Incidents of laser strikes on aircraft are serious threats to those on board. Mark Broadbent looks at how the problem is being tackled.
Eric Bellings flies for the emergency helicopter operator Flight for Life Colorado. His aircraft was struck by a laser while flying in October 2021, and he told AIR International: “I have personally experienced these laser strikes on multiple occasions.”
Bellings added: “I was struck twice on the same night – the last one taking the base out of service and sending the three of us to eye doctors. Luckily, no one was hurt or had permanent eye damage.
“As pilots, and particularly helicopter pilots, we are met with an ever-changing environment that [can] alter the mission and our number-one goal of getting home safe,” Bellings continued.
“Laser strikes pose a threat to my entire crew, our patients and the people we are flying over. To my knowledge, no pilot has crashed an aircraft due to a laser strike. However, the possibility exists and it adds immense pressure to making sure the mission is completed safely.
“[Among] our pilots’ most valuable assets are their eyes – if you take [their vision] away, even for a moment, it can become very difficult to control the aircraft, if not impossible.”
