National Anti-Laser Attack Task Force

[ApexProxy]

To recklessly endanger the dozens of lives on that plane is heinous.

To make a witch hunt for anyone using a laser outdoors is preposterous.

I agree 100% with both points. The issue is very serious but at the same time there isn't that much that can be done other than using scare tactics to prevent it from happening. Turning this into a witch hunt may actually makes the problem worse because punks will get a bigger thrill out of it knowing that they got away with something that the government is trying to crack down on. I personally believe the best course of action would be to keep scare tactics going and maybe make a couple examples of extreme punishment and then let the issue take care of itself.

While we should have the right to own and operate high powered lasers we never have the right to point them towards an aircraft and endanger the lives of hundreds of people on board.

I saw a post by the owner of CNI lasers saying that pilots should wear goggles that block out "the laser spectrum". While that statement doesn't make any sense seeing as the laser spectrum would mean the whole electromagnetic spectrum. The windows of the cabins could possibly be tinted to block out 532nm light since that's usually the problematic wavelength. If a tinting couldn't be made that doesn't block out too much of the whole visible spectrum to where it may cause constant visibility issues then maybe pilots could be given goggles that block 532nm light instead and could be worn in times of landing and takeoff and low flight. This solution would be cheap and could block out most laser attacks since not any people own super powered 445nm lasers nor is the light very visually intense so it doesn't flash blind the same. Also, not many people own 1W 638nm lasers and red light does not interrupt night vision like green does so I don't think that wavelength is a problem either.

 

[jander6442]

Great a new czar a laser czar... I would love to be a laser czar now that I said it out loud.

 

[ApexProxy]

It just makes you sound like you have an odd stutter or something when you say it out loud XD

On topic, I really hope something as simple as laser goggles solves this "attack" issue before the government escalates it into a full on witch hunt and ruins lasers for everyone completely.

 

[DrSid]

Anti-green goggles would be very problematic, as it is right in the middle of human eye sensitivity. It will always limit vision.

 

[danefex]

I'm curious which option looks better for the government here....

Option 1: spending money to reduce/prevent lasers from distracting pilots by modifying or installing anti-glare cockpit windows on hundreds of aircraft to protect them from laser 'attacks' during flight
-or-
Option 2: making money by passing and enforcing laws restricting using lasers which leads to increased arrests which consequently generates capitol resulting from people posting bail and/or paying penalties/fines from being arrested

:thinking:

 

[InfinitusEquitas]

You forgot option 3... all of the above.

 

[ApexProxy]

Anti-green goggles would be very problematic, as it is right in the middle of human eye sensitivity. It will always limit vision.

Maybe so but you don't necessarily have to make the goggles block out everything of that wavelength. Just reducing the brightness of 532nm lasers would help, even if only cutting the brightness in half.

 

[BShanahan14rulz]

Windows blocking 532nm only would be expensive, and limit the pilot's vision too.

Deterrence by marketing these "You will get caught" videos is a good idea, but they'll find a way to overspend by hiring hundreds of people for a two person job, i.e. waste of money.

What if instead we just put a giant dome over everything, and have it block all visible wavelengths?

Or if there was a device that, once lased, will return fire with a laser-guided dart projectile that injects an RFID when it hits a soft target.

Or if we had monitors all around that allowed us to visualize everything we hate and let us vent for a specific amount of time every day.

Perhaps we could train pidgeons to peck out one eye from an offender

Or perhaps transparent liquid crystal windows that turn opaque when irradiated with specific wavelengths. At least then, even though you can't see out of your windows, you'd still be able to see your instruments. And we all know that the sun does not emit ANY 532nm radiation ;-)

GPS, positional sensor, and accelerometer sensors built into every handheld to crosscheck the laser's position and orientation against locations of aircraft. Every laser pointer would require a cellular data plan, obviously, because who doesn't buy a data plan for their lasers?

 

[bdgreenb]

why isn't the fbi "talking about futuristic death-rays" i guess they have not had a chance to check out ARGLaser's 4.4W

 

[InfinitusEquitas]

What if instead we just put a giant dome over everything, and have it block all visible wavelengths?

Funny/Sad thing is, if the environment is screwed up enough, our descendants might very well end up living in domed arcologies. Which would likely block harmful light.

Or perhaps transparent liquid crystal windows that turn opaque when irradiated with specific wavelengths. At least then, even though you can't see out of your windows, you'd still be able to see your instruments. And we all know that the sun does not emit ANY 532nm radiation ;-)

That's not altogether a crazy idea. I remember reading about helmet visors being developed for fighter pilots. The goal of these was to prevent flash blindness from explosions. If the molecular response can be tailored to specific wavelength, over a giver threshold...

 

[TheReddish]

Have you tried fly or land a Boeing 747 carrying up to 660 passengers at night while some idiot it shining a laser in your window? I am not going to say what I think you are being because I don't feel it is needed.

No but I do know quite a bit about avionics, night vision and FLIR. I also know all of them 747 pilots go through training that allows them to land by instruments alone, and I also know that a floodlight aimed at a jet could do the same thing as a laser, at close range, IE landing or taking off.
I also know every laser injury reported from the air, is a fake or was done with a much larger than hand held laser. I agree that a laser could be dangerous at the last moment while landing, but I maintain it does not need its own special task force. It bothers me because its based on an unreasonable fear.

 

[DrSid]

Forget about planes .. time will come when idiots will dazzle people on highways. And they have thing to crash into nearby, unlike aircraft for most of the time.

 

[9Ring]

Well instead of making new laws to be honest, perhaps they should make new aircraft laser proof. I sometimes wonder as intelligence rises and technology increase how indeed they will feel safe when an average everyday guy can macgyver up a death ray or a salted fusion bomb. Screw I will be too old to care. I am always more in favor of the creation of jobs to fix existing safety flaws in something over making new and unnecessary legislation. Also I think pilots are being sissy nannies, I could with much skill , a tripod, and practice, flash a pilot's cockpit messing up his night vision, but not in anyone's wildest dreams could you realistically blind a pilot with a handheld laser. Military aircraft have been targets in the past but we are perhaps 15 years aways from a hand held laser if not 150 years with the power suitable to realistically blind a pilot.

I don't know if that true......the military has a 3 watt green deterant laser Rifle, they citied Blinding Pirates instead of lighting them up with a .50 cal.


I was a true rifle with what i assumed a long runtime. it was large but easily handled by a woman. I stumbled accross it while looking up the china copies of our military equipment. ( Also secret backdoors in chips used in our most advanced weapon systems)

 

[ApexProxy]

While I wouldn't be surprised if a 3W green laser might have been used to blind people instead of shooting them I honestly think that "backdoors" in our military equipment is just another one of those conspiracy theory type things that are just ridiculous. Things like that are only a scare tactic used by groups to push things that they want.

I do have to agree that we are very much not 15 years away from a handheld laser that could blind pilots but luckily the average trouble maker doesn't have access to them. I am not going to believe that one of the 1.3W+ 532nm handhelds I have already seen circulating around wouldn't be capable of blinding a pilot especially if high enough grade optics are used. It may have to be a lucky shot but it could easily happen.

At this time though I still think the easiest way to solve it at least for a while would be to allow pilots to have access to 532nm light filtering goggles. Not that they would have to be OD 4+ but even just a very light tint just to cut the light down.

 

[9Ring]

While I wouldn't be surprised if a 3W green laser might have been used to blind people instead of shooting them I honestly think that "backdoors" in our military equipment is just another one of those conspiracy theory type things that are just ridiculous. Things like that are only a scare tactic used by groups to push things that they want.

I do have to agree that we are very much not 15 years away from a handheld laser that could blind pilots but luckily the average trouble maker doesn't have access to them. I am not going to believe that one of the 1.3W+ 532nm handhelds I have already seen circulating around wouldn't be capable of blinding a pilot especially if high enough grade optics are used. It may have to be a lucky shot but it could easily happen.

At this time though I still think the easiest way to solve it at least for a while would be to allow pilots to have access to 532nm light filtering goggles. Not that they would have to be OD 4+ but even just a very light tint just to cut the light down.

Not to get offtrack on the China stealing our tech problem. I heard that our best people stumbled upon a few suspicious " easy access" to our imported chips. There is NO DOUBT that China and Russia Steal our designs.

I actually saw the laser unit / Laser rifle. it looked ungamely and not like any real rifle of anykind (saw it in a picture online)..spewing just superfalous specs. It had a camera screen as the sights.

3watts and said would sorch the pirates retina's as well as deter them as they would also think they are being lit up for a smart weapon.

On the subject of LASER Enforcement
a wekk ago i was pointing out stars to my newphew.....i went back from one to another and low a behold a plane was scarily nearby. luckily it was a 5mw
or less Amazon laser (532) of course. I was a little paraniod after that and we all went inside. Lucky i don't use my 1+ watt Blue's around my household neighborhood......and i know now to turn off the beam as i track from star to star/planet.

 

[ApexProxy]

I agree the tech problem is a discussion for another topic so I'll just leave it.

I think a laser rifle designed to at least feel and work much like a regular rifle would make a learning curve far lower for any realistic deployment in the field if something like this would be used in other applications. Maybe instead in the form of an IR laser rifle or something.

Whenever I go out with the intention of shining any laser in the sky I ask everyone with me to join me in scanning for and locating any airplanes in the sky so I know what I am dealing with. I even ask that anyone with me also keep an eye out the whole time for any airplanes in view all the way down to the horizon and to even listen for any airplanes. So far I have avoided getting a laser anywhere near an airplane.