Lasers Being Pointed At Aircraft

[MIflyer]

From AVWEB

"Law enforcement and aviation officials in the Boston area are trying to figure out who is using lasers to target aircraft. Last week there were three incidents of laser strikes from the ground. The first two occurred in the predawn hours Thursday and involved two JetBlue aircraft. Both were reportedly struck by green lasers while on approach to land at Logan International Airport (KBOS).

According to the FAA, the first incident was reported by the crew of JetBlue Flight 494 from Denver. The second was Flight 972 from San Jose, California. The flights landed at KBOS at 5:50 a.m. EDT and 5:54 a.m., respectively. There were no reports of injuries.

The third incident occurred around 8 p.m. when a Coast Guard helicopter conducting a training flight was struck by a green laser while landing at a Boston-area hospital. Again there were no injuries reported from the event.

According to the FAA, pilots have reported more than 7,400 laser hazard incidents so far this year. Last year, pilots reported nearly 9,500 to the agency."

 

[Thumpalumpacus]

I'm good with attempted murder charges.

 

[manta22]

From AVWEB

"Law enforcement and aviation officials in the Boston area are trying to figure out who is using lasers to target aircraft. Last week there were three incidents of laser strikes from the ground. The first two occurred in the predawn hours Thursday and involved two JetBlue aircraft. Both were reportedly struck by green lasers while on approach to land at Logan International Airport (KBOS).

According to the FAA, the first incident was reported by the crew of JetBlue Flight 494 from Denver. The second was Flight 972 from San Jose, California. The flights landed at KBOS at 5:50 a.m. EDT and 5:54 a.m., respectively. There were no reports of injuries.

The third incident occurred around 8 p.m. when a Coast Guard helicopter conducting a training flight was struck by a green laser while landing at a Boston-area hospital. Again there were no injuries reported from the event.

According to the FAA, pilots have reported more than 7,400 laser hazard incidents so far this year. Last year, pilots reported nearly 9,500 to the agency."

This is one of the most overblown concerns that pilots have to deal with.

 

[gumbyk]

This is one of the most overblown concerns that pilots have to deal with.

So, you've been on the receiving end of them then?
I know pilots who have been, and the issue isn't 'overblown' at all. The last thing you need at night is having your night vision destroyed by these things.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Had this happen quite often down in Louisiana. We would file reports and submit them to law enforcement.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

This is one of the most overblown concerns that pilots have to deal with.

Actually no its not. Its very serious having your night vision impacted. Especially when on a landing approach. When wearing NVGs it can actually be amplified. Have you ever actually experienced this yourself? Based on your post, obviously not…

 

[Alan Stevens]

This is one of the most overblown concerns that pilots have to deal with.

Laser pointers are available on Amazon that are hundreds of times more powerful than the ones you see in conference room board presentations.

 

[ThomasP]

Even Class 2 laser devices (generally called eye safe) can be dangerous if they hit your eye at the right angle at the right time. They can cause a brief overload of the cones and rods in the retina. They will not normally cause damage to the eye if they are far enough away (see NOHD), but can blind you for an instant by generating a bright white 'flash' (the term often used to describe the 'blink' phenomena by people on the receiving end). A person will find themselves involuntarily looking away from and unable to stare/focus on the point/area where the beam is originating from.

Any laser of Class 2 or higher can cause the 'flash' or 'blink' phenomena at considerable range beyond the NOCD (Normal Ocular Hazard Range, ie the distance beyond which the device is considered eye safe and will not cause temporary or permanent damage to the eye).

A link to visible and non-visible light laser devices Class 1-4 definitions "Laser Classification Explanation"

A link to visible light laser devices Class 1-4 spreadsheet "https://www.lasersafetyfacts.com/resources/Spreadsheet---laser-classes.pdf"

A link to industrial and military type laser range finders "Laser Rangefinders to Suit all Applications"

A link to a site where many types of laser devices can be purchased by anyone "Laser Pointers - BigLaserPointers.com"

 

[EwenS]

The U.K.was faced with a large number of incidents a few years back. like this one 2015.

Cardiff man jailed for shining laser pen at planes

Liam Chadwick jailed for six months after Ryanair pilot reported seeing green beam at Bristol airport

www.theguardian.com

The annual number of incidents reported to the U.K. CAA peaked at 1,912 in 2011, but has since dropped off. Data here

https://www.caa.co.uk/media/imwgn22u/laser-data-incident-2019-21.pdf

The result was new legislation proposed in 2016 that finally reached the statute book in 2018 in an attempt to tackle the problem.

Tougher laser misuse laws come into force

Offenders will face much tougher penalties of up to 5 years in prison, an unlimited fine or both.

www.gov.uk

 

[MIflyer]

Back in the 90's we were looking at how we could accommodate testing of a laser on Cape Canaveral AFS. One of the safety guys said they did not know what the Normal Ocular Hazard Range was for the laser. My response was:

1. On the Cape it is going to be tested inside a building.
2. It is supposed to be capable of destroying a ballistic missile from 4500 nm away, so I'd guess that the NOHR was around the distance to the Moon.

 

[GrauGeist]

Green lasers tend to be more powerful than Red lasers, but even Blue lasers can be hazardous.

One issue with a laser beam, is that the focal point of the laser increases with distance, so an aircraft at lower altitudes is not being hit by a "tiny dot", but a larger point of light.
And to add to that, a laser beam will "scatter" when it shines through certain types of transparent material, causing a blinding burst.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

And to add to that, a laser beam will "scatter" when it shines through certain types of transparent material, causing a blinding burst.

Ding, ding, ding.

But its just an overblown concern.

 

[manta22]

Yes, I have experienced this. In fact I've worked with green lasers so powerful that they could burn your eyeballs out of your head. The company I worked for developed a mine detection system for the US Navy that could look underwater to see moored or floating mines. It used a powerful laser at 532nm wavelength (emerald green) to penetrate seawater and an intensified gated CCD camera to display the image. A computer also automatically detected the MLO (mine-like object) and classified it as potentially dangerous. Our helicopter-borne prototype was rushed to the Persian Gulf and used to sweep areas that had been declared "mine-free" by British minesweepers. Many mines were found there. The helicopter could fly at 100 kts and cover an area far wider than a slow minesweeper.
Much nonsense is presented here concerning lasers, their "focus", power, etc. There is no doubt that if you stare directly into a green laser from a few hundred feet, your night vision will be affected, even eye- damaged if the power density is high enough. The question is, who does that? The perpetrator would need to be standing on the runway, pointing the laser directly into the cockpit during approach to shine the light directly into he pilot's eyes. From an oblique angle, the pilot is not staring directly into the laser. If a laser can "scatter" in a cockpit window, so can another aircraft's landing lights, airport beacon, etc.
Once you get both the government and the attorneys involved in any problem, logic & reason & science are thrown out the window.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

lol

I call bullshit. You have not. If you had you would know how it can effect you during a landing approach. When I experienced it, I fortunately was not on the controls.

 

[manta22]

lol

I call bullshit. You have not. If you had you would know how it can effect you during a landing approach. When I experienced it, I fortunately was not on the controls.

OK, let the war stories commence...

 

[special ed]

I recall a case near Newark, I think, where three men, two in their 20s one in his 30s, were arrested when they lasered a police helicopter, whose crew pinpointed the miscreant's location and directed ground units for the arrest.

 

[manta22]

I recall a case near Newark, I think, where three men, two in their 20s one in his 30s, were arrested when they lasered a police helicopter, whose crew pinpointed the miscreant's location and directed ground units for the arrest.

Yes, it made the national news.

 

[pbehn]

We just had a case here, the guy was using night vision equipment. Yorkshire Air Ambulance crew member's eye burned by laser

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

OK, let the war stories commence...

War stories not needed. I don't have to pretend shit. I'm secure with myself and don't need to be propped up by "no shit there I was" bullshit to sound like im important.

Thousands of pilots and aircrew (myself included) have experienced this. Hence the reports. Its why our SAR crew shooting a night approach into a hospital in NOLA had to abort a landing with a patient on board.

Those that have experienced, know…

 

[manta22]

War stories not needed. I don't have to pretend shit. I'm secure with myself and don't need to be propped up by "no shit there I was" bullshit to sound like im important.

Thousands of pilots and aircrew (myself included) have experienced this. Hence the reports. Its why our SAR crew shooting a night approach into a hospital in NOLA had to abort a landing with a patient on board.

Those that have experienced, know…





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That's a good one... any more?