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Each holiday season for the past several years, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has received reports from pilots who said they were distracted or temporarily blinded by residential laser-light displays.
The FAA’s concerns about lasers–regardless of the source–is that they not be aimed at aircraft in a way that can threaten the safety of a flight by distracting or blinding the pilots.
People may not realize that systems they set up to spread holiday cheer can also pose a potential hazard to pilots flying overhead.
“So if you’re going to install a holiday laser-light system, please make sure the lights are hitting your house and not shining up into the sky,” said the FAA in a statement.
“It may not look like the lights go much farther than your house, but the extremely concentrated beams of laser lights actually reach much further than most people think.
“If the FAA becomes aware of a situation where a laser-light display affects pilots, we start by asking the owner to adjust them or turn them off. However, if someone’s laser-light display repeatedly affects pilots despite previous warnings, that person could face an FAA civil penalty.”
Nav Canada also issued a statement, asking people to be cautious when installing decorative laser lights this holiday season.
“Residents who live within 10 kilometres of an airport should check the angle of the laser’s projection to ensure the display does not extend in the sky beyond their home,” said Nav Canada.
“In recent weeks there has been a spike in the number of laser strikes reported by pilots. The increase is likely to be due to improper use of holiday lights.”
