This week, as reported by WUSA-9 Washington, DC news, a man was arrested in Sykesville, Maryland for endangering State Police air crew when he shined a laser pointer reportedly at least 5 times at the crew aboard the Eurocopter AS365 “Dauphine”. The arrest was carried out by State Troopers on the ground after the Sykesville residence of David H. Hopwood, 35, was located by the State helicopter.

You’d like to think that a man of thirty-five would know better than to pull a stunt like this. What’s more is that this childish not-quite juvenile apparently hadn’t payed attention to recent national news for a forewarning. Earlier this year charges were filed in at least a few cases against individuals doing this very thing including events in Andover, Massachusetts, San Diego, California and Calgary, Alberta.

This is one of those types of cases for which I actually hope that these individuals are given the full weight of law’s heavy hand. It is reported that Hopwood may face federal charges for his idiocy.

As a pilot myself, I know that flying at night has its own set of challenges and risks. In some circumstances, keeping the helicopter upright, much less accurately navigating, during night flying can be extremely hard. If this had been done to me during some of the nighttime agricultural flights that I have flown, the outcome could very well have been disastrous. The human eye can sometimes take upwards of 30 minutes to adjust to changes in light and yield its full acuity.

Needless to say, none of us in the air need clowns running around on the ground with their little laser pointers pointed in our direction. In my eye, no pun intended, the act these guys committed might as well have been treated as severely as poisoning the crew or sabotaging the aircraft.