots) in the eye," said Winter.

Before the holiday season, aviators have been dealing with an increase in laser pointers or other devices often purposely directed at aircraft. In Brevard, five such cases have been reported to the FAA in 2015.

In particular, the lasers can be a problem on takeoffs and landings, when most planes are handled manually, not through auto-pilot.

"People may not think they're that strong but they're a lot stronger than people think," said Winter.

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The FAA has reported more than 5,300 laser strikes through October, which is from up from a total of just over 2,800 in 2010 and a number of major airports have reported them recently, including those in New York, Los Angeles and more locally, in St. Petersburg.

"It's not a new question to our airport," said Lori Booker, spokesperson for the Melbourne International Airport.

Those who intentionally are found to have pointed the lasers at planes could pay a heavy price as well, with prison sentences of up to 20 years and fines up to $250,000 possible for those convicted of the offenses.

But it's really difficult to find out who the perpetrators of such offenses are sometimes, Winter adds.

"The pilots can report seeing the light as they're coming into land but it's hard to send a sheriff or deputy to try to identify where it's coming from."

Booker says that the airport has not experienced any problems as of yet.

"Here in Melbourne, we're such an aviation-focused community that I believe people are more sensitive to pilot issues," said Booker.

Perhaps demonstrating that awareness, Booker says the airport has gotten phone calls asking about the issue.

Contact Bonanno at 321-242-3662, cbonanno@floridatoday.com or follow Chris on Twitter @FTChrisBonanno.