Posted on 12/29/2004 1:24:44 PM PST by esryle
CLEVELAND -- The FBI is investigating a laser light beam that was directed into the cockpit of a commercial airliner landing in Cleveland.
The FBI says the airplane arriving from Washington, D.C. on Monday was about 15 miles from Cleveland Hopkins International Airport when a green laser shined inside the cockpit.
The plane was traveling 300 mph at 8,500 to 10,000 feet.
The light came from a residential area in suburban Warrensville Heights. The FBI is investigating whether it was a prank or whether there was another motive.
There have been several incidents throughout the United States in the past year of laser lights directed at commercial flights. The lights can distract or temporarily blind a pilot.
None of the lights has affected the flight of any aircraft or injured the pilots.
Federal Aviation Administration regulations mandate that laser light shows must register their locations and the lights cannot be directed above 3,000 feet.
It is against federal regulations to intentionally shine a laser beam at a commercial flight.
Anyone who has information which could help identify the person or people responsible for shining the laser on Monday should call the FBI at (216) 522-1400.
You're presuming that members of Congress use logic when drafting laws and actually read the laws that they pass.
Have you seen the Code of Federal Regulations lately?
How about a 193 mW green laser? The ones at Office Depot are less than 1 mW. This one is strong enough to burn a hole through a plastic cup [video link]. It will burn your retina out faster than you can blink. Here's a picture of a beam hitting a tree a quarter of a mile away.
Here is how I do it, and it works:
I have one of the old laser pens that is roughly 1/2" in diameter and seven or eight inches long. I also have a pair of 10X50 manual focus binaculars. I discovered that by holding the pen firmly against the bracing between the two sides of the binoculars, I was able to point it at a reflective road sign a half mile away and got a very bright reflection back in the center of my field of view. BTW, the reflection was about 6" in diameter if memory serves. Also, a friend was there at the sign and, via cell phone, said it was incredibly bright to his eyes. He looked at my position and saw a very, very bright point of light.
If I was serious about it, I could repeat the experiment and simply "look at " airplanes with my binoculars (with the laser attached) and asume that they would see the light.
It's pretty darned simple - and effective - really. I never thought about actually doing it, however. I don't see the point.
My laser is just to sight the scope in. It fits in the bore so it can't be used with a live round.
Tracking an object that far away at that speed is unlikey to have been done by hand held device.
Nothing cheap. There is a helium neon laser that is doubled for green but they are NOT that common, nor cheap. Cadmium Ion Argon lasers are green. But these are NOT the usual cat toys!
Ooooooh, that will really p*ss of my cat if she wouldn't be able to chase the red dot ;-)
People only try
to tackle someone if they
see he's got the ball . . .
They are talking about military grade lasers. The green ones, some how damage (temporarily and sometimes permanantly) eye sight.
Clinton State. . .NOT Pentagon.
http://www.greenlaserbeam.com/
Speed limit is 250kts except when firing 20mm rounds.
A laser certainly was used on a Naval Pilot by a Russian "fishing" trawler.
I really don't know how a person could shine a laser pointer at an object several miles away moving at 300+ mph. I have a small laser pointer and when I shine it only a couple hundred yards onto a tree in my backyard, it is darn near impossible to keep the target steady. Yeah I have a couple of laser pointers. Mine farthest ranged one has a range of 1500 feet but even at 500 feet even the slightest movement puts the beam way off. You would need the same type of lasers that the military uses to guide bombs and those are neither cheap nor easy to get.
Apparently a green beam works better than red or orange during daylight.
The human eye is most sensitive to green. This is why light amplification goggles display green.
LOL!!! Many years ago, when I built my first HeNe laser, the first thing I did with it was ...play with the cats!
Thanks for the memories!
"So what kind of lazer makes a green beam?"
A green laser! They come in different wavelengths but the green ones are the best for zapping those pesky traffic cameras.
A loser!
I thought it was 200 mph. Where's MY book.
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