California City’s Use of Laser Pointers Gets FAA's Attention

The city of Sunnyvale uses the tools to clear a downtown shopping and restaurant area of crows, but the FAA cautions the town about the effects on aircraft and pilots.

Meg Godlewski

Wednesday, February 16, 2022 at 09:45 AM ET

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Trying to tag an aircraft with a hand-held laser is a federal crime. [Photo: AOPA]

Key Takeaways:

Sunnyvale, California, is using lasers as a temporary, low-cost method to deter a nuisance crow population causing noise and mess in a downtown area, after other deterrents yielded mixed results.
The FAA expressed significant concern about this practice due to the city's proximity to four busy airports and the serious aviation safety hazard lasers pose to pilots.
Sunnyvale clarified that only one trained city employee uses a handheld laser for brief periods at dusk, specifically trained to avoid aircraft, countering initial incorrect reports of wider distribution.
While the laser method appears effective in dispersing crows, the FAA will be closely monitoring the area for laser strike reports from pilots during the coming months.

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The challenge of removing one nuisance is that sometimes you can inadvertently create another.

In Sunnyvale, California, city officials have been employing the use of lasers to dissipate a crow population. Not surprisingly to those who follow aviation, this got the attention of the FAA, which has seen a rash of incidents in which laser pointers have caused havoc for pilots in recent years.