[Don W]

Just FYI, it hasn't been the RCAF for over 3 decades. Thanks to Trudeau and the rest of the pathetic morons who've run my nation for the ensuing 36 years (yes, I include JokeLark and Lyin'Brian) the Canadian Armed Forces (currently 14,000+ members below the nation's ARMY ALONE level in 1938) Air Arm is simply referred to as the "air force". No capitalization, and no funding.

Incidentally, it was ONE CAF pilot and ONE US serviceman who were "lazed" by a Russian FREIGHTER.

I was working in the Cdn naval base in Victoria when this happened.

[Las Vegas Dave]

< snip > The plane's two pilots reported that the Boeing 737 had been five miles from the airport when they saw a laser beam inside the cockpit, said officials familiar with government reports of the Sept. 22 incident. The flight, which originated in Dallas, landed without further incident at about 9:30 p.m. local time.

< snip > the first officer felt a stinging sensation in one eye. ....A doctor who examined the pilot determined that he had suffered a burned retina from exposure to a laser device, the officials said.

< snip > She would not say whether TSA considers the incident a possible security threat to commercial aircraft. Other officials said the incident was serious enough that the pilot will be unable to fly for at least a week.

< snip > Officials were unsure of the source of the laser and could not determine whether the exposure was deliberate or accidental.

< snip > "The Air Line Pilots Association has received reports in the past of incidents where lasers penetrated cockpits and, in at least one case, caused injury," Mr. Mazor said.

< snip > Asked whether a laser aimed at pilots could cause a plane to crash, Mr. Mazor said: "I think that's highly improbable. In every case in the past, the flights landed safely."

< snip > "Numerous documented cases regarding the use of lasers against aircraft, civilians and military personnel exist, as well as does an all-too-lengthy list of the injuries that have resulted from the accidental and intentional misuse of these devices," Cmdr. Daly told a House Armed Services subcommittee.

He noted that incidents of lasers being directed at commercial airliners during takeoff and landings have raised fears that "this in fact may be a new form of terrorism."

"Lasers are easily obtainable and can be self-manufactured weapons in the terrorist arsenal, which essentially can effect a soft-kill solution and leave virtually no detectable evidence," he said.