The number of handheld lasers in the general public is growing rapidly, and some consider them little more than a toy. By LCdr. Daniel Kimberly
e enjoyed another typical fall afternoon at NAS Whidbey Island, in the Pacific Northwest. Our P-3C crew was scheduled for a four-hour bounce flight, and sunset was at 1636. The Prowlers had field-carrierlanding practice (FCLPs) at home plate, so we headed to McChord AFB, about 20 minutes away. 26
I was in the left seat to knock out my upgrading event during daylight hours. After completing my approaches and touch-and-goes, we did a seat swap. NATOPS allows two off-duty observers to stay in the flight station for safety-of-flight, so I grabbed a seat on the radar cabinet, which is behind the left-seat pilot. This position allows you to view the pilot’s flight instruments and engine indications, as well as back up the crew by calling out traffic. About three and a half hours into the flight, the sun had set, and the sky was pitch black. After the last touch-and-go, we began to climb, according to McChord AFB tower’s instructions: “Fly runway heading to 3,000 feet, and contact Seattle approach control.” As we passed 2,000 feet, I saw and reported trafApproach
