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

Verified

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

Key Takeaways:

Sunnyvale, California, is using a laser pointer, operated by a trained city employee, as a humane and low-cost pilot program to deter nuisance crows from a downtown area.
The FAA expressed concern over the laser use due to Sunnyvale's proximity to multiple airports and a rise in laser strikes on aircraft, initially triggered by incorrect reports that lasers would be distributed to residents.
Sunnyvale clarified that only one trained staff member uses the laser safely at dusk, shining it only into trees to startle crows, and not at aircraft or people, but the FAA will monitor for laser-strike reports.

See a mistake? Contact us.

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.