![]() The federal law prohibiting laser pointer misuse may not apply, for two reasons. As a Class IIIa (3R) laser, there are no federal restrictions on its use. federal law, the Star Shower is legal to own and operate. Finally, if you are in a heavy air traffic area, you might want to consider restricting it to indoor use only. If you put your projector on a roof or up in a tree, aiming downwards, this both helps aviation (no beams going up into the air) and makes it harder to steal the projector. It should also be noted that there are reports such as this and this of Star Showers being stolen from yards. Similarly, don’t aim it up into a tree unless the tree is very dense, such as an evergreen. Putting the projector closer to a house will keep more of the beams on the structure. While it is unlikely you would be arrested for an unknowing aircraft illumination, federal penalties for laser pointer misuse range up to five years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine. You do not want an officer knocking on your door because a pilot saw and reported your home laser projector. However, a single beamlet can be a distraction to pilots at least 3/4 of a mile away, and possibly further away due to the large number of laser dots aimed into the sky causing a flashing effect.įor this reason, a Star Shower needs to be aimed so that beams don’t go into airspace. The Star Shower is essentially eye-safe, and does not cause direct interference (glare) with pilots’ vision after about 411 feet. In a Decemincident, a Boeing 737 at 13,000 feet and 22 miles east of Dallas-Fort Worth Airport, reported seeing lights from what was believed to be a “laser holiday light display.”įrom the FAA, Inquisitr, NBC Los AngelesĪnalysis and commentary by Īfter purchasing and testing a Star Shower, here is our summary advice for consumers. It may not be a major metropolitan airport it could be a small general aviation facility. In an urban or suburban environment, it is likely that most homes are within 10 NM of some type of airport. Each individual laser beam is 10 times less than the maximum permissible exposure (MPE) allowed by the FAA normal flight zone (NFZ) criteria.” Each beam emitted by Star Shower is much lower in power than a typical laser pointer. In a Decemstatement to NBC Los Angeles, the manufacturer added: “Star Shower Laser Lights operate by taking a single laser beam and diffracting it into thousands of individual laser beams. If your intended surface is within 10 nautical miles of an airport, lower the angle of the Star Shower so that no lasers point into the sky.” While there is no warning on the outer packaging, the Star Shower instruction sheet says: “NOTICE: Lasers should not be projected at or within the flight path of an aircraft within 10 nautical miles of an airport. If the box is aimed a little high, some of the lasers will not hit the roof of the house, they’ll keep going into space.” An FAA spokesperson told CBS Philly, ““I don’t think anybody who buys these devices even think they have enough power to hit an aircraft in the sky…. The Federal Aviation Administration on Decemtweeted “Decorating for the holidays? A stray laser could blind a pilot.” They then provided a link to general information about laser/aviation safety. Īccording to a comprehensive story in Inquisitr, Star Shower is so popular that it is sold out in many locations. ![]() Both photos from the Star Shower website. It screws into a stake that is placed in the ground for outdoor use.Ī home densely covered with laser “stars” from multiple Star Shower projectors. A homeowner can simply aim the Star Shower at her house or foliage, and instantly cover it with green, or green plus red, laser dots. The Star Shower emits “thousands” of laser beams from two sources, one green and one red. (E.g., a person was not knowingly aiming the Star Shower at an aircraft, or the flight path of an aircraft.) ![]() The devices were being used for holiday decorating, and stray beams went into airspace. In all cases, the illumination appeared to be inadvertent. A low-cost home laser projector, heavily advertised and widely available in stores, is raising concerns about pilot safety - especially because many have been purchased for outdoor Christmas decorating.īetween November 18 and December 6 2015, there have been at least three incidents, involving six aircraft, where pilots were illuminated with light from “Star Shower” laser projectors. ![]()
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