Christmas lights can bring down planes?

A trendy, high-tech holiday lighting decoration may be flying off the store shelves but can these Christmas lights bring down planes? According to a story in Realtor.com, the Federal Aviation Administration and the FBI say, “Yes,” these new lights could bring down a plane unintentionally. How? The lights are made of moving laser beams designed to bathe a home’s exterior in red and green dots, replacing your old and tired strings of icicle lights. However, they are so bright and intense, they can be blinding to pilots. We’re talking about pilots in the cockpits of planes high up in the air, not on the runway awaiting clearance to take off. The FAA and FBI are warning homeowners that these laser projections can be dangerously disorienting.

If you choose to decorate your home with these high-tech lights, the FAA asks you to keep them pointed toward your house and not toward the sky. By doing so, you will take care of the potential problem.

Last month, FAA officials found the issue when a display in North Texas struck an American Airlines crew with a laser while flying at 13,000 feet. Another holiday display in Mason County, Michigan, was investigated last month after pilots reported lasers shooting over a barn were striking the plane’s windshield.

According to the FAA, intentionally pointing lasers at an aircraft is a federal crime.
Every year, there are wonderful displays of holiday lights here in Santa Barbara. If you live here, or if you happen to be visiting, you can have a wonderful time driving around looking at the festive decorations — if you know where to look. You can find directions to the area’s Holiday Light Tour here.

There are also many lovely homes for sale in Montecito, Hope Ranch, and Santa Barbara, so if you are thinking about buying a home here in time to decorate it for the next holiday season, please give me a call at 805.886.9378 or email me at Cristal@montecito-estate.com. Be sure to check out my website to see what’s on the market today. Who knows, maybe one of the upscale estates that’s on the market this year will be the perfect place to display your high-tech Christmas lights next year!