LOL, Chicken Noodles News gives us finally the clue why there was this chicken-fight about 'laser-pointers' some time ago...allegedly "blinding pilots by shining into their cockpits" (LOL!) ....which lead even a man into arrest....
They were just DEVELOPING THIS:
Lasers warn pilots of restricted airspace
From Kathleen Koch
CNN
Friday, February 11, 2005
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The U.S. military is planning a final demonstration Friday night of a ground-based laser system designed to warn pilots who have flown into restricted airspace over the nation's capital.
During the demonstration of the Visual Warning System, a test aircraft will be illuminated with alternating red and green laser lights, said Michael Kucharek, spokesman for the North American Aerospace Defense Command.
"It's an attention-getter, but it's not blinding," Kucharek said. "It's not a distraction. So pilots can still focus on flying the aircraft without endangering anyone or themselves."
NORAD is looking for a cheaper, safer way to let pilots know they've strayed into restricted airspace over Washington.
Currently, fighter jets are scrambled and either intercept unauthorized planes or alert them by dropping flares.
"That's a very costly kind of operation," Kucharek said. "With the Visual Warning System, we wouldn't necessarily have to go to those extremes to get their attention."
A NORAD press release says the lasers are "eye-safe and non-hazardous at all ranges" and are distinct from other light signals used by air traffic control of the Federal Aviation Administration.
Kucharek said the laser would not be visible to other aircraft in the test area or to residents on the ground....
Full article at: http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/02/11/laser.demo/index.html
