Aiming on airplanes

[Grix]

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[FokoF]

right you stand there and i'll point my laser at you....... besides going to jail and the surrounding people thinking your an idiot.. a high powered laser could just maybe bother a pilots eye, just a little.........
Sarcasm the best form of humor

Welcome to the forum! horrible first question...

 

[jerry]

I would also like to know this. Whenever I tell people that you can get arrested for doing that, they look at me and say, "well how is the pilot gonna know who did it?" to which I have no reply :-[

 

[Things]

where the beam comes from is VERY VERY obvious, and more than likely someone around them will see them shining it at the plane.

 

[john_lawson]

BAD BAD BAD NO NO NO your A$$ will get in trouble big time
then someone will post you in the idiots have done it again thread

 

[Things]

BAD BAD BAD NO NO NO your A$$ will get in trouble big time
then someone will post you in the idiots have done it again thread

He isnt doing anything, he's just asking ... :-?

 

[jerry]

By no means would I ever do it or condone it, but whenever I make the claim that you will get arrested for doing that, I can't offer any explanation as to how authorities find out who was shining a plane. Sure if you do it from your house, a pilot could look out and possibly identify the house/street/etc. and alert authorities, but what if you live on a college campus?

I have a "<20mW" green laser that produces a weak beam that's barely visible at night (with artificial lighting; in unlit places like the woods it's very visible). I've had friends say, "Can it reach that low flying plane?" to which I'll say, "Maybe, but I won't try it because you can get arrested." They don't believe me. They think there's no chance of getting caught because I can't give an explanation to how authorities catch you, especially on a college campus where numerous people are still outside at night.

 

[Stianbl]

you dont have to answer them how you can get arrested. If they do not understand the power of a laser then they do not deserve to have one. Simple as that.

It's the same thing as; Why not run around and break windows and steal stuff when you'v got a mask on? Nobody knows who it is. Well, its just not right to do
Maybe a bad example, but what ever. I shouldnt need to explain this.

As a note though, it wont probably affect the pilote, and he might not see it (due to angel and stuff). But theres no point in doing it, because there might be a chanse something wrong happens. Blinds the pilot, or anything.

 

[Things]

If your friends still dont believe you, then thats their choice. We have told you what happens. Some planes actually may have IR camera's on them, which could even be a invisible spotlight

People HAVE been caught numerous times doing it. if they see if coming from the college , they will go through all the rooms and search for the laser, simple as that. The beam on the receiving end is VERY bright, so its very easy for the pilot to look at his navigation system, and tell the authorities they have been hit by a laser from your area. if its a college, its even easier for them to catch you. Its easier to see a whole college than a single house ...

Here in AU, even getting caught with a >1mw pointer in public, you could get a $5,000 fine, or even 2 or 3 years in jail!

Get caught shining it at a plane, and your screwed.

 

[JLSE]

http://www.thinkgeek.com/stuff/41/tracker.shtml buy that for your friends


and then read some of this

http://www.laserpointerforums.com/forums/YaBB.pl?num=1225240665/60

 

[diachi]

Just show your friends some of the stories of people getting arrested or getting fines.

-Adam

 

[Benm]

People HAVE been caught numerous times doing it. if they see if coming from the college , they will go through all the rooms and search for the laser, simple as that.

That would make a very interesting court case really. If the sole evidence is that some saw a laser beam from a campus, and that a laser was found there, does that proof who was shining it in any reliable way? What if they search and find two lasers, and neither owner has an alibi? Demands on quality of evidence vary among countries, but i doubt this would be a likely conviction.

But it remains a bad idea to shine at aircraft or vehicles in any case - even if the risk of accident is marginal, why endager someone at all? You will not be able to see your laser light on an airliner at or near cruise altitude, and shining on them at lower altitudes during landing or takeoff is obviously a very dangerous plan.

 

[rocketparrotlet]

Never. Do. This.

Besides being horribly morally wrong (even a 5mW pointer can be seen by a pilot at 2 miles up, and can cause flash blindness to 1,000 feet), you can also get fined for a quarter million and face up to 5 years in prison! Sound fun to you?

(By the way, I know you did not post this with intent of doing it. This is just one of the many reasons why not to.)

-Mark

 

[StrictlyBudget]

[quote author=Things link=1228811718/0#8 date=1228822309]
People HAVE been caught numerous times doing it. if they see if coming from the college , they will go through all the rooms and search for the laser, simple as that.

That would make a very interesting court case really. If the sole evidence is that some saw a laser beam from a campus, and that a laser was found there, does that proof who was shining it in any reliable way? What if they search and find two lasers, and neither owner has an alibi? Demands on quality of evidence vary among countries, but i doubt this would be a likely conviction.

But it remains a bad idea to shine at aircraft or vehicles in any case - even if the risk of accident is marginal, why endager someone at all? You will not be able to see your laser light on an airliner at or near cruise altitude, and shining on them at lower altitudes during landing or takeoff is obviously a very dangerous plan. [/quote]
trust me. there will be some ways to catch them. the police are very smart people. only if they really can't find the culprit will they give up on the case. you might like to watch this video.

 

[JLSE]

That video speaks volumes, nice find. When its not a dinky looking simulator, and is as real as that, the point of the danger is quite obvious.

Funny thing, the video that is listed behind it... 'Laser a$$hole'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwXi02hdTJk&NR=1

 

[Benm]

trust me. there will be some ways to catch them. the police are very smart people. only if they really can't find the culprit will they give up on the case. you might like to watch this video.

Well, the video ends with them NOT being caught, so it proves my point more than yours

As to how smart and agressive police are in pursuing these things depends on country i guess. Here in holland police arent generally that smart (lousy pay, smart people get better jobs), not that motivated to pursue a case without an actual victim.

Problem is that politicians might act on these stunts and go out and ban laser pointers, which wouldn't be a very nice thing. I think selling anything over 1 mW as a pointer to the general public is already forbidden, but so far noone seems to care much... which could change with an actual accident.