Cloudy capital limits lasers

The laser system isn't a stand-alone one, said a NORAD spokeswoman.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A new system of lasers designed to warn pilots they have entered restricted airspace over Washington can't be used on planes flying in or above the clouds.
The trouble is, clouds cover most of the sky almost half the time in the nation's capital.
The limitations of the laser warning system were evident during an airspace violation Monday, when military F-16s escorted a small plane from a restricted area to a nearby airport.
The laser system wasn't engaged because it couldn't penetrate the layer of clouds over which the pilot was flying, said 1st Lt. Lisa Citino, a spokeswoman for the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD.
"We know we can't use the system 100 percent of the time, but, remember, the system isn't a stand-alone one," Citino said. "It's just one of the other systems we have in place."
Though NORAD won't disclose the cost of the red-and-green laser warning system, its price is at least $1 million. NORAD acknowledged that each set of lasers costs $500,000, and two have been sighted by The Associated Press.
Stormy weather
Between sunrise and sunset, clouds covered at least 88 percent of the sky over Reagan Washington National Airport for 162 days last year, according to the National Climactic Data Center.
Most small planes, though, fly below the clouds, said Chris Dancy, spokesman for the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, which represents private pilots. "The laser would still be effective," Dancy said.
During Monday's episode, the plane had permission to fly through the restricted airspace en route to Gaithersburg, Md., from Knoxville, Tenn., because the pilot filed a flight plan and maintained radio contact with air traffic control, said Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Greg Martin.
But lightning struck the small Canadian aircraft and he lost his radio, Martin said Tuesday. The pilot never got closer than 10 miles from the White House, he said.
Government officials who spoke on condition of anonymity said the pilot's one mistake was that he didn't switch his transponder code to indicate he had no radio.