Airplane attacked again! (seatac again)

[Glutton]

I heard about this on the radio this morning!!!

I dont know if anyone posted it yet?

Plane approaching SeaTac targeted by laser

Everyone at work was giving me shit about it because they know I'm a laser hobbyist. Kinda sucks when idiots give people like us a bad name.

 

[Flaminpyro]

the people doing this probly cares noting for lasers themselves.

 

[Meatball]

Thats very sad Glutton.. that that happened to you.

With more incidents like this, we'll have lasers banned in no time!

Honestly, whats the draw?

What draws, or inspires someone to hit an aircraft with something they know as no more than a dot of light?

Surely everyone knows it illegal, dangerous, and stupid by now...

so it was either accidental, or fully intentional.

 

[Glutton]

Thats very sad Glutton.. that that happened to you.

With more incidents like this, we'll have lasers banned in no time!

Honestly, whats the draw?

What draws, or inspires someone to hit an aircraft with something they know as no more than a dot of light?

Surely everyone knows it illegal, dangerous, and stupid by now...

so it was either accidental, or fully intentional.

No sweat, they were just messing with me...kept asking where I was last night.:scowl:

It is almost a guarantee they did it intentionally... probably some little kids tho. It seems like it's a "big hit" here to shine your laser at an aircraft.

 

[mfo]

Retards. Like wtf is even the joy of doing that kind of stuff?

 

[Hemlock_Mike]

The joy ?? POWER............
Kids want POWER, Government has taken POWER and I don't have any power :-(

Kids and many adults and government have no concept of responsibility to others or society in general. The "At Risk Fallacy" will soon be applied to us.

HMike

 

[Benm]

Seems to be a new story like this every day... and i'm sure most of it is intentional indeed with all the media attention. Anyone by now knows its a real nuisiance to pilots, so its not a 'wonder if they can see me' kind of experiment anymore either.

Just waving a laser through the sky seems to have slim chances of hitting an airplane, unless you happen to live very close to a busy runway.

I doubt its all just kids fooling around though, some people just get a kick out of doing something that makes the headlines - and with the media going crazy on this, its likely the will succeed on any attempt.


Perhaps we can do something from the LPF end: film what it actually looks like. Perhaps if anyone here flies for a hobby we could set up a cam in the cockpit and show what it actually looks like. The pilot could wear safety glasses for the occasion - though that would make it hard to do this in darkness, anti-green goggles could make instruments hard to read (many instruments are illuminated green or blueish).

 

[charliebruce]

@Benm, the safest way is to have a pilot, not wearing goggles as they would in real life, and his co-pilot wearing safety goggles, ready to take over if necessary. At that range, the power isn't going to cause any eye damage or permanent effects, and radio comms with the guy on the ground would prevent any further risk.

On the other hand, I think the FDA already tried this in one of their earlier reports, I remember seeing pictures of a cockpit illuminated by laser light, though it may have just been a simulation, and not real footage.

EDIT: Here's the video, though it was UK police and not FDA:

http://www.laserpointersafety.com/news/files/ecd4d6b6259a9befcdb09163aa35420e-25.php

 

[Asherz]

Friggen idiots have to ruin it for everyone else. Although I am curious what difference would it make if they actually banned laser pointers? Would really make any difference to us since people in the USA import lasers over 5mW, which is illegal all the time?

I don't think this would be nearly as bigger issue as it is if there hasn't been all these issue's with terrorist attacks etc over the last couple of years.

 

[Benm]

@Benm, the safest way is to have a pilot, not wearing goggles as they would in real life, and his co-pilot wearing safety goggles, ready to take over if necessary. At that range, the power isn't going to cause any eye damage or permanent effects, and radio comms with the guy on the ground would prevent any further risk.

On the other hand, I think the FDA already tried this in one of their earlier reports, I remember seeing pictures of a cockpit illuminated by laser light, though it may have just been a simulation, and not real footage.

EDIT: Here's the video, though it was UK police and not FDA:

UK: Video of helicopter incident | Aircraft incidents | LaserPointerSafety.com

If you have 2 able pilots at hand that would indeed be best - but if it its just for making a video you could do it with only one pilot and a passenger to take the footage.

I dont think that the video from the helicopter is representative of what it would look like from an airliner. Helicopters usually have much more windows, on some even extending to the floor. Also, those police helicopters usually fly at altitudes no static wing plane would unless actually landing.

It would require a very specific set of circumstances to shine a plane pilot in the eyes: the one holding the laser must be more or less on the runway. Once an airliner flies as low as that helicopter does (i assume its 300 feet or so), the view from the cockpit is mostly runway. Finding people causing potentially dangerous situations should't even be all that hard - not that many people live so close to airports due to the noise and all.

 

[rpaloalto]

 

[Gryphon]

^ dang!

 

[Benm]

I'm not sure what the source of that picture is, but it puts the glare/disruption hazard at 1200 feet from the laser... which raises the question how someone gets that close to a runway waving a laser around.

Sure, on small airstrips it would be possible, but on any sizeable commercial airport all that land would normally be within fenced off airport grounds.

Also makes me wonder how severe the cases in the media actually are. If it looked something like the 'glare' picture, any pilot would opt for a go around. As far is i know this has never happened, and all affected flights have actually landed as scheduled.

 

[mfo]

How about we just form a militia. We'll go around looking for people that shine their lasers at planes. When we find such a person, we'll kick the crap out of them.

 

[Xer0]

I am for the installation of High Energy Tactical Lasers in all civil airplanes which automaticaly fire their deadly ray into the exact direction where they spot an incoming pointer

 

[davidgdg]

Seems to be a new story like this every day... and i'm sure most of it is intentional indeed with all the media attention. Anyone by now knows its a real nuisiance to pilots, so its not a 'wonder if they can see me' kind of experiment anymore either.

Just waving a laser through the sky seems to have slim chances of hitting an airplane, unless you happen to live very close to a busy runway.

I doubt its all just kids fooling around though, some people just get a kick out of doing something that makes the headlines - and with the media going crazy on this, its likely the will succeed on any attempt.


Perhaps we can do something from the LPF end: film what it actually looks like. Perhaps if anyone here flies for a hobby we could set up a cam in the cockpit and show what it actually looks like. The pilot could wear safety glasses for the occasion - though that would make it hard to do this in darkness, anti-green goggles could make instruments hard to read (many instruments are illuminated green or blueish).

I have seen it first hand. I was on a flight from London to Turin earlier this year, sitting by the window. The plane had begun to descend. We were over the city but still a few minutes away from landing. I don't know what our altitude but I would guestimate a few thousand feet - maybe three to five thousand. I saw a brilliant green light which seemed to flicker on and off for maybe 10 to 20 seconds. It was not directly below - more like about 20 degrees off the vertical. I immediately knew what it was. It was certainly bright but not to the extent of being dazzling or causing me to shield my eyes or look away. I doubt it would have been visible to the pilots, given the angle of incidence.