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Laser targets Airlines in Nashville
Fox17News -Nashville (article not posted yet) ^ | Self | Self

Posted on 01/02/2005 7:16:29 PM PST by Blood of Tyrants

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To: Blood of Tyrants
This makes SEVERAL reports of green lasers being targeted at commercial airlines in the past several days. Something really weird is going on and it is a concerted effort by several individual groups acting in concert or one very mobile unit.

How about just a bunch of kids and other geeks getting green lasers for Christmas?

101 posted on 01/02/2005 9:08:21 PM PST by FreedomCalls (It's the "Statue of Liberty," not the "Statue of Security.")
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To: AM2000
How easy or difficult is it to buy a green laser?

It's very easy. I'll sell you one right now.

102 posted on 01/02/2005 9:09:20 PM PST by FreedomCalls (It's the "Statue of Liberty," not the "Statue of Security.")
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To: rdl6989
Oops, sorry, this place sells green lasers for $99.00.

Just googled this: http://www.wickedlasers.com - green for US$79.

103 posted on 01/02/2005 9:14:20 PM PST by solitas ('Mystic' dual 500 G4's, OSX.3.7)
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To: PistolPaknMama
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.

104 posted on 01/02/2005 9:15:49 PM PST by FreedomCalls (It's the "Statue of Liberty," not the "Statue of Security.")
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To: TomGuy
That doesn't sound like a kid in the back yard with a laser toy and not an easy task to accomplish with a toy laser.

Actually it's quite easy.

105 posted on 01/02/2005 9:17:56 PM PST by FreedomCalls (It's the "Statue of Liberty," not the "Statue of Security.")
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To: PistolPaknMama
Besides, if your friend built a laser that could be visible at a quarter mile, that's only about 1300 feet, not 3000.

Not true. That quarter-mile visibility is to the target and back again or a half-mile which would be 2600 feet. And that's dependent on the reflectivity of the target. Seeing it at the other end when it's pointed at you would be easier much farther out -- say to 3000 feet and beyond.

106 posted on 01/02/2005 9:21:11 PM PST by FreedomCalls (It's the "Statue of Liberty," not the "Statue of Security.")
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To: Lonesome in Massachussets

"A lot of aircrews reported seeing "UFOs" in the 50's and 60's. These things come in spurts."

This doesn't preclude the possibility that a lot of aircrews in the 50's and 60's DID see something they couldn't explain, obviously.

Neither of us was in a cockpit of a plane reporting this this week, but if you are in a cockpit and a green light flashes and reflects on the inside of the cockpit glass, there isn't much doubt about what it is. If (as some pilots reported) 2 or 3 are lighting you up, that is probably pretty distinct also. Assuming that at this point reporting such an incident will subject the cockpit crew to at least an extra few hours of debriefing, interviews, etc., by authorities, I assume any crew reporting such a thing at this point is at least worried that they did see something similar to the stuff reported.

The real question, as always, is source and motive.


107 posted on 01/02/2005 9:21:59 PM PST by WoofDog123
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To: Oblongata

"Mine would only shine about 2000 feet."

Actually, even the weakest laser shines an unlimited distance unless it it absorbed by something. A few miles of air won't do it. Remember, YOU only think it went 2000 feet since the reflection back to you was weak enough that you couldn't pick it out. But the guy on the other end who gets hit in the eye will tell you it's pretty bright still. It's like radar dectectors. They can see the radar before the police spot them since the police must see the reflected beam, which is very weak.
Or try this. Go into the woods with a flashlight mounted on your head. The sniper will shoot you before you even see him.


108 posted on 01/02/2005 9:22:17 PM PST by Right Wing Assault (Wish me a Merry Christmas! I won't report you to the ACLU.)
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To: StopGlobalWhining

"US CIA operatives bring down Japanese commercial flights in the process of landing from hotel rooms near airports in Japan."

Actually, they took out a couple of e-757 awac-type planes...iric


109 posted on 01/02/2005 9:27:29 PM PST by WoofDog123
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To: rdl6989

"USA Today reports that the FBI believes the incidents are caused by "michief makers" and not terrorists. "

The fbi always says this....except when 4 planes are hijacked at once.


110 posted on 01/02/2005 9:30:30 PM PST by WoofDog123
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To: solitas

"Just googled this: http://www.wickedlasers.com - green for US$79."

Holy crap! This is insane. What do these people think their customers use these for? "For professional use only." What is that supposed to mean? I am a professional moron. Can I have one? Or I am a professional terrorist. Can I have one?

These are some VERY wicked lasers as their name indicates. There are a lot of kids (and 'adults') out there who would plunk down a couple hundred bucks to have some "fun".


111 posted on 01/02/2005 9:31:58 PM PST by Right Wing Assault (Wish me a Merry Christmas! I won't report you to the ACLU.)
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To: solitas

Green lasers for $79.00. I guess that explains it, people buying these things and misusing them, or as someone else put it earlier on this thread, hold muh beer an' watch this.


112 posted on 01/02/2005 9:32:19 PM PST by rdl6989
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To: idkfa; ProudVet77; Blood of Tyrants; 2IfByC

Maybe it's time to outfit planes with these retro-reflectors in case they actually do up the power (and zap 'em right back!) and/or scare off the pranksters, if that's what they are.

"more than 30 years ago, Apollo astronauts put mirrors on the Moon - small arrays of retro reflectors that can intercept laser beams from Earth and bounce them straight back." -- from http://www.firstscience.com/site/articles/galileo.asp

What DO retro reflectors look like, anyway? 3 flat mirrors at right angles to each other or what?


113 posted on 01/02/2005 9:40:02 PM PST by FreeKeys ("When looking for a reason why things go wrong, never rule out sheer stupidity." -- Brian M. Wilson)
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To: nuffsenuff

That's not always or entirely true nuffsenuff. Those 19 parasites made a few 'dry runs' to get the passenger and staff routines down before they carried out what they did.


114 posted on 01/02/2005 9:45:25 PM PST by TeddyCon
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To: chemicalman

http://161.58.5.90/space/asbigas.wav (60KB)


115 posted on 01/02/2005 9:47:42 PM PST by FreeKeys ("When looking for a reason why things go wrong, never rule out sheer stupidity." -- Brian M. Wilson)
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To: Blood of Tyrants

Latest Update...Techno Party in local area was being held at the same time. The FBI is lookong for a suspect known as Ronny Raver the Lighting Legend...


116 posted on 01/02/2005 9:52:21 PM PST by Red Sea Swimmer (Tisha5765Bav)
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To: Right Wing Assault

Did you watch this video?

http://www.onewavedesigns.com/laser/burningcup.mpg

He takes a green laser he sells (about 185 mW) and burns a hole in a plastic cup on the other side of his kitchen table. It's about the size of a two-cell AA flashlight.


117 posted on 01/02/2005 9:52:58 PM PST by FreedomCalls (It's the "Statue of Liberty," not the "Statue of Security.")
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I still don't think people get it that the 5 mW laser pointers are not capable of doing anything harmful to an aircraft crew, if they could be detected at all (unlikely).


118 posted on 01/02/2005 9:54:09 PM PST by steve86
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To: FreeKeys
What DO retro reflectors look like, anyway? 3 flat mirrors at right angles to each other or what?

Here's two pictures of the set-up on the moon.

More here.

119 posted on 01/02/2005 9:56:11 PM PST by FreedomCalls (It's the "Statue of Liberty," not the "Statue of Security.")
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To: BearWash
I still don't think people get it that the 5 mW laser pointers are not capable of doing anything harmful to an aircraft crew, if they could be detected at all (unlikely).

Watch the video in post 117.

120 posted on 01/02/2005 9:57:46 PM PST by FreedomCalls (It's the "Statue of Liberty," not the "Statue of Security.")
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