As holiday decorating has evolved, more people are ditching the traditional string lights and opting for bright and dramatic laser light displays. These types of displays are much easier to set up and store, you don't have to untangle ropes of delicate glass bulbs or get up on a ladder to install. There is just one problem, the lasers are bypassing the homes and getting right into the eyes of pilots flying overhead.
The Federal Aviation Administration has put out a statement warning decorators that pilots have reportedly been distracted and even blinded by the laser light displays.
“The FAA's concerns about lasers – regardless of the source – is that they not be aimed at aircraft in a way that can threaten the safety of a flight by distracting or blinding the pilots,” the federal agency said in a statement. “People may not realize that systems they set up to spread holiday cheer can also pose a potential hazard to pilots flying overhead.”
“It may not look like the lights go much farther than your house, but the extremely concentrated beams of laser lights actually reach much further than most people think,” the agency said.
The FAA makes an effort to contact the homeowners responsible for any offending displays asks them to adjust or turn it off. If pilots report the same home multiple times, the owner's may face an FAA civil penalty.
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