Post: Laser Safety Glasses for Pilots How do they Work?

Laser Safety Glasses for Pilots How do they Work?

Incidents of laser pointer strikes directed at pilots continue to spike.

How Do Laser Safety Glasses for Pilots Work?

According to a USA Today article written last October, laser attacks hit a record pace, including 89 recorded incidents just in the New York area alone. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, LaGuardia airport reported 54 strikes, JFK had 17, and Newark Liberty had 18 through Oct. 17, 2013. Laser strike attempts on pilots were 27% higher last year than during the same period in 2012.“It really is a big problem and a growing problem,” said Captain Sean Cassidy, first vice president of the Air Line Pilots Association. “They’re introducing another distraction into an environment where we need to be incredibly focused.”To ward off this growing threat, pilots are turning more and more often to laser safety glasses. These glasses work by filtering out the unique light wavelength of various lasers. Light is measured in wavelengths, and it is wavelength that gives the beam of a laser pointer its specific color. When a pair of laser safety glasses is coordinated with a certain color laser, it completely blocks light in that wavelength. This effectively renders the laser beam invisible while allowing light of other wavelengths to pass through, so that vision is not impaired.This works exceptionally well in blocking harmful and potentially fatal laser beam strikes directed at those who operate aircraft. When a laser penetrates the windshield of an airplane, it “…diffuses into the cockpit like a flashbulb going off in your face or like lightning near the aircraft,” said Kevin Hiatt, a former commercial pilot and now CEO of the Flight Safety Foundation, which studies aviation and makes recommendations. “It could have pretty catastrophic results.”Phillips Safety Products carries a wide selection of laser strike safety glasses to safeguard pilots against such catastrophic results. They all feature lenses that protect against various (or multiple) wavelengths, including:LS-PSPG Lens

  • 46.9% Visible Light Transmittance (VLT)
  • Protects from green beam reduction (most common wavelength form)

LS-PSPBG Lens

  • 43.0% Visible Light Transmittance (VLT)
  • Protects from both green and blue reduction

LS-PSPBGR Lens

  • 46.9% Visible Light Transmittance (VLT)
  • Protects from blue, green, and red beam reduction

These lenses are available in several different frame styles – including fit-overs, wrap-arounds, and aviators – and in various frame colors. If you’re a pilot, you owe it to yourself and everyone aboard your aircraft to protect your eyes from laser strikes.

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