Considers Ban On Laser Pointers

It's hard to know, sometimes, whether people who point lasers at aircraft really mean to harm anyone... or are just experimenting, albeit foolishly, to see if they can see the dot show up in the night sky.

Not this time. The government of New South Wales, Australia is reportedly considering a ban on laser pointers after what it calls a coordinated "cluster attack" on planes approaching Sydney using four separate green lasers, and lasting about 15 minutes.

The Australian Associated Press reports the incidents took place Friday, and resulted in temporary changes to flight paths into Kingsford Smith Airport about 10:30pm local time.

The laser beams appeared to have originated from the Bexley area, in southwestern Sydney, and were described described by Air Services Australia as "the worst attack in our experience".

Other Australian states are already moving to classify laser pointers as weapons, triggering penalties including fines and jail time for their misuse.

The Civil Aviation Safety Authority supports the ban. CASA spokesman Peter Gibson says laser attacks on pilots are increasing in number, with five to six reported in Australia each week.

FMI: www.casa.gov.au