[PackerBoy]

I thought that, too. But a pilot told me that the sall beam disperses a bit at altitude, and is often still strong enough to bathe the cockpit in a very distracting light that can make it difficut to read instruments at a crucial time.

[ml/nj]

But a pilot told me that the sall beam disperses a bit at altitude

Get yourself a 50x power telescope. Go out near some airport (preferably one with some commercial jet traffic as us gnats only approach at 80 MPH or so) and see if you can ever see into a cockpit or view a pilot's face. Then come back and report to us.

ML/NJ