Lasers aimed at 22 Sqn pilots

Dangerous new game

By Suzelle Fourie

A new menace has surfaced in the coastal area that could seriously endanger the lives of the helicopter pilots and crew of 22 Squadron, stationed at Air Force Base Ysterplaat.

Since last November there have been a number of incidents in the vicinity of Sunningdale where helicopters have been "lasered" by a person or persons using a high-powered green laser beam, temporarily blinding the pilot.

A member of the Wilderness Search and Rescue (WSAR) team recently had to be hospitalised for corneal flash burns, or "arc eyes", when a laser light very briefly hit his eyes.

This happened while the helicopters were doing night flying training over an unpopulated area north of Sunningdale - an area regularly used for training to maintain the pilots' night flying abilities.

Major Willie Burger, who pilots one of 22 Squadron's Oryx choppers, personally experienced the incident.

"This is very serious. It can blind a pilot and make him lose control of the helicopter. The laser beam can cause permanent eye damage, which in turn can lead to the pilot being permanently grounded," he said.

When one of these very strong laser pens is trained on a flying helicopter at night, it lights up the entire cockpit, temporarily blinding the pilot and crew.

Should the pilot lose control of the helicopter over a residential area, the consequences could be disastrous.

Incidents of pilots being blinded by lasers have been reported from various parts of the world.

Powerful hand-held green laser pointers powered only by AAA batteries, that can send a beam of over three kilometres into the sky, are freely available.

These pointers are particularly useful to astronomers to trace constellations and point out individual stars.

With their longer range, green lasers pose a real danger because they can render pilots temporarily blind.

In Britain a 21-year-old man was sent to jail for four months last year after blinding a police helicopter pilot by shining a laser pen at his aircraft.

The culprit had repeatedly hit the aircraft with the laser beam, leaving the pilot unable to see properly or make out the helicopter's control instruments.

The court heard the pilot had to perform dangerous manoeuvres to try to position the craft out of the direction of the laser beam.

Night flying ability is of the utmost importance to the pilots and crew of 22 Squadron who operate both Oryx and Alouette III helicopters in a maritime and landward role from AFB Ysterplaat.

Due to the budgetary constraints of the SA Air Force and in the absence of specialised helicopter squadrons, "Search and Rescue" has become part of 22 Squadron's duties, over and above their normal operations.

Not only do they provide conventional military support to the Army, Navy and Special Forces, they also perform mountain and air-sea rescues, help to fight fires, assist in crime prevention and provide flood relief and humanitarian aid in disaster areas.

Source: The TygerBurger