[PistolPaknMama]

No. Could it be kids playing with a laser...yes

Hardly. 6 miles out and 3000 feet is not the kind of laser you could pick up just anywhere.

[OneTimeLurker]

"Hardly. 6 miles out and 3000 feet is not the kind of laser you could pick up just anywhere."

The 6 miles out part doesn't matter as the source of the laser likely wasn't 6 miles out. 3000 feet is the operative stat.

When I was a Freshman in college a friend built a laser. We used to point it out his window at people walking blocks away, etc. We even found it visible on a building at least a quarter mile away. Today, building such a laser or buying one can't be too hard considering you can buy laser pointers, etc.

[WildTurkey]

Hardly. 6 miles out and 3000 feet is not the kind of laser you could pick up just anywhere.

It was "6 miles out" from the airport, NOT from the laser.

[DBrow]

Hardly. 6 miles out and 3000 feet is not the kind of laser you could pick up just anywhere.

.......................

A 50 mW green laser module costs between 300 and 1200 dollars. That would work well.

A 5 mW laser pointer costs $80, and would be visible to a person standing several miles away. A dark-adapted pilot could easily see a laser pointer.

In WWII ground-based carbon arc searchlights could tag an aircraft at a range of 20 to 30 miles, no laser, no complex tracker, no computer, just a bright arc light like a welder using carbon rods.

[FreedomCalls]

Hardly. 6 miles out and 3000 feet is not the kind of laser you could pick up just anywhere.

He was six miles from the threshhold, not six miles from the laser. And a green laser can easily hit an aircraft at 3000 feet. Here's a video of one burning a hole (!) in a plastic cup from four feet away.

[konaice]

Hardly. 6 miles out and 3000 feet is not the kind of laser you could pick up just anywhere.

Yes it is. 6 miles is not that far for even a pointer quality laser. The beam spread at 6 miles would probably be no more than 5 feet.

We have nothing but vague reports by pilots of laser light in the cockpit, no indication of the size of dot, or if its just a bright green blob of light when the look out the window. In other words, we have no indications of the quality or power of the laser involved.

Go get your laser leveler or laser pointer, and find a dark road with no traffic. (mount on camera tripod if you have one). Shine down the road to progressivly farther and farther traffic signs. You will find even an el-cheapo pointer will light up a traffic sign 4 or 5 miles away (and remember it has to bounce all the way back for you to see it).

[Aquinasfan]

Hardly. 6 miles out and 3000 feet is not the kind of laser you could pick up just anywhere.

A target 6 miles out, 3000 feet up, and moving at 600 mph. You'd have to have a very steady hand to hit that target.

[Bane]

The problem with this is that a typical laser beam when looked upon from the side starts wide narrows then widens. At about 6 miles most OTC lasers beams would dissapate to the point where you would not be able to determine the color. This can be compensated for by focussing the laser but that exagerates the effect.

Plus to hit a target travelling at a high rate of speed (meaning faster than the ole wrangler driving up I25 to Denver) you would need some type of computer guidance/aiming system or be very very lucky.

So if this was not some kind of military style weapon/Airline-pilot-anoyance system. It must have been some random reflection that happened to be in the green spectrum and more than likely not a laser. especially not a run of the mill, purchase it at Radio shack type.

Oh God, my brain hurts. I thought like an engineer again.... Don't worry, I'll go make a souffle and I'll be fine.