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Laser Strikes on Aircraft: A Few Seconds of Fun Can Put Hundreds of Lives at Risk

There are some things that look harmless from the ground but can become extremely dangerous when viewed from the cockpit of an aircraft. A laser pointer is one of them. For someone standing on the ground, pointing a laser at an aircraft flying overhead may appear to be a harmless prank, an experiment, a way of attracting attention or simply an act of curiosity. But inside the cockpit, particularly during takeoff, approach or landing, that apparently tiny beam can suddenly become a serious aviation-safety threat. The latest figures released by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) show that the problem is declining, but it remains far too common. On September 17, 2026, the FAA reported that pilots had reported 4,470 laser strikes in the United States during 2026, representing a 24 percent decrease from the same period the previous year. This is the third consecutive year in which reported laser strikes have declined. However, the FAA says the numbers remain too high...
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Laser Strikes on Aircraft: A Few Seconds of Fun Can Put Hundreds of Lives at Risk

There are some things that look harmless from the ground but can become extremely dangerous when viewed from the cockpit of an aircraft. A laser pointer is one of them. For someone standing on the ground, pointing a laser at an aircraft flying overhead may appear to be a harmless prank, an experiment, a way of attracting attention or simply an act of curiosity. But inside the cockpit, particularly during takeoff, approach or landing, that apparently tiny beam can suddenly become a serious aviation-safety threat. The latest figures released by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) show that the problem is declining, but it remains far too common. On September 17, 2026, the FAA reported that pilots had reported 4,470 laser strikes in the United States during 2026, representing a 24 percent decrease from the same period the previous year. This is the third consecutive year in which reported laser strikes have declined. However, the FAA says the numbers remain too high...
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Check-Ride.ai: Can Artificial Intelligence Become Your Virtual DPE for Checkride Preparation?

 For a student pilot, few moments are as important—and as intimidating—as the checkride. After months of flying, studying regulations, learning aircraft systems, practising maneuvers and spending considerable money on flight training, the student eventually has to sit across from a Designated Pilot Examiner (DPE) and demonstrate that he or she is ready to exercise the privileges of a pilot certificate or rating. The checkride is not simply a test of whether a pilot can remember facts. The examiner wants to know whether the candidate understands what they are doing, why they are doing it and how they would apply that knowledge in a real-world situation. That is where Check-Ride.ai is attempting to bring artificial intelligence into flight training. The platform describes itself as a voice-native AI DPE designed to simulate the oral portion of a checkride. It allows pilots to practise answering questions verbally, rather than simply reading questions and typing responses. It can eva...
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Beyond Roti and Sabji: A Taste of Khyber in Shri Anandpur Sahib

 There are days when eating out is not really about hunger. It is about stepping away from the routine, sitting across the table from someone you love, ordering something you don't normally cook at home and simply enjoying the experience. For me and my wife, it was one of those days again. Thankfully, eating-out options in Shri Anandpur Sahib have improved considerably over the past two or three years. The town may be primarily known for its religious and historical significance, but visitors today have more choices when it comes to food as well. One of the places that has caught our attention is Khyber Hotel and Restaurant . And on this particular visit, we decided to go beyond the usual restaurant fare. Shri Anandpur Sahib — More Than Just a Destination For those who are not from around this part of Punjab, Shri Anandpur Sahib is located roughly 80 kilometres from Chandigarh and lies on the route towards Una, Dharamsala, McLeod Ganj and several other destinations in the Himalaya...
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On Indian Roads, Is There Really a Place for the Two-Wheeler?

 There is something strangely contradictory about Indian roads. India is a country where two-wheelers are everywhere. Motorcycles and scooters are among the most common forms of personal transportation. They are affordable, fuel-efficient, relatively easy to maintain and, importantly, practical for navigating India's congested cities and towns. Yet, despite their enormous presence on Indian roads, two-wheelers often seem to have the least clearly defined place on those very roads. There are lanes for cars in many places. There are lanes for buses on some roads. There are sometimes dedicated cycle tracks and pedestrian paths. But where exactly is the two-wheeler lane? For the vast majority of Indian roads, the answer is: there isn't one. And that creates a peculiar hierarchy on the road—one in which the person sitting inside the larger and heavier vehicle often appears to have more "right" to the road than the person riding a motorcycle or scooter. The familiar experie...
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When a Fake Degree Reaches the Top: What the Dashmesh Academy Episode Says About Our Education System?

  There are some stories that are disturbing because of what happened. And then there are stories that are disturbing because of what could have happened if nobody had spoken up . The controversy surrounding Sri Dashmesh Academy at Sri Anandpur Sahib belongs to the second category. At first glance, it is a story about the alleged use of a fake PhD degree by a principal. But that is only the surface. The bigger question is much more uncomfortable: How does a person allegedly carrying questionable academic credentials reach the top position of an established educational institution in the first place? And perhaps an even more uncomfortable question follows: If a handful of employees had not persisted in raising objections, would the issue ever have come to light? Those are questions worth asking—not merely about Dashmesh Academy, but about the way qualifications, appointments, institutional oversight and whistleblowing work across India's education system. A school with a long histor...
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