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Proud Mary

Fri Dec 18 2009, 10:36AM

Registered Member #543 Joined: Tue Feb 20 2007, 04:26PM
Location: UK
Posts: 4992

Laser owners 'arrested on sight'

Anyone found carrying a laser can be arrested on sight

BBC News:

There has been a marked rise in the number of UK pilots reporting incidents of laser torches being shone at their aircraft.

In 2007 there were 29 incidents but this rose to 206 cases in 2008, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said.

Sgt Andy Watson of Thames Valley Police said such devices "could potentially kill hundreds of people by causing a crash".

Police said anyone found with a laser torch could be arrested on sight.

The warning comes after pilots and air traffic controllers submitted their annual Mandatory Occurrence Reports to the CAA.

More than 75% of planes targeted were commercial airliners.

"If you are found with a laser device, you can even be arrested for simply carrying it" - Sgt Andy Watson

The worst affected areas were regional airports with 15 in Cardiff, 12 in Manchester, nine in Liverpool, nine in Birmingham and seven in Edinburgh.

The CAA said seven incidents had been reported in Oxfordshire which did not have a large commercial airport, although it was on a busy air traffic route and many private planes used Oxford Airport, Kidlington.

Capt Robert Jones, head of flight operations at the CAA, said: "These things are not toys, they pose a serious risk to all flight safety."

Light refraction

Police said the sale of industrial lasers was restricted in the UK but many were available to buy on the internet ranging in price from Â£20 to Â£300.

Mr Jones said the beam from a class three laser could be seen up to 20 miles away.

If the beam is shone into the cockpit it can refract on the thousands of surface scratches on the aircraft's windscreen, making the whole windscreen temporarily light up and blinding the pilot, he added.

Thames Valley Police said it was working in partnership with other regional police forces, the CAA and other government departments to track down the perpetrators of the attacks.

Sgt Watson, of Thames Valley Police Operational Support, said: "I'd like to issue a warning to all would-be laser users - we have the technology and tactics to catch people who do this.

"If you are found with a laser device, you can even be arrested for simply carrying it if the questioning officer is not satisfied with your reasons for having one."

Dalus

Fri Dec 18 2009, 12:39PM

Registered Member #639 Joined: Wed Apr 11 2007, 09:09PM
Location: The Netherlands, Herkenbosch
Posts: 512

Why don't a believe the refraction part. A simple laser can't block the whole field of view unless it is immensely powerful. Think that not a lot of people have xx W lasers that are requited to do so. The only danger with 'lowpower' lasers would be direct exposure the chances of that are minute since you can't keep the beam on the eyes of the pilot.

Too bad people take actions without fully knowing the reason and verifying it . . . .

Sulaiman

Fri Dec 18 2009, 01:27PM

Registered Member #162 Joined: Mon Feb 13 2006, 10:25AM
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 3140

A 50mW green laser pinter pen can easily dazzle a pilot
which could be a risk at certain moments during flight.
I certainly wouldn't want lasers flashing a pilot on a plane that I'm on.

brtaman

Fri Dec 18 2009, 01:32PM

Registered Member #2161 Joined: Fri Jun 05 2009, 03:36PM
Location:
Posts: 247

Actually Dalus, laser pointers are becoming an immense problem as of late.

The main problem is the influx of cheap generic 532nm lasers from the Chinese. A 100mw green laser can be bought for 30$. Lasers are another hobby of mine, I remember rambling about Big Brother and INGSOC, when all pointers above 1mw were banned in Australia, however with the enormous rise in incidents in which imbeciles decide it would be cool to point the laser beam at a landing aircraft or helicopter and thus recklessly endangering the lives of many, my stance has changed. In a perfect world pointers should be legal but with the thought that every buffoon with 20$ in spare change can buy a laser powerful enough to blind or at the very least distract a pilot, the thought of pointers for everyone just doesn't feel right.

The main problem is that the wavelength is close to the peak of our wavelength sensitivity. A 100mw with good divergance (1 mrad) (Class IV hand-held lasers are also available on the market), shone directly at the cabin of a landing aircraft even at kilometres will do all sorts of hell on the pilot, it will probably not blind at that distance, but the light is extremely intense and will definitely affect the pilots sight for a couple seconds or maybe minutes. The army is actually experimenting with green lasers as a way of dazzling the opponent, a 532nm laser of around 50mw is "focused" wide, it does a great job of temporarily disabling the "enemy". Even a 5mw green pointed is extremely bright if defocused and shone in the eye, it is in essence a small flash bang effect.

So while I hate to see this happening, it was really only a matter of time. Better start selling of my stock of lasers before all of Europe adopts the same policy. -.-

Dalus

Fri Dec 18 2009, 01:49PM

Registered Member #639 Joined: Wed Apr 11 2007, 09:09PM
Location: The Netherlands, Herkenbosch
Posts: 512

The time that the pilot is exposed to the beam is just to short too cause problems. Also the laser would get quite weak because of the sheer distance from the pointer to the pilot. You can only hit the pilot at low angles. . .

The army dazzling is done by modulating the laser with some kind of random pattern so that is of no danger to the pilots.

brtaman

Fri Dec 18 2009, 02:01PM

Registered Member #2161 Joined: Fri Jun 05 2009, 03:36PM
Location:
Posts: 247

Yes if the aircraft is at cruising altitude nothing will happen to the pilot. However, the majority of these incidents occur on take-off and landing, the most crucial/dangerous parts of the journey. The distances are much smaller in these situations and obviously the danger is much higher. I can guarantee that a direct hit from a 100mw laser at 1 even 2km will dazzle the pilot enough to seriously hamper his ability to fly, not to mention ruin his "night vision" for a good minute or so.

Not all the army dazzlers are pulsed I have seen quite a few CW prototypes, just with massive divergence preventing eye damage due to low energy density.

plazmatron

Fri Dec 18 2009, 03:52PM

Registered Member #1134 Joined: Tue Nov 20 2007, 04:39PM
Location: Bonnie Scotland
Posts: 351

This is getting plain silly!

According to the CAA, there is an exclusion zone for lasers around airports, and along take off and landing paths. I know this, since I did an outdoor show some years ago, and had to submit a detailed report to the CAA.

I was miles from any airport, so they were quite happy for me to direct multiple watts into the sky!

If you are wandering around within 10km of an airport with anything over 1mW, than fair enough, it would be reasonable to confiscate the pointer.

BUT to come out with a law to arrest anyone, anywhere, for possessing a laser pointer, is nothing short of dictatorship.

This, I am sad to say, is Britain today, with our UNELECTED prime minister, and vague laws that can see you arrested for buying bleach, on the offchance you might be a terrorist.

Here is a simple solution: Issue pilots with glasses that attenuate 532nm. Problem solved.

Before anyone tells me this Law is correct, and is there to protect people, I ask this:

How long will it be before the sale of electronic components to the public is outlawed, because someone might make a countdown timer out of them????

This is your hobby people, and it is at risk!

Les

Proud Mary

Fri Dec 18 2009, 04:17PM

Registered Member #543 Joined: Tue Feb 20 2007, 04:26PM
Location: UK
Posts: 4992

According to the BBC, some of the more serious attacks have involved as many as half-a-dozen lasers directed at the same aircraft.

There is a police video of youths shining a green laser light into a flying helicopter cockpit here:

I imagine that the youths concerned are cut from the same cloth as those who drop bricks and slabs of concrete onto lorries going under motorway bridges. You can't outlaw bricks and concrete, but green lasers could - and probably will be - prohibited easily enough in this country.

plazmatron

Fri Dec 18 2009, 04:25PM

Registered Member #1134 Joined: Tue Nov 20 2007, 04:39PM
Location: Bonnie Scotland
Posts: 351

Proud Mary wrote ...

but green lasers could - and probably will be - prohibited easily enough in this country.

Far too easily I fear..........

Les

Dr. Drone

Fri Dec 18 2009, 04:44PM

Registered Member #290 Joined: Mon Mar 06 2006, 08:24PM
Location:
Posts: 1673

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