LASER DANGER: LifeFlight rescuers targeted by beam strikes

THE crew of Queensland helicopter rescue service has condemned the actions of residents shining lasers at helicopters, with a spate of incidents this week.

RACQ LifeFlight pilot Rob Moore has condemned the laser strikes over Glenvale in the past week.

UPDATE: Police expect to file charges against people they believe were involved in shining lasers at an airborne RACQ LifeFlight helicopter over Glenvale last night.

Pilot Rob Moore said the aircraft had been targeted four times in the past week when flying over the Glenvale area, twice while airlifting sick and injured patients to hospital.

"We are trying our best to do a job, to save people's lives and this is interfering with it, and causing quite a distraction and causing quite a dangerous situation," he said.

"Pilots need to be able to see where they're going and when a laser is pointed at the aircraft, it has quite a dramatic affect.

"It's not only distracting, it can cause what we call flash blindness which means that even after the laser stops shining at you, you still have an image in your eye ball that you can't see the instruments properly or other aircraft."

The LifeFlight helicopter was first struck by a laser in the early hours of last Wednesday morning, with a second strike about 6.30pm that day.

Two other incidents were reported about 6pm and 11pm on Monday.

Each incident was reported to police and the Civil Aviation Safety Authority.

Shining lasers aircraft is a federal offence under the Civil Aviation Act, and is punishable by up to two years imprisonment.

Inspector Andrew Stanley said police had identified "some people of interest" in regard to the Monday night incident, with charges expected.

"Police were able to attend an area where we believe the laser was coming from," Inspector Stanley said.

"We believe we have located potentially some people of interest in relation to that.

"We want to continue investigations and are also working with the Civil Aviation Safety Authority."

He said laser strikes were uncommon in Toowoomba, and described the actions as foolish and dangerous.

"It's dangerous no matter what, because if you're interfering with an aircraft, the consequences can be fatal," he said.

Mr Moore said laser strikes impacted a pilot's ability to safely do their job.

"It's an important operation we're trying to conduct here and the aircraft actually get along at speeds up of to 200km/h, so if we're not being able to see where we're going, it can be very dangerous," he said.

"Regardless of where the laser strikes are coming from, we just want to reinforce to the public it is very dangerous.

"It's very irresponsible and we do our best to do our job properly in serving the community.

"(We) would like to remind people who are pointing lasers at aircraft that maybe one day it's them or a family member of theirs who we might need to save."
 

EARLIER: THE crew of Toowoomba-based rescue service LifeFlight has condemned the actions of residents shining lasers at helicopters as "dangerous".

Pilots flying at night have been targeted four separate times in the past week over the Glenvale area, twice while airlifting sick or injured patients to hospital.

The latest two incidents occurred about 6pm and 11pm Monday.

Pilot Rob Moore, who has more than 30 years' experience in the cockpit, described the laser beam as like looking directly at the sun.

He said it was distracting and an offence punishable under Federal law.

"Shining a laser toward an aircraft is extremely dangerous as it has the potential to startle pilots and crew, resulting in significant distraction," he said.

The first incident occurred in the early hours of last Wednesday morning, and about 6.30pm that night.

Laser strikes are an offence under the Civil Aviation Act and is punishable by up to two years imprisonment.