Laser Incident Information and Reporting

"Shining a laser into the cockpit of an aircraft is a serious safety risk and violates federal law. Many high-powered lasers can completely incapacitate pilots who are trying to fly safely to their destinations and may be carrying hundreds of passengers. Unfortunately, reported incidents of lasers aimed at aircraft are steadily increasing.

The FAA is working with law enforcement agencies across the country to pursue monetary civil penalties against individuals who purposely try to interfere with a flight crew by aiming a laser into an aircraft cockpit.."

WILDLIFE STRIKES TO CIVIL AIRCRAFT IN THE UNITED STATES, 1990–2007
"A mixed flock of blackbirds (red-winged blackbirds, common grackles, brown
-headed cowbirds) and European starlings descend into a wooded roosting area at dusk, less than 2 miles from a southern USA airport, 11 January 2007. Over 500 million blackbirds and starlings from Canada and the northern USA migrate to the southern USA each winter where they gather nightly in numerous roosts in marshes
and woodlots. Flight lines of birds entering to and departing from these roost
sites at dusk and dawn can pose a serious risk to aircraft at nearby airports. Airports should work with nearby communities to prevent large bird roosts from developing near airports. Photo, S. Stopak, USDA.

The most deadly civil (62 human fatalities, Massachusetts 1960) and military (34
fatalities, Netherlands 1996) bird strikes were caused by flocks of starlings."

DHS Announces New Private Aircraft Requirements
"The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced today additional measures to strengthen private aircraft security by requiring more detailed information about arriving and departing private aircraft and persons onboard, within a timeframe necessary for the department to assess the risks that certain flights may pose to national security. The Advance Information on Private Aircraft Arriving and Departing the United States final rule expands on existing regulations and is part of a comprehensive effort to strengthen general aviation security...

The final rule will require pilots of private aircraft to send U.S. Customs and Border Protection their electronic manifest data relative to all people traveling onboard. The following information must be sent one hour prior to departure for flights arriving into or departing from the United States by filing manifest data through the Electronic Advanced Passenger Information System or an approved alternate system:

* Advance notice of arrival information;
* Advance notice of departure information;
* Aircraft information to foster aircraft identification; and
* Complete passenger and crew manifest data"

FAA Adopts Upgrades for Aircraft “Black Boxes”
"The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has mandated significant upgrades to aircraft cockpit voice and flight data recorders — improvements that will enable investigators to retrieve more data from accidents and incidents requiring investigation...

Under the final rule, which affects manufacturers and operators of airplanes and helicopters with 10 or more seats, all voice recorders must capture the last two hours of cockpit audio instead of the current 15 to 30 minutes. The new rule also requires an independent backup power source for the voice recorders to allow continued recording for nine to 11 minutes if all aircraft power sources are lost or interrupted. Voice recorders also must use solid state technology instead of magnetic tape, which is vulnerable to damage and loss of reliability."