RE: Pointing laser pointers at aircraft.

We've heard a lot about this "problem" in the last couple of years, and the government has announced they are jacking up the charges that may be filed against anyone accused.

Maybe you all can enlighten me, because I just don't see this as a legitimate threat to aircraft. We've all played with the things and we know that pointing them into an eye can cause retinal damage and blindness, or at a minimum temporary loss of sight. But that's one on one at close range. My dog and cat love playing with the point of light.

About as close as you can get to an aircraft during take-off is pretty far, maybe a few hundred yards at minimum, usually more like thousands of yards. You would be lucky to hit an aircraft with a hand held rifle, let alone a laser pointer. And to hit a cockpit window would be damn near impossible, and to strike a pilots eye I just don't see a legitimate threat. But yet there are over a hundred incidents reported by pilots every year. Something is wrong here, it smells fishy to me. What is really going on here?

No, I am NOT suggesting anyone do such a thing. Whatever the penalty, it is a pretty stupid thing to do.

 

we have had some of these problems in my area..from what i have read and heard is it causes a flare up on the cockpit windows..im trying to find a pic right now

 

im not sure why it does this but i have seen more pics like this showing it glaring like that

 

Okay, do we believe that was caused by a hand held laser pointer? Pretty far fetched I think.

 

i could see it if it were a green laser since they are brighter.. and also the fact that the window is concave and special glass so it very well could happen..maybe we should submit it to mythbusters and they can prove or disprove it lol

 

Mythbusters is a great idea. I wonder if they would touch it?

Assuming that photo is real, it is probably a frame grab from inflight video. My question is not so much whether a laser pointer can blind you, it obviously can. Could a person hold that pointer on the cockpit window long enough to cause any real issue? I don't see how.

Ever tried holding a laser sighted handgun steady on a target at 100yds? And that is a tool designed for the job. Of course, that could be what the perps are using too.

 

that i do not know..but it may be possible

 

well i just submitted it to mythbusters.. i guess we will see what happens

 

I know my pilots would get way upset and report it to the fbi when they got lazered. I know it was way bad when they were flying with the night vision goggles.

 

is there any chance you guys can do a test and see what happens? or is it not safe?

 

Funny this was brought up. If anyone watched the CBS national news you would have seen the story on green lasers and pilots. To set the scene there were 300 incidents in 2005 and just over 2800 in 2010. Los Angeles PD helicopter pilot was hit in the eye and suffered a corneal burn similar to a welders burn. LAPD showed several examples of lasers being directed at their helicopters. Los Angeles County just so happens to lead the country in incidents.

The public is supposed to be limited to 5mW lasers. I checked Amazon and a 100mW was 12.99 and a 200mW was 30.99 which had ranges of over 12,000 feet. So obviously a serious problem and seemingly getting worse. Most all listed for law enforcement, military and astronomy. I guess there must be an upsurge of interest in astronomy and pointing out stars lately.

Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laser_pointer

Seems you can get 2000mW on the internet. Note also the human eye is most sensitive to the green portion of the spectrum which I know is true from my Physiological Optics. This has the potential to cause a corneal burn and even temporary blindness. The lasers used at Lawrence Livermore in the labs have the potential to cause permanent blindness of which I know of one case where a graduate student walk in front of one in operation.

An article if one is interested of a clinical study conducted on a woman with a 5mW laser. Her eye was scheduled for enucleation due to a ring melanoma.
http://www.biostat.jhsph.edu/~course...greenlaser.pdf

 

I've never pointed one at an airplane (I do not want to go to jail) but I do know there are some kits available with which youi can build one hell of a laser with.

Here's one that my daughter and I built for a science project about ten years ago. I still have it out in the garage. It's a Melle-Griot kit.

 

Probably the same wisdom of why you never laser a LE officer..............The laser can be the aiming device of something much more deadly, and taken that way by authorities.

I believe the Soviets/Russians have a shoulder fired anti-aircraft missile in the inventory that incorporates a laser in part of its initial guidance system..........In the post 9-11 world, everything gets taken seriously.

 

Seems over heavily populated cities it would be most difficult to catch the person if the just hit a plane once...

 

Sadly, the same could be said of a Stinger....