Posted on 04/18/2010 8:29:36 AM PDT by Menehune56
Ha!
That sophisticated computer tracking and control is otherwise known as hand eye coordination. Have you ever heard of diffraction and reflection? the laser is going to light up the glass and bounce around off of shiny stuff. And what makes you think a person with a laser has to be standing directly under the plane?
Are you kidding me? If you can see any windows at all, you can hit them with a laser...and that means laser light inside the cockpit.
Me too.
Last fall, my brother-in-law was playing in his yard with his grandkids about 9 PM. He was shining a green laser pointer at structures about 1/2 mile away, where I was. It illuminated about all of a house at a time, bathing it in a slightly greenish light. Looking at the laser from 1/2 mile away caused no discomfort at all.
You gotta assume these 'civil use' lasers are pretty harmless...kids get hold of them all the time.. and when have you read about injuries sustained at short range, let alone a mile or two away?
1.pilots fly standard departures and arrivals off of approach plates, which is publicly available information (the Jeppesen variety, anyway). reading one will tell you where an aircraft will be, at what altitude, and roughly what time, on an approach.
2. ATC conducts business on an unsecured vhf radio, and that pilots are instructed by tower to report/confirm landing configuration at the final approach fix, a point in space that is defined very clearly on an approach plate.
3. airplanes fly in knots (indicated, and otherwise), not miles per hour, although i will grant you that 150 is pretty close; it's all relative to landing data.
4. it's becoming increasingly standard to wear these in military aviation (depending where you are): http://www.flickr.com/photos/peosoldier/3882298084/
5. oh, and i’ve been lazed.
I guess all these geniuses here know more than the homeland security department and airline safety experts who have already provided warnings regarding this issue.
200mw green laser pens sell for about 40.00
You are not supposed to be able to buy them in the US but people probably still obtain them.
These are very dangerous and not to be confused with 5mw green lasers. They can cause instant vision damage if an idiot looks directly at the beam.
Pointed at a cockpit a few miles away the spread out light beam would be very powerful.
Gee. NSS?
Most people wouldn't need SIDs or STARs because anyone who cares knows what the regular arrival routes are in the vicinity of the airport they care about, or they can figure it out with 15 minutes of observation. These same people and the people here generally use MPH as a frame of reference, not KTS or furlongs per fortnight; so I used the language of the common man instead of someone like you who probably has 15 hours or more in your logbook.
And the radio! Wow! You can listen to ATC. If you need to listen to ATC (and you can understand it) to be able to locate a plane, then you're gonna have a pretty tough time aiming something at it without tres sophisticated equipment.
And you've been lased too! Happens every day.
ML/NJ
You're setting up the folks who are afraid to let me, someone who has been flying in and out of the same NYC airports for 50 years, carry my own tube of toothpaste onto an airplane as some sort of experts on what to be concerned about? Please!
ML/NJ
No relation at all. There have been numerous laser hits on aircraft. May want to throttle down your ego a little. You’re wrong on this one.
Then why did you bring it up? If you think there's anything but bravado in the DHS that the public is aware of, you are sadly mistaken.
ML/NJ
Sigh.... why bother.
I'm both a pilot and someone with science degrees. I do know what I am talking about.
ML/NJ
Yes, and your ego and arrogance are getting in the way of recognizing the evidence. Have fun.
You left out knowledge and experience. They count too, maybe not in an Obama World, but they do with me and most FReepers I would guess.
ML/NJ
I do not think that is the point he was making. But maybe we should just let everybody shine their laser pointers at airliners at the same time, which should make for some very "pretty" landings. Duh.
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