Helicopters Magazine

Features Procedures Safety & Training
New site launched to help reduce laser strikes

July 25, 2011  By Carey Fredericks

July 25, 2011, New Orleans, La. - At this year’s Airborne Law Enforcement Association (ALEA) 41st Annual Conference & Exposition, Night Flight Concepts, a premier provider of comprehensive night vision solutions, and Delta P, a consulting company specializing in aerospace physiology, are pleased to unveil a new educational website, LaserStrikeProtection.com.


The site is dedicated to helping aviation organizations understand and mitigate the impact of unauthorized illumination of cockpits by lasers.

Growing Danger in the Skies
Reports indicate that the number of incidences of laser strikes into cockpits in recent years continues to increase as does the level of sophistication of lasers readily available to the general public. Government and medical studies also confirm the growing severity of the laser strike threat, revealing that the exposure of air crews to laser illumination can cause hazardous effects (e.g. distraction, glare, flash blindness and even persistent or permanent visual impairment), which can adversely affect the ability of air crews to carry out responsibilities and safely handle an aircraft.

Leading provider of night vision solutions, Night Flight Concepts (NFC) has years of experience in the various issues and challenges associated with conducting night flight operations. As NFC President, Adam Aldous, explains, “In recent years we’ve monitored the growing danger of malicious and accidental laser eye strikes impacting fixed wing and rotary-wing aviators with great concern. We developed Laserstrikeprotection.com specifically to address this industry issue and provide a means to improve pilot safety in night flight operations”.

Laserstrikeprotection.com : Enhancing Aviation Safety
“Laser illumination of cockpits is now a serious issue around the globe.” states Dr. Dudley Crosson aerospace physician and President of Delta P. He explains: “The best way to mitigate the risk is for flight organizations to undertake preventative measures and incident procedures which can be followed to either prevent potential illuminations or minimize cockpit disruption if one occurs. This is where Laserstrikeprotection.com can help.”

Advertisement

LaserStrikeProtection.com is a centralized online resource for educational information about laser strike threats, incidences, protective equipment, training options and operational procedures to help organizations improve safety programs night flight operations.

Part of the mission of Laserstrikeprotection.com will be to help government and civil flight organizations around the globe monitor and respond to the growing threat of laser eye strikes in aviation with:

. Education, including free access to critical information about laser strike issues including news articles, reports and publications
. Government regulations, bulletins and standards
. Training to enhance strike readiness for avoidance and respond
. Tools & resources to support program planning developments
. Technology developments & preventative eyewear options from industry to prevent the risk of eye damage

Leverage Industry Best Practises Further, Laserstrikeprotection.com will consolidate and publish reports, findings, and recommendations from aviation leaders in government and industry around the globe. It will focus on encouraging industry best practices for laser strike risk mitigation to include training and procedures for laser eye protection planning. As part of their commitment to industry education, Night Flight Concepts and Delta P will work in partnership with government authorities, industry associations and partner corporations to update laserstrikeprotection.com regularly.

Advertisement

Stories continue below

Print this page

Related