London - High-powered laser pens capable of dazzling a pilot can be easily bought for £50 (about R1 000).
Although not illegal, websites offer “military strength” lasers which are hundreds of times stronger than a typical classroom pointer, and which can even melt plastic or burn through wood at close range.
Some devices, which are often imported from the Far East, claim to have a range of 100 miles (about 160km) – easily capable of distracting a pilot or causing eye damage.
When the beam hits the cockpit windscreen, pilots can be left with temporary flash blindness, but in the most extreme cases the lasers burn the retina, causing permanent scarring and reduced vision or even blindness.
Such devices are dubbed “military strength” as their power far exceeds any normal civilian requirement.
The British Airline Pilots Association has called for them to be classed as offensive weapons, meaning it would be illegal to possess them.
Health guidelines suggest a maximum power of one milliwatt (mW), and most High Street devices fall within that limit and can be safely used as pointers in classrooms or during office presentations. But lasers of up to 800mW are easily available online.
A 50mW pointer which boasted a 20-mile range was being sold for £49 by a British-based website.
Pilots are not the only targets. There have been reports of attacks on train drivers and motorists, and Manchester United footballer Wayne Rooney had a laser shone in his face as he prepared to take a penalty last October.
At least 47 children have suffered permanent eye damage from playing with handheld lasers.
Daily Mail