The amazing laser story continues

Since the arrest of David Banach, there's been a further rash of laser-in-the-cockpit incidents:

At least four more incidents have been reported in recent weeks, according to the FBI.

This past weekend, two pilots near Dulles International Airport outside Washington reported lasers beamed at them, according to FBI spokeswoman Debra Weierman.

The first incident occurred Saturday and involved the Fairfax County Police Department's helicopter; the other happened Sunday to a U.S. Airways Express flight.

Weierman said the bureau was investigating. There have been no arrests and neither pilot was affected by the laser light, she said.

In Boise, Idaho, a pilot told the FBI that someone was possibly using a red laser on a small plane shortly after takeoff Friday evening, according to Dominic Venturi, the FBI supervisor.

"It did not injure the pilot or any of the passengers on board," Venturi said, adding the FBI believes it has identified the person responsible.

"We feel confident it is not related to terrorism," Venturi said.

Well, that's a relief.

Meanwhile, the Feds are responding to the problem, in predictable bureaucratic fashion:

Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta will introduce advisories on how pilots should respond if they're flashed by lasers and on what flight attendants should do if a passenger uses a laser in the cabin.

The announcement in Oklahoma City is coming about two weeks after airline pilots complained that no one was being adequately warned about the problem.

It also follows a spate of reports regarding lasers, including an occurrence in November involving an American Airlines jet leaving Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.

"These attacks have the dangerous potential to interfere with commercial flights and possibly put passengers and flight crews in danger," according to a statement from the Coalition of Airline Pilots Associations.

"One pilot already incurred serious eye damage as a result of one of these powerful ground-to-air lasers," the group said in its statement this month.

I can't imagine you'll find many pilots' signatures on those petitions to free David Banach.

UPDATE: Rand Holman writes:

You have respected private and commercial airline and helicopter pilots filing the reports, and only terrorists living amongst us who may be using these lasers for aircraft tracking data purposes, courtesy of al Qaeda, for future airborne destruction.

We have a right to know the truth on these reports, but they [the Feds] don't seem to want to tell us.

So why do you think that is?

Maybe Phantom can suggest a few answers.

UPDATE: It's like shining the freakin' Bat Signal. (Wait, no, that could interfere with air traffic too.)

Anyway, Phantom has a response to Rand's question in the comments section below.