@dr-ebert, you referred to a picture of laser glare as a "simulation of a picture taken with a camera". Just to clarify, it is an animated GIF combining two actual photographs, taken looking through an actual aircraft windscreen. In one photo, actual laser light was aimed through the windscreen, toward the camera.
The photos were taken in an FAA Boeing 727 simulator in Oklahoma City. So while the background runway lights are "simulated", everything else is real. (I assume you understand why the FAA researchers would be reluctant to perform this test in a real aircraft.)
If you search for photos and videos of actual, in-the-air laser incidents, you will see that the FAA photo accurately represents a real laser strike. For example, see the image on the home page of LaserPointerSafety.com. For additional examples, look in the "News" section of that website; see the videos from April 8 2009, Dec. 6 2008, and Nov. 8 2008.
I agree with some of your points. However, I respectfully disagree with your statement that the photo is "not representative of actual laser incidents". The FAA glare photo shows the equivalent of a 5 mW laser at 1,200 feet or a 100 mW laser at one mile. A person does not have to be "very close to the runway" to hit an airplane at altitudes of 1000-5000 feet.
And, unfortunately, it is quite easy to hit pilots. That's why there are so many incident reports -- an average of three per NIGHT in the U.S.
There are many ways to reduce the number of incidents, and the potential for danger. People on this forum can do their part by reminding other laser enthusiasts to be careful when aiming at the sky, and to never deliberately aim at an aircraft. There are good reasons to do this: for aviation safety, for the laser user (like not getting arrested...) and to avoid having laser pointers banned (like they were in New South Wales).
