Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Fun Laser Pointers Blind Record Number Of Pilots In New York
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Jun 13, 2011
Modified Jun 13, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Jun 13, 2011
Modified Jun 13, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Laser pointers are one of man's most useful tools, whether it's adding that extra pizazz to your Powerpoint on deforestation in Guinea, driving your dog insane, or as the perfect gift for that 13-year-old who has everything. But a few bad apples keep pointing them at planes coming into New York City's major airports. The Post reports that 40 such incidents have been reported this year alone, which is more than double the number for the same period last year, and an "86 percent increase over 2009." How about people shine them at the operators of the porno-scanners instead?
Lasers are capable of lighting up the entire cockpit of a plane from miles away, and one JetBlue pilot describes being hit with one as "a blinding agent. You are temporarily disoriented." He was able to land the plane, but the FAA is concerned that someone will shine one in a cockpit during takeoff or landing. A teenager was arrested in 2006 after he shined one in an NYPD helicopter, but it's obviously difficult to determine who the culprit is from thousands of feet in the air. Laser pointers have been a scourge since the late '90s, but are still nowhere nearly as dangerous as Jnco Jeans or Furbys.
Tagged
1990s
airline safety
faa
furbys
jnco jeans
laser pointers
Christopher Robbins
Christopher Robbins is a New York City reporter covering transportation, affordable housing, local politics, and criminal justice. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Village Voice and The New York Times. Chris is a graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, and enjoys biking to Fort Tilden in the summertime.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Deer are all over New Jersey roads looking for sex, state officials warn
Mid-October through mid-December is deer mating season, which can be a danger to drivers as the sex-seeking creatures cross roadways throughout the Garden State.
By
Rosemary Misdary
Published Oct 16, 2026
Man messaged 'I got straight poison' before giving NYC college students fentanyl, feds say
A transcript from an April court hearing sheds new light on what transpired at Fashion Institute of Technology.
By
Samantha Max
News
Man messaged 'I got straight poison' before giving NYC college students fentanyl, feds say
A transcript from an April court hearing sheds new light on what transpired at Fashion Institute of Technology.
By
Samantha Max
Inside the plan to fix the nearly collapsed Pfizer Building, 1/64th of an inch at a time
By
David Brand
School bus carrying autistic students got lost in Brooklyn for 4 hours last year
By
Jessica Gould
NYC’s bridges can last 'forever,' if we take care of them
By
Clayton Guse
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .