Green Laser Effects on Airplanes-Picture!

[joenobody]

Hey Guys,

Here is a Pic I ran across stating it was a Training Picture for the Military to show the effects of a Green Lasers on an Airplanes and their Pilots.

I want to know what kind of Laser the pointer was using to create such a perfect small dot and illumination from maybe miles away!

I see this to be a distraction rather than an eye damaging issue. If you can damage the eyes of a pilot from miles away, then I want that Pointer!

Thoughts and Feelings?

Thanks!
Joe

 

[Phazonx]

It makes you afraid when some idiot gets ahold of an IR laser. You could just be minding your business when suddenly you go blind. You wouldn't even know what hit you!

Its the worst and most dangerous of pranks.

 

[a_pyro_is]

I'm afraid I could not call it a 'prank'

 

[Phazonx]

I'm afraid I could not call it a 'prank'

Why not?

I just called it that cause it would be something that someone wasn't expecting or ready for and also the person doesn't like it.

It seems similar to a prank. but whatever. More like a crime.

 

[joenobody]

Nope, IR isn't a Joke. (Though I believe the Airplane issue to be over inflated)

If you notice, the Pilot isn't even looking away. Not the Eye Blinding Issue they Posted w/ this Picture!
I looked but could not find ANY Planes that had went down due to a Laser pointer. Nor could I find any Lawsuites concerning a Pilot who had eye damage as a result of a pointer. That is the stuff for TV.

I just don't see it to be possible.

Below is a Poem that was Posted somewhere online, thought it to be funny. It does mention a plane, so hopefully not too out of place here!

;D ;D ;D

On a night with clear black skies,
Above the town an airplane flies;
It looms six miles in the air,
A sight that none would say is rare.

O Laser, with your beam so green,
wouldst thou maketh thee a scene?
I point, I click, I count to five,
And the airplane takes a dive.

You light up planes, you light up clouds;
You make no noise, you are not loud.

Five miles out, you hit Pike's Peak;
Your beam visible, you are not meek.

I point at no-one, that is assault;
No other laws posted, it's not my fault!

O Laser, with your beam so bright,
Great fun with foil, CDs, or night.
You melt plastic, you pop the corn;
Yet others provide nothing but scorn.

: : :

 

[Greyfox]

That's probably a class IIIb lab laser dropped down to a 'safe' level at the target range. For a properly collimated beam, 5 miles isn't a problem at all.

Keep in mind the US Military is also known for the ability to put personnel at a higher level of risk than would be even legal for civilians. I can neither confirm nor deny that practices of this sort actually take place, however.

 

[spinout059]

It looks more just like a bright green light on his face.... does not look like the eyes would be greatly effected. And that poem is great! Lolz,.

 

[BlueFusion]

I doubt if that green laser is actually more than a couple mW, it also looks somewhat diffused, whether by windscreen glass or what I dont know.

Still DEFINITELY DO NOT shine a laser at any sot of aircraft. There has been an incident in MY CITY where a helicopter was targeted, and came close to hitting a house. The person responsible was fined $5000, had all lasers confiscated, and is now serving a 18 month jail term for endangering life or something.
Even a 30mW green has potential to damage eyes from kilometres away, probably up to about 10.
and joenobody would you mind terribly typing normally instead of capitalising half your words? Capitalisation is for initial words and proper nouns only

 

[lamborgini8]

Something looks more odd about the picture to me, for a start thats a 737 cockpit and looking at the runway ahead thats going to be tricky landing with or without laser shining at you. The pilot also seams to be making a 10 degree bank to the right, I don't think a laser shining at the cockpit will cause them to abort landings in real situations, all instruments look clear enough to see so they can easily land on IFR.

But still the image has a good point, I think more of the beam would be reflected instead of going through and blinding the pilot. Problem is I am sure the bright green light will be very distracting and blocking the pilots view of the runway.

 

[joenobody]

and joenobody would you mind terribly typing normally instead of capitalising half your words?  

Hey BlueFusion,
           :
(but your name has two caps in it?-;D)
No problem, bad habbit I guess from stressing words in letters to the wife's bull$&!# (have an issue w/ n's and m's too-got yelled at for calling Kenom-Kenon, that n-m thing) Plus I do not know how to type in the first place. (At first I typed all caps, and got yelled at by others for that) Still just hen-peckin'. I'm too old to teach me many new tricks? Sorry though, I will try not too. Just yell at me if I do it again.

Thanks,
Joenobody

 

[jrv]

Something looks more odd about the picture to me

The picture is certainly a fake, or artist's rendition. You could not hold a laser on a moving target at that distance if you tried, and certainly could not get the timing right to push the camera shutter just when the laser was shining in the cockpit.

Hitting an airplane is likely to be very hard and not likely to be particularly dangerous given the difficulty of holding the laser on the target for more than milliseconds. Indeed rescue signaling lasers project a line, not a dot, and you're supposed to sweep the beam across the path of the airplane since actually aiming at the aircraft is impossible.

A low flying helicopter is a different issue: you probably can aim a laser at a helicopter only a few hundred feet up and hold it on target if the helicopter is hovering. But I'd ask why the helicopter is flying that low and especially why it is hovering (hovering is not a safe maneuver for a helicopter, contrary to popular opinion, but rather a risky option a skilled pilot can often get away with).

Aiming a laser at a pilot is a very bad idea, but remember that even if the airplane flies through the beam it will be for a few milliseconds at most. A 50 mW laser seems unlikely to be a big deal except right before touchdown. A low-flying helicopter is a more realistic risk since they're slower and closer.

 

[jrv]

Signs of manipulation in that picture:

Both the laser source - entirely green - and the lighted instruments are in the picture. Yet the laser source is not much brighter than the other light sources, some of which are also green. Even so, the pilot's face shows only illumination by green (presumably by the laser).

That cannot be real. If laser is actually much brighter than the cockpit lights to show up on his face then the laser would be far brighter in the picture - you would not even see the instruments at all. Conversely were the intensity of the laser and cockpit lighting close enough to allow that picture then his face would show some colors of the instrument lights.

Methinks someone has used Photoshop on that picture...

 

[Cyparagon]

It makes you afraid when some idiot gets ahold of an IR laser. You could just be minding your business when suddenly you go blind. You wouldn't even know what hit you!

Nonsense. The divergence would make it harmless at those distances.

 

[Vcent]

1.it is impossible to hit a plane at that angle,simply because the cockpit is located ABOVE the nose of the airplane,meaning that you would have to be on another airplane to hit it....
-or the plane would be flying so low that it would crash anyway...
2.If it is a real green laser,then where is the beam?!?
oh,and i think it would be easier to do this in Adobe After Effects,than Photoshop...

 

[Cyparagon]

Where's the beam? it's 10 f***in' feet wide! ;D

Did anyone else notice the "bunch_of_bull" appended to the filename?

 

[trueHOUSE]

omg! wtf r u talkin' about how are you going to light the airplane's iluminator when it's in the upper side of the plane that's not possible ...think about this ....