Last week’s reports of lasers being pointed at 34 commercial jets as they flew over New Jersey were noteworthy for the sheer number of incidents involved, but unfortunately, are part of a trend that has become all too common. The FAA says last year, it logged 3,894 incidents of lasers pointed at airplanes, all over the country.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) yesterday issued a series of safety recommendations to the Federal Aviation Administration calling for improvements in locating downed aircraft and ways to obtain critical flight data faster and without the need for immediate underwater retrieval.