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ArcticMyst Security by Avery

Pilot impaired by laser light during LAX approach, FAA says

Joined
Mar 4, 2014
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139
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I hate it when STUPID people do things like this:

A US Airways captain reported being visually impaired by a laser light as he prepared to land at LAX this week, the Federal Aviation Administration said.

US Airways flight 674 was approaching LAX via Phoenix just before 12:30 a.m. Wednesday when he reported the cockpit was illuminated by a laser light, said FAA spokesman Ian Gregor. The jetliner was at an altitude of about 9,000 feet and east of Santa Monica at the time, Gregor said.

Pilot impaired by laser light during LAX approach, FAA says - Los Angeles Times


Bob Diaz
 





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Nov 2, 2012
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9000 feet though? I call BS - pictures or it didn't happen.

The FAA is one of the government agencies spreading lies and propaganda on this issue. This case is apparently no different.
 
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From the ground how do you illuminate the cockpit of an aircraft flying at 9000 feet? There must be people doing this from other aircraft, or from government drones, or maybe aliens are doing this.

Alan
 
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Jan 22, 2014
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I DO NOT CONDONE POINTING A LASER AT ANY AIRCRAFT OR MOTOR VEHICLE.

But the more I see some of these reports the more sceptical I am becoming as to any real danger that most of these incidents have caused!
First in this case is the altitude, yes at 9000 feet a high powered laser would still be bright but at that distance and speed no one would be able to hold the lasers position to focus on the cockpit for any amount of time plus the angle that would be required to get the light into the cabin from the ground would mean that the distance would be even greater again. Someone with the inclination and math skills could easily work this out, but not me! :D
I do see however that it could be a lot bigger problem for a stationary helicopter but am am also sure tat by now the military and police forces have top notch protective eyewear somewhat above that of my eagle pair!
Again I do not for one second condone pointing a laser at an Aircraft and anyone that does so on purpose should face the full brunt of the law. I do wish though that Government agencies who require citizens to be responsible would also be accountable to the people who pay their way to be truthful and factual in what they report and stop sensationalising things as to Gain or Keep their funding. There are many REAL things happening in this world today that need fixing, not debating over. Maybe our money and their time may be better utilised doing that!
 
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Here's a suggestion. I know some of you must live in places where you have a long range of sight and it's dark. Why not carry out some experiments to find out what a laser looks like at this distance? Wouldn't that help but to rest these complaints? Video it.

I'm adding this for consideration.
"Even at the dimmest light level (0.5 µW/cm²), two-thirds of the responses indicated a visual effect: 35.9% glare, 17.9% flashblindness, and 12.8% afterimage. For the two brighter exposures, over a third of the responses indicated the pilots were briefly flashblinded
Laser Pointer Safety - 2003 FAA simulator study "
 
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Rifter

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Ok i have been giving this some thought lately. Ive looked at many different pictures of many different commercial air liners and have come to the conclusion this is very unlikely to have actually happened unless it was a very high powered low divergence laser.

By looking at most planes i came to the conclusion the laser beam would need to be coming from almost infront of the plane, or at a VERY small angle from the ground, and with say a 20 degree angle and the plane being at 9000 feet the person with the laser would be 26314 feet from the plane. Thats 5 miles.

Correct me if im wrong here but wouldn't lighting up a cockpit from 5 miles away on a plane moving at 300MPH + be almost impossible? As you would not be able to hold beam on target that WOULD be totally impossible it would just be a millisecond burst of light and for that small burst to be bright enough to cause any damage im thinking it would need to be using a beam expander for sure and a multiple watt laser.

this was for sure not a cheap pointer if this story has any truth to it.
 
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Here's a suggestion. I know some of you must live in places where you have a long range of sight and it's dark. Why not carry out some experiments to find out what a laser looks like at this distance? Wouldn't that help but to rest these complaints? Video it.

I did just that!! about 5 years ago for fun. check it out :)

 

Rifter

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I did just that!! about 5 years ago for fun. check it out :)


Thats sorta what i thought, even with beam expander its completely unable to blind anyone at 5 miles, hell thats hardly even noticable ill bet my Xsearchervn flashlight would be more visible than that at 5 miles at night.

I would be very interested to see this test with a 1-3 watt laser.

EDIT TO ADD: Why does anyone even believe the FAA anymore they are very obviously feeding us lies?
 
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Joined
Mar 4, 2014
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The story may have a grain of truth to it, but it has been distorted. Someone may have shot a laser at an aircraft, but it was just a brief flash, much like the video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wej7aPMoz_M

Warning strong language in video.



Yes you can see a brief flash, but it's not a blinding flash. Still, I do worry that STUPID Bozos will some day result in a ban on laser pointers.


Bob Diaz
 
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Joined
Nov 2, 2012
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It's the kind of thing that pilot training can more than adequately address. They are supposed to be able to land the aircraft blind to the outside - using instruments. That's why commercial flights are IFR flights. The whole point of IFR is so that the pilot can control the plane without any outside visual reference.

In the case of poor weather where the pilot would want to see the runway (crosswind, etc.), realize that to hit a plane at the ranges involved in the reports, the necessary angles require a lot of visibility to pull off. In bad weather I would expect such visibility to be reduced due to clouds and rain and whatnot... laser attenuation would be much higher and I doubt the beam would ever reach the plane.

The FAA is blowing smoke up the public's collective ass, and the public is too stupid to know it. Or rather, people don't know enough about lasers OR aviation to meaningfully question what they are being told. And the government will be damned if they provide any truthful education on either.

Pointing a laser at any vehicle, be it a plane, a car, a heavy machine... hell, even a person... is wrong. Every sensible person knows this. Every sensible person agrees. Would it kill the pigs to just report the facts honestly?

No, but it would make their paychecks a lot harder to justify. :rolleyes:
 
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Joined
Oct 18, 2013
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9000 feet?
Someone must have spent a lot on a laser with perfect divergence. :whistle:

Im sure if a pilot were to look out the window at someone pointing a laser at them the would see a "dot" of light coming from the laser, but at that range the beam would be so diffused from divergence and scattering off the air. Not to mention if there is any form of fog or cloud between them.

I'm always a bit nervous with my lasers outside, because even though I don't point them into the sky (much, I check if theres ANY planes first) I'm scared that a pilot of some small plane flying low (I live about 5 Km from an airport with a flight school, so lots of small, low flying aircraft) will see me using my laser in my backyard and overreact and say I was pointing it at them, even though I was just shining it at my wall.
 
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Joined
Mar 4, 2014
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Today's news is not very accurate or honest. Remember the Y2K Bug, They said, "We'll all going to die!!!" or the Killer Bees again, "We're all going to die!!!". This distortion of the facts makes for a very dramatic story.

Somehow the stories don't sound so great when honesty is involved:

Y2K Bug requires some software to be updated, but this shouldn't be too big a problem.

Aggressive Bees are moving into the USA, just be careful around Bees.

STUPID person flashes laser at aircraft, pilot sees it, but lands OK.


Bob Diaz
 
Joined
Dec 10, 2013
Messages
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Today's news is not very accurate or honest. Remember the Y2K Bug, They said, "We'll all going to die!!!" or the Killer Bees again, "We're all going to die!!!". This distortion of the facts makes for a very dramatic story.

Somehow the stories don't sound so great when honesty is involved:

Y2K Bug requires some software to be updated, but this shouldn't be too big a problem.

Aggressive Bees are moving into the USA, just be careful around Bees.

STUPID person flashes laser at aircraft, pilot sees it, but lands OK.


Bob Diaz

The headlines as you mention are no good as they don't instill fear or incite hate in people. The news is just a part of the big system of control and if it actually told the truth in an unbiased, non hyped up way, it wouldn't be doing its job.
 
Joined
Mar 4, 2014
Messages
139
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28
Oh no, not another retard!!!

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A Puerto Rican man has been arrested for allegedly aiming a laser pointer at a police helicopter during a security operation, the FBI said Monday.

The FBI identified the suspect as Christopher Jusino Rodriguez of the southern city of Ponce. They allege he aimed the laser light at a police helicopter during a June 19 operation at the Santiago Iglesias public housing complex.

Police say they saw a green light coming from an apartment balcony there and the hand-held pointer, also known as a laser pen, impeded the vision of officers in the helicopter. Officers on the ground were directed to the apartment and allegedly saw a man on a balcony with the device.


FBI: Puerto Rico man aims laser at helicopter


:yabbmad:


Bob Diaz
 
Joined
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Messages
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Would it kill these idiots to use high-power LED flashlights instead, so the feds can vent their wrath on someone else's hobby for a change?

I was on another forum a long time back, Rogue Science. The Explosives and Weapons Forum. Anyone here familiar with it?

We had a term for idiots over there, it was "k3wl". Stupid kids wanted to be "k3wl" by "making bombs" and "blowing shit up." These louts were ruthlessly banned (a.k.a. Hot Electron Death, or HED) but alas there were always more k3wls waiting to take their fallen comrades' places.

It's exactly that kind of idiot who points a damn laser at a plane. Every time I see one of these articles posted, I can imagine what the Roguesci moderator would say, something like "Yet ANOTHER f_cking k3wl!" before swinging the ban hammer.

Nailing the coffin shut, one pissed-off pilot at a time.

eta: speaking of Roguesci, does anybody know what happened to that forum? The owner vanished, then posted a page hinting at a re-launch of the forum, and then that vanished as well. No word since, very strange.
 
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