Do we have any pilots or aviation enthusiasts in here?

[passedpawn]

The amount of pilots getting hit by lasers lately is getting out of hand. Had an Air Ambulance helo get hit on two different occasions last night.. These people should rot in prison.

How does this affect pilots. I've seen some very stiff sentences for this and I don't understand the risk. Are the beams strong enough to cause a problem at that distance? If the people with them are shining them straight up, can the laser beam get to the pilot? Honestly, I don't know anything about this.

 

[doug293cz]

How does this affect pilots. I've seen some very stiff sentences for this and I don't understand the risk. Are the beams strong enough to cause a problem at that distance? If the people with them are shining them straight up, can the laser beam get to the pilot? Honestly, I don't know anything about this.

Laser beams are different than ordinary light sources. The intensity does not drop off much with distance, so they can be extremely bright from miles away. And the perps are not shining them straight up, they "shoot" them at angles that can hit pilots in the eyes. The flashes are bright enough to cause temporary blindness (several seconds at least.) During low level operations, a couple of seconds of blindness could potentially lead to a crash.

Brew on

 

[passedpawn]

Laser beams are different than ordinary light sources. The intensity does not drop off much with distance, so they can be extremely bright from miles away. And the perps are not shining them straight up, they "shoot" them at angles that can hit pilots in the eyes. The flashes are bright enough to cause temporary blindness (several seconds at least.) During low level operations, a couple of seconds of blindness could potentially lead to a crash.

Brew on

Ah, I see. I'm very familiar with lasers (design products with them), but I was wondering about the pilot side.

The military use lasers for various purposes (targeting). The rifle-mounted lasers are around 500mW and are only useful for about 1000 meters. I guess that's enough distance to hit an airplane approaching a runway.

I've got a really high-powered green laser that my kids and I take out on foggy / cloudy nights. I'm really paranoid though about shining it into the sky if there's aircraft anywhere.

 

[Sailingeric]

Ah, I see. I'm very familiar with lasers (design products with them), but I was wondering about the pilot side.

The military use lasers for various purposes (targeting). The rifle-mounted lasers are around 500mW and are only useful for about 1000 meters. I guess that's enough distance to hit an airplane approaching a runway.

I've got a really high-powered green laser that my kids and I take out on foggy / cloudy nights. I'm really paranoid though about shining it into the sky if there's aircraft anywhere.

Here is a good blog post playing down the hype of lasers. Still bad to do but good reading https://jethead.wordpress.com/2015/09/29/airline-scare-in-the-air-laser-mythology/

 

[passedpawn]

Here is a good blog post playing down the hype of lasers. Still bad to do but good reading https://jethead.wordpress.com/2015/09/29/airline-scare-in-the-air-laser-mythology/

That's a great site. I just read a bunch of that guy's articles. Excellent.

Thanks!

 

[Sailingeric]

That's a great site. I just read a bunch of that guy's articles. Excellent.

Thanks!

If you are on Twitter I recommend following him, he is funny and has good pics from the cockpit

 

[passedpawn]

If you are on Twitter I recommend following him, he is funny and has good pics from the cockpit

He seems like a fantastically real dude. Thanks again, I will.

 

[KennyM]

I'm a commercial pilot with single & muli-engine land and instrument ratings. I've been flying for 19 years and I'm a partner in a nice Cessna 182.

Now that I'm retired from my primary job, I'm working on getting experience in a Pilatus PC-12 turboprop and a few light business jets. The goal is to do some corporate contract flying in my retirement.

 

[mrwizard0]

I'm a military pilot and have been doing it for 13 years. Flying is my first love and my wife is jealous of that . I couldn't imagine not flying almost every day, and thankfully the cost for me is free...well on the wallet that is

 

[berniebiz]

I am an Air Traffic Controller at my day job, aviation enthusiast/aspiring pilot during the time I am not at work, and a brewer on the weekend. Do we have any folks around that fit into the category?

Those that do know, it is a community full of pride and obsessions much like brewing and I would love to see who is on here.

Im actually and Air Traffic Controller as well! Im in the Air Force currently, but was picked up with the FAA on this last bid. Cant wait to cross over into the civilian sector in early 2017.

 

[berniebiz]

I'm a military pilot and have been doing it for 13 years. Flying is my first love and my wife is jealous of that . I couldn't imagine not flying almost every day, and thankfully the cost for me is free...well on the wallet that is

I was stationed at Vance and still own a home in Enid! Small world!

 

[Bilsch]

Another pilot brewer checking in. Riddle grad with 3k+ hours CMEI, A&P. Currently fly a Glasair III. So when I'm not brewin, you know where I'll be.

 

[kombat]

Here is a good blog post playing down the hype of lasers. Still bad to do but good reading https://jethead.wordpress.com/2015/09/29/airline-scare-in-the-air-laser-mythology/

Hmm. I find his reasoning suspect. For example:

"The only way possible to get the light square into my eyes would be to somehow determine my exact landing aimpoint on the runway (not possible) and stand precisely there, aiming the light perfectly into my face"

That's simply not true. It assumes that the aircraft is pointing straight at the touchdown zone (i.e., in a nose-down attitude), with the pilot staring straight at the runway threshold. Of course, a plane on approach is actually in a slight nose-up attitude, and the pilot is looking straight ahead (for traffic). There are multiple locations from which someone could shine a laser beam that would land squarely on the pilot's face. What about an apartment building farther away that happens to be perfectly in line with the runway heading?

Then there's this:

"First, we fly near much brighter flashes, sometimes right in our face, as we pass thunderheads at night. That’s just routine. A laser, by contrast, has a fraction of the candle power"

Does it? A lightning bolt lasts a tiny fraction of a second and spreads out in all directions. A laser beam is highly focused and lasts indefinitely. As for the energy level, the whole point of a laser is that it is extremely focused and concentrated. Has he actually done the math to work out how much energy his retina is absorbing? It sure doesn't sound like it based on this quote.

 

[FlyBoyKnight]

Airline pilot for 3 years, cargo pilot for 3 years, been flying for a total of 11 years.

Currently driving the MIGHTY Canadair Regional Jet (CRJ).

Flying is definitely a bug you catch, just like brewing and I still love it after 11 years.

No matter how long the ground stop, how long the deicing delay, or how frustrated my coworkers/passengers can get, I still love what I do and can't think of much else that I'd enjoy as much as flying.

Now, time to head home and BREW!!

 

[naturals]

Hmm. I find his reasoning suspect.

I call bull**** on his article too. It sounds like he has experienced it once, from the side, and assumes everyone will have a similar experience.

This article paints a different picture - http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/23/ba-pilots-eye-damaged-by-military-laser-shone-into-cockpit-at-heathrow

 

[Natdavis777]

I played flight simulator years ago with my buddy. He was super serious and I just F*cked around. He is a pilot now. I hate flying (unless I have parachute).

 

[stella_tigre]

Airline pilot for 3 years, cargo pilot for 3 years, been flying for a total of 11 years.

Currently driving the MIGHTY Canadair Regional Jet (CRJ).

Flying is definitely a bug you catch, just like brewing and I still love it after 11 years.

No matter how long the ground stop, how long the deicing delay, or how frustrated my coworkers/passengers can get, I still love what I do and can't think of much else that I'd enjoy as much as flying.

Now, time to head home and BREW!!

What version of avionics in your CRJs?

 

[FlyBoyKnight]

Collins 4200 FMS.

 

[UndeadFred]

You like the avionics? I work at Rockwell Collins. Dad was a private pilot. I decided I couldn't afford it as a hobby and my medical would have caused issues anyway. But the only memorial to my dad is at Oshkosh and I certainly grew up with it. Most of my career at RC has been on the government side with radios but I am on a rotation now on the commercial avionics side now.

 

[brewbama]

I was Army Aviation for 21 yrs

 

[stella_tigre]

RC Gen av, as was hubby, for over 30 years. Actually both worked on the first RC GA FMS 850 on the Beech Starship...if you remember that little endeavor, you are dating yourself....as I just did.

 

[kh54s10]

I would totally love to join the fraternity. But it has not been within my budget at a time when other things did not take priority...... Though the thought of bad weather conditions during flight makes me pucker up!!!!

 

[mrwizard0]

I was stationed at Vance and still own a home in Enid! Small world!

Awesome when were you there? I spent most of my career there but I just moved to San antonio

 

[Duke145]

Airline pilot here, Went to Riddle out of HS in 1986, I fly the B757 and B767 for American Airlines now.

I was hit by a laser while on approach int Ottawa a few years back and although it was bright and startled me a bit it didn't hurt me in any way. I'm not sure if it was a direct hit or not so I won't go as far to say that it's not a concern.