Press we don't need...

[Curiously_Coherent]

Hey folks,

A friend just forwarded me this link about some idiots in OC who were busted "discharging lasers" at aircraft. I believe I read something here earlier today about exactly this kind of bad press creating anti-laser hysterical reactions in the public eye.

Would it be in our collective interest to start a laser hobbyist association to counteract such press with responsible rebuttals? I was in on the beginnings of IMBA, which did a world of good for the reputation of Mountain Biking and lobbied for public acceptance in the face of other interest groups who tried to radicalize us. Might something similar be useful to our hobby? Or is the international nature of this group too disparate to be effective in such a manner? Stories like this make me wonder.

http://www.ocregister.com/news/laser-police-garden-1948151-grove-authorities

CC

 

[Kenom]

That is an interesting idea. I do not know the general effect that us publicizing our use of illegal lasers (those over 5mw without the necessary safety features) would be beneficial or not. It certainly needs to be considered. I'll think on this and get back to you.
Ken

 

[amkdeath]

I talked with my math teacher, who is a retired air force pilot, and he gave me a 30 minute lecture of why a green laser cannot get into the cockpit of an airplane in a way that it would blind or "flash" the pilot.

I posted ti somewhere, too lazy to type it now...

 

[amkdeath]

Quote from news article:

thrasher wrote:
Its to bad the news papers fail to get the whole story. Derek Hatch who is 26 not 19, is a loving father and husband. Derek and his father were using the laser to point out constalations in the sky to his nephew and observe them with the telescope dereks father had purchased that day. If these lasers are so dangerous then why can anyone go buy them? Its to bad u guys have nothing better to do then write meaningless comments on this that do not reflect the truth. With all the that goes on u think this would be the least of californias worries! Lets face it in the time it took me to write this stupid thing someone was prbably shot killed and some big drug deal went down and instead they are trying to convict a father of melicously pointig a laser at a helicopter when in fact he was using the laser for what it was designed. come on calfornia!
12/29/2007 6:36 PM PST on OCRegister.com


again, this isnt what we need...

I dont want to be arrsted for playing with my DrLava laser at night when it arrives...

 

[roSSco]

I predict it will be illegal to own or operate lasers >5mw in the near future and the penalties will be severe.

This hobby is growing like wild fire due to the ease of which someone can build 200-300mw lasers as well as the spreading of this info. via the web.

I hope I am wrong.

 

[SteelRain]

Dont get the wrong impression, im totally gainst shining stuff at airplanes, but when the police arrest people for ridiculous stuff like this it makes me want to hurl.

There is no way a 5mW greenie will even rech a commercial airplane in the sky yet alone somehow get the angle in which would enter he cockpit. And even if somehow it does, the beam would be so wide it would probably be BIGGER than the entire cockpit.

If this can blind a pilot and cause a crash then the pilot isnt correctly certified to fly!!!!!!!!!!

There are things pilots need to watch out for including birds, stars, strobe lights, city lights and anything else worse than a laser.

 

[Razako]

9-11 turned the US government into bunch of paranoid idiots. Anyone remember the aqua teen hunger force scare ;D

Because they are failing at doing anything useful they crack down on random things to make it look like they are hard at work. Banning deodorant and shampoo from airplanes is an example of this idiocy.

Realistically lasers are hardly a danger to airplanes. By the time the beam hits a plane high in the sky it will have a huge diameter(probably at least a meter) and will only hit the plane for a few milliseconds at max. +the curved cockpit glass will reflect even more of the light and scatter it into the cockpit.

Someone really needs to perform a scientific test to end the misunderstanding of the issue.

Helicopters are another issue entirely. Helicopters fly low to the ground and around buildings where any distraction can lead to disaster. It would be very easy to take a <40 mw laser and severely distract a helicopter pilot.
Don't shine lasers at copters. It is just stupid.

 

[JLSE]

Some stuff I found on the subjct below, I think the main concearn is during the landing. Alowing any targeting makes it easier for the evildoers, so of course their going to freak even if aimed at the bottom.

 

[JLSE]

some more. The fact that the faa performed this test in 99 just goes to show the original concern for 5mw, who knows what they must think now. All I know is that the Canadian government isnt so harsh simply because we havent had many incidents. It seems to be a problem in the states, which may ultimately be the demise of your treasured hobby.

 

[Curiously_Coherent]

Well, I'm sure I'm not the only one to look at those images and think... That's a <5mw ??? :

For one, they show a tight beam dot at 11,000+ feet! That's some magical anti-divergence lens the have there, boy!

And frankly, the only way to get a flash like the one they show at 350 ft. is to aim the greenie directly at the camera's CCD. So basically, if you could somehow precisely aim a greenie at a pilots eyeball while he's descending at 300+ mph, he would see that picture for a millisecond.

I do concur that any distraction when landing a plane is hazardous, but these photos are pure theatricality for the sake of stirring fear. Probably some company who sells special LCD laser darkening cockpit glass or something.

Still the same. Don't point lasers at any vehicle!

Cheers, CC

 

[JLSE]

I agree its a tad on the bright side, your gonna love this one!

original page... http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/01/04/terror/main664564.shtml

 

[JLSE]

Well, I'm sure I'm not the only one to look at those images and think... That's a <5mw ???  :

For one, they show a tight beam dot at 11,000+ feet!  That's some magical anti-divergence lens the have there, boy!  

And frankly, the only way to get a flash like the one they show at 350 ft. is to aim the greenie directly at the camera's CCD.  So basically, if you could somehow precisely aim a greenie at a pilots eyeball while he's descending at 300+ mph, he would see that picture for a millisecond.

I do concur that any distraction when landing a plane is hazardous, but these photos are pure theatricality for the sake of stirring fear. Probably some company who sells special LCD laser darkening cockpit glass or something.

Still the same. Don't point lasers at any vehicle!

Cheers, CC

where do you see a tight beam @ 11,000?

 

[Curiously_Coherent]

[quote author=Curiously_Coherent link=1200367323/0#9 date=1200437790]Well, I'm sure I'm not the only one to look at those images and think... That's a <5mw ??? :

For one, they show a tight beam dot at 11,000+ feet! That's some magical anti-divergence lens the have there, boy!

And frankly, the only way to get a flash like the one they show at 350 ft. is to aim the greenie directly at the camera's CCD. So basically, if you could somehow precisely aim a greenie at a pilots eyeball while he's descending at 300+ mph, he would see that picture for a millisecond.

I do concur that any distraction when landing a plane is hazardous, but these photos are pure theatricality for the sake of stirring fear. Probably some company who sells special LCD laser darkening cockpit glass or something.

Still the same. Don't point lasers at any vehicle!

Cheers, CC

where do you see a tight beam @ 11,000?
[/quote]

It's just above the letter "n" in the word "background" in the lower mid-right of the image supposedly shot at 11,000+ feet. See that little green dot? You'll notice that it's the centre point of the other brighter images. I would guess that the first shot is of the pointer shining at the glass obliquely from a few feet away. Probably taken in a simulator. The others are just variations of the laser shining more and more directly at the Camera's CCD (or film if these are old school).

They're pretty bogus if you've ever experimented with lasers yourself. Only a direct eyeball shot would look like that and that's not really realistic for a 5mw pointer. I'm happy to say I've never taken a beam to the eye, but it probably does look like the last shot. My objection is to the idea that anyone could actually target a pilot's eye in a descending jet. It borders on the impossible, so these images are just plain ol' fear-mongering.

Cheers, CC

 

[Rasel]

Would it be in our collective interest to start a laser hobbyist association to counteract such press with responsible rebuttals?
CC

I REALLY like this idea as well... but how do you go about starting a thing like this? Obviously we need a cool official name but after that...

I wouldn't use the word "hobbyist," I think it gives a "lasers are a toy" type of impression.

 

[Curiously_Coherent]

[quote author=Curiously_Coherent link=1200367323/0#0 date=1200367319]Would it be in our collective interest to start a laser hobbyist association to counteract such press with responsible rebuttals?
CC

I REALLY like this idea as well... but how do you go about starting a thing like this? Obviously we need a cool official name but after that...

I wouldn't use the word "hobbyist," I think it gives a "lasers are a toy" type of impression.[/quote]

I imagine that it would be better if it were a commercial association, (ie; reps from all the major vendors) that way they could pool legal resources etc.; That being said, however, it may be better for some vendors to "fly beneath the radar" rather than draw attention to themselves by going public with rebuttals. It's a tricky proposition, because the majority of the public are unaware that we folks are running around with lasers capable of damage. Is it better to hide in the shadows, (in this case, c0ld shadows ) or expose ourselves to the danger of some politico deciding that "kids with lasers = threat to national security"? We risk them making our hobby the "cause-of-the-day" to score political points with a frightened public. As the vendors have the most to lose, I think that's a decision we should leave to them. I'd hate to be the one that opened the door and let the hounds in.

Cheers, CC

 

[amkdeath]

i like that

i can just imagine something like this:

Headlines:

"granny at senoir home arrested for theratening national security"
-- NEWYORK a 95 year old woman in a senoir home was arrested under charges of terrorism. apperently she was wielding a 300mW handheld green laser, and as a specialist says;
"such weapons could cause massive threat to the lives of innocent civilians"

we have no idea how this dangerous weapon got into the hands of such a person, but all we know is, as long as law enforcement is on patrol, we are all safe


im happy as it is, lets not give pepole the impression that because someone is runnign around with a 50mW DPSS laser they are al qieda and they will blow you up

please excuse my spelling,

amk