Recent content by Joe

I can not simply switch to a CAT-3 Auto-Land ILS the last few thousand feet of an approach. There are multiple requirements that have to be met both on the ground and in the air. The airplane has to meet certain equipment requirements. Very few items can be inoperative on the aircraft and they...

My pointer is kind of old I guess. Here is what I have: PHR-803T diode Flex drive @ 105-110 mW Darkhorse flashlight kit thingy. Long story short: It stopped working. I believe it is the diode. Is there a more robust diode that I can use to replace the old one that will run off the old...

In order to preserve my night vision during an illumination event I would have to look away from the source. That would most likely mean eyes down inside the cockpit. Would you like me to do that when I am only a couple hundred feet off the ground traveling at 150+ mph concentrating on the...

Hi all. I haven't been on here in a while, but I received some distressing news yesterday. Some background first: I am an airline pilot. I love lasers. The news I received yesterday was from my union - ALPA (Airline Pilots Association) - in the form of a regular newsletter email. I have not...

OK, so I tool around with my blu-ray quite a lot (Thanks LPF!!) and stumbled upon this. It is a must try if you haven't already: At night when all is dark turn the lights off, stand in front of a mirror, don appropriate eye protection, smile big and start blasting your teeth one by one. A lot...

Not true. Tell them it is a laser pointer and they will send you on your way.

That e mail is completely fake! If the FDA was involved in any way they wouldn't send you a love note via email. They have bigger fish to fry than us hobbyists on LPF.

OK so you quoted me from another thread. That thread was about getting lasers through security. Nobody will have any problem with that. My professional opinion: Shining a laser at me while on approach and landing is dangerous and distracting. Not only will I shine my laser back, I will turn you...

So my friends/coworkers here are lying when they have said that their cockpits have been illuminated by lasers? Granted it is not a continuous light. More like three to five seconds worth, definitely enough to cause serious problems.

Forward and downward visibility in a passenger jet: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAxAso8xSo0 Anyone with a laser in anyone of those buildings, or standing on one of the many visible roads could easily get the laser in the pilots eyes and cause a problem. Let me ask you a question: If I was...

Actually dr-ebert I can shoot down that notion right now: I am an airline pilot and my aircraft just happens to have a glass cockpit and every CRT/LCD display - all 10 of them - has their brightness controlled via a rheostat that allows settings anywhere from full-bright (which allows...

Yeah I am not sure who it was, but I heard that he was "detained."

Yeah but the thing about that is the TSA employees barely have a GED let alone a HS diploma most of the time and wouldn't have the foggiest clue what class III B even means.

Hey just thought I would add: I am a pilot so I fly all the time and go through security around 12 times or more per week. Only once has the TSA even blinked at my bluray pointer. (it is in a dorcy host) They pulled it out of my jacked and started asking questions. I just told them that it was...

You would still get caught. I would still be able to see the point of origin as a bright blue dot. Then make an immediate report to ATC, check the FMS for current latitude/longitude and jot that down. Then I would quickly make a sketch of the landmarks in surrounding area - things like roads...