more lasers hitting airplanes.

Main page of cnn.

http://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2015/05/29/laser-hit-passenger-planes-jfk-nr-marsh.cnn?iid=ob_homepage_featured_pool&iref=obnetwork

DANGIT!!! Sick of this but know it will get worse This forum will not and does not tolerate this behavior period. SAFETY FIRST, LAST AND ALWAYS
This is a major reason why I don't bring mine outdoors anymore.

EDIT:
Nightly news just showed the story.

Also main page of Drudge: Multiple planes hit with lasers while flying over Long Island: FAA | New York's PIX11 / WPIX-TV

It's kinda sad how easy it is to bring 5$ chinese lasers into pretty much every country. If they could find a way to confiscate most of those lasers there would be less and less incidents for sure. Luckily I can shine my lasers out of my window where I can see every plane, helicopter or car coming from any direction. This makes it easy to avoid police as well in case they might think I'm pointing at aircraft.

I dont know what those people are thinking doing that shit... i agree that its too easy to get a cheap laser online today.. Anyone with half a brain should know lasers are not toys let alone shine them at aircraft and people.

If history has taught us anything it's that the solution is ultimately never a question of prohibition but rather education.

While I'm sure there are some f*cktards who would still point at planes knowing that it can be dangerous, most people, once actually told of the potential danger, won't do it, and will be careful.

Yeah.

What's wrong with the world, mama
People livin' like they ain't got no mamas
I think the whole world addicted to the drama
Only attracted to things that'll bring you trauma

Where Is The Love?
Black Eyed Peas

Are you aware that the 4 lasers hits of aircraft cockpits---all 4 at once in the case of 1 aircraft-while taking off or landing at JFK airport of yesterday, came from a park-30 miles away- in Farmingdale, NY.

The doubt at 30 miles range in the NY smog filled air it was a mattter of $5 pens with 1-5mW output----had to be 4 high output power 532nm greens.

I thought the penalty for doing same was an FAA fine of up to $11,000 -----yes it is that plus ---as of 14 Feb 2012 it is a Federal crime with up to 5 years in jail + $250,000 dollar fine if convicted---plus the $11,000 FAA civil fine. Is a seriously prohibited activity now that can't be blown off so easily.
For new law see: USDOJ: US Attorney's Office - Western Pennsylvania and https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/39A

As I mentioned in another thread --" The bad news for LPF members and responsible laser hobbyists is that this type of thing can ultimately lead to a complete legal ban - a Federal prohibition of class 3 and 4 lasers. Some are pushng for that now, Sen. Schumer of NY is calling for a Federal ban."

1. You know as well as I do that a ton of those pens, while marked 1-5mW are usually 10-40mW and sometimes higher.
2. 50mW is more than enough to put a very visible line light up there - the air is not that bad. (Not compared to LA for example.)
3. The airplanes were headed to JFK, and looking at where Farmingdale is, that's basically in the approach corridor.
4. Where did you read about 4 lasers hitting at once?

Most likely these planes were either coming or or departing from JFK and were literally overhead... targeting a plane from 30 miles away with a laser would take some serious effort.

Man, this makes me so sad . Though that video from inside the sim cockpit is super inaccurate. No one can hold a laser steady on the cockpit of a moving plane, let alone in the exact same spot. Regardless, these people need to be prosecuted.

I feel like we need to try to spread the word that lasing planes is a serious offense that can get you jail time, since the government hasn't really done anything. Any ideas?

IMHO it's fairly well spread. Mainstream news media is all over these kinds of articles, and there is no lack of warnings online.

The information is most definitely out there for anyone that bothers to have even a cursory look. Unfortunately while you can lead a horse to water, or the internet as the case is here, you can't force the horse to drink.

There is no limit to the number of STUPID people out there. :wtf:


The News Media could help by showing any story of anyone charged with this crime and saying they face possible jail time as a result. Maybe some of the morons will get it through their thick heads that this is NOT a joke.


My fear is that in the end government will just outlaw any laser greater than 1mW. :yabbmad:



Bob Diaz

I'm going to post this. I think laserists should be licensed so that any dummy can't get a hold of anything over a milliwatt. Would you give a drivers license to someone that hasn't learned how to drive? Nobody needs a pointer over a milliwatt to do a presintation. The bigger ones need to be respected like guns. What's scary is they (lasers) reach out and touch things for MILES and you can see where its aimed at unlike a A rifle. I love using them but they stay inside or away from planes and cars.

InfinitusEquitas said:

1. You know as well as I do that a ton of those pens, while marked 1-5mW are usually 10-40mW and sometimes higher.
2. 50mW is more than enough to put a very visible line light up there - the air is not that bad. (Not compared to LA for example.)
3. The airplanes were headed to JFK, and looking at where Farmingdale is, that's basically in the approach corridor.
4. Where did you read about 4 lasers hitting at once?

Most likely these planes were either coming or or departing from JFK and were literally overhead... targeting a plane from 30 miles away with a laser would take some serious effort.

Click to expand...

Report is now that 5 aircraft were hit by lasers---one from 14 miles away and 4 from 30 miles away, one of which was hit with 4 lasers. An American Airlines flight from Los Angeles and targeted from near Bethpage State Park, about four miles northwest of Farmingdale-30 miles away. see: NY-bound passenger jet reports near-miss with drone | Fox News

Not matter how anyone tries to minimize or spin control the details --the guys who aim powerful green lasers at aircraft are outlaws--Federal criminals not just pranksters. It is very, very dangerous and reckless from several perspectives, if only from the legal one. You either have to have some sort of criminal intent or be one of the stupidest people on the planet to point a laser at an aircraft

trussmonkey25 said:

I'm going to post this. I think laserists should be licensed so that any dummy can't get a hold of anything over a milliwatt. Would you give a drivers license to someone that hasn't learned how to drive? Nobody needs a pointer over a milliwatt to do a presintation. The bigger ones need to be respected like guns. What's scary is they (lasers) reach out and touch things for MILES and you can see where its aimed at unlike a A rifle. I love using them but they stay inside or away from planes and cars.

Click to expand...

Currently, Illinois has in effect as a matter of Law an in between measure---all lasers that are over 5mW meaning class 3 or 4 must be registered and the owner and/or operator must have certified LSO training. The Illinois Law falls short of requiring a license but requires a certificate of LSO training which involves quite a bit of real world education.

As InfinitusEquitas pointed out casually and clearly stated in his comment above: "If history has taught us anything it's that the solution is ultimately never a question of prohibition but rather education."

In Illinois that means a serious level of education not just wear safety glasses or show intent to by purchasing a pair + don't do obvious to common sense irresponsible things with a laser. It means real education -- LSO courses whch involve quite a bit of time and study See: LPF member "hak"s thread for LSO course information: http://laserpointerforums.com/f51/lso-laser-safety-officer-tutorial-88136-2.html.

See this thread: http://laserpointerforums.com/f37/confused-about-illinois-law-93728.html

I think this is the direction ownership of lasers > 5mW is generally headed in for laser hobbyists and enthusiasts in the not too distant future if Illinois Law is any model.

Encap said:

Not matter how anyone tries to minimize or spin control the details --the guys who aim powerful green lasers at aircraft are outlaws--Federal criminals not just pranksters. It is very, very dangerous and reckless from several perspectives, if only from the legal one. You either have to have some sort of criminal intent or be one of the stupidest people on the planet to point a laser at an aircraft

Click to expand...

If anything, with the media at large exactly the opposite is happening. Also anything coming from Fox especially I take with a grain of salt.

For four lasers to hit one airplane, odds are it had to have been four people together which is disturbing.

It also happens to have occurred in a state pushing for more federal regulation on the subject, and bears a striking resemblance to what happened in Australia. :tinfoil:

Now the problem with licensing as I see it, and why I personally would oppose it often results in effective prohibition to the average citizen.

This is only going to make it worse for us. I will never understand why people think its cool to try and laze an aircraft etc.. I mean I don't see what you gain out of it. There is no way you get some type of rush from it? Maybe a sense of feeling like some sort of rebel but other than that I just don't get it. In my opinion your just brain dead or seriously dumb. Secondly, if the aircraft is over 8k feet, the chances of you actually hitting the cockpit are slim at best, let alone holing it steady on the pilot or the passenger's. This is one of the main reasons I wont sell any of my builds nor make one for even a close friend. This really does suck as we all no that it only takes one bad egg to ruin it for the rest of us. Imagine what will happen if a laser is blamed for an aircraft crash.???!!!