BREAKING Asiana Flight 214 Crashes at SFO (Boeing 777)

[Flagg]

It's not unheard of for people to try, though.

Idiots do it all the time and its a felony IIRC. I think the guy is full of shit, though. He's trying to avoid going to prison. Good luck to him.

[Crown]

I'd say the probability of a laser pointer actually hitting someone's eye in the cockpit of a moving aircraft is extremely remote.

Not as remote as you might imagine;



And;



Oh and;



Last one;



At 2:00 the pilot informs ground control that the first officer is having vision problems due the laser pointer.

You don't have to have Marvel superhero type aim, just wave it in the general direction and the spread of the beam + intensity will do the rest.

[Broomstick]

I'd say the probability of a laser pointer actually hitting someone's eye in the cockpit of a moving aircraft is extremely remote.

Nonetheless, there ARE documented instances of it happening. Usually with the pilot immediately yelling "MY EYES! MY EYES!" or something of the sort. It's not the sort of thing you forget to mention for a couple days.

[Alyeska]

The thing about laser pointers, they aren't real lasers. Thats just a marketing name. They get very wide in the distance, relatively speaking. A laser pointed can cover the entire cockpit of a plane at certain distances. That can blind both pilots severely at night.

[Executor32]

What? They're not the same quality as, say, a laboratory-grade gas laser, but they're lasers nonetheless. I know it wasn't your intent, but saying that they aren't 'real' lasers downplays the dangers they pose.

[Alyeska]

What? They're not the same quality as, say, a laboratory-grade gas laser, but they're lasers nonetheless. I know it wasn't your intent, but saying that they aren't 'real' lasers downplays the dangers they pose.

No, saying they aren't real lasers does not downplay the danger they pose. They project a concentrated beam of light significant distance. They are a serious danger and I am honestly surprised they aren't regulated.

[Simon_Jester]

Alyeska, the ones I am familiar with ARE real lasers, just small diode lasers. Not all lasers keep a tight beam thousands of feet downrange.

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

What? They're not the same quality as, say, a laboratory-grade gas laser, but they're lasers nonetheless. I know it wasn't your intent, but saying that they aren't 'real' lasers downplays the dangers they pose.

No, saying they aren't real lasers does not downplay the danger they pose. They project a concentrated beam of light significant distance. They are a serious danger and I am honestly surprised they aren't regulated.

Here's a tip: Gaussian laser beam modes never do stay collimated for ever. They will diverge, and at a 1km distance, they could be rather large. These days, it is also not unheard of for some cheap Chinese laser power to run for 50 or so milliwatts ore more, and a green laser power is very glaring.

[EnterpriseSovereign]

Well, you learn something new every day. From Wikipedia:

According to an MSNBC report there were over 2,836 incidents logged in the US by the FAA in 2010.[12] Illumination by handheld green lasers is particularly serious, as the wavelength (532 nm) is near peak sensitivity of the dark-adapted eye and may appear to be 35 times brighter than a red laser of identical power output.[13]