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Pilot forced to take evasive action after torch shone into cockpit A PILOT was forced to take evasive action when a high-powered torch was used to deliberately target his helicopter while flying at 1,300ft. The quick-thinking police helicopter pilot managed to move to safety while other crew used high-tech cameras to locate the suspect and direct police officers to where Tony Gaffney was hiding. Teesside Crown Court heard how the 34-year-old focused the torch on the helicopter for around seven minutes after it had been scrambled to help in the search for a vulnerable missing woman at 10.50pm on May 27 last year.