Pointing lasers FROM airplanes...

Eidetic said:

My father's a pilot since the '30s and I grew up with aviation, small and large, and I think the idea that a laser shone briefly out a window, while not recommended, is certainly not going to be a threat to safety of any aircraft. C'mon ... how stupid do you think pilots are? The system is nowhere near that delicate.

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It would obviously be worst case scenario, night time, adverse weather, and the pilot on the other plane flying visually (not likely in bad weather, but it can happen). I can imagine how a mistake would be made if you'd only see the strobe, and the green light from some passenger doodling on a wing.

In the fog its conceivable that it looks like the red marker light is malfunctional, and if the passenger is shining on the left wing, the direction of travel would be mis-interpreted.

Benm said:

It would obviously be worst case scenario, night time, adverse weather, and the pilot on the other plane flying visually (not likely in bad weather, but it can happen). I can imagine how a mistake would be made if you'd only see the strobe, and the green light from some passenger doodling on a wing.

In the fog its conceivable that it looks like the red marker light is malfunctional, and if the passenger is shining on the left wing, the direction of travel would be mis-interpreted.

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OK, let's summarize. For a slight danger we need:
1) night time,
2) adverse weather,
3) VFR despite the above,
4) fog,
5) green beam on the top of a left wing, and
6) red navigation light malfunction.

To that I'll have to add:
7) VFR aircraft higher in altitude to be able to see the top of the other's wing,
8) VFR pilot mistakes irregular green light reflected off wing for regular strobing nav light,
9) VFR pilot needs a course that will be a collision course because of the mistaken identification of the direction of travel of the other JET, AND
10) nothing changes the mind of the VFR pilot until they actually collide.

Wow! I see your point! :thinking:

Jeeze, and I get asked to check my 2AA maglight.

Steve

LSRFAQ said:

Jeeze, and I get asked to check my 2AA maglight.

Steve

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You must just look shifty Steve! :na:

M

I've brought a laser on a plane before... after I went through extended screening :crackup: It was in one of those cheap laser cases, you know the ones with foam and holes for two batteries? Well, I left the laser out of the case, so when my bag went through the scanner the guy got a funny look and asked for security on his walkie. Uh-oh. Turns out when you have two batteries suspended in foam inside a black box, they think it's a bomb I probably should have thought of that beforehand. Anyway, I got taken to a security booth and showed the guy my laser (clearly above 5mW, it even had a sticker that said so) and he didn't care in the slightest. I took it on the plane and shined it in the fog, no one cared.

LOL :crackup: (batteries + black box = looks like a bomb under Xray)=(funny prank) .

or getting shot.... not so funny then :gun: