Lasers into cockpits???

Question

Does anyone else find it very hard to believe that a person on the ground could manage to be accurate enough with a laser to hit a pilot in the eyes in the cockpit of a flying plane? They would also have to be very far away to even have the right angle to hit the pilot, making it even harder. I just don't get it.

Answer 1

It is possible, there are lasers that are illegal and are stronger than you can imagine. Doctors use lasers instead of scalpals. Thats how intense the beam can be.

Answer 2

It is pretty unlikely that somebody would manage to hit a pilot in the eyes. There is a bit of worry, but the truth is that most publicly available lasers aren't powerful enough to pose much of a threat, particularly at any significant range. Most lasers don't cause permanent damage unless there is prolonged exposure. Otherwise, there's a momentary flash that takes a few seconds to get over. The biggest noise is raised when somebody gets ahold of a visible-wavelength green laser. These can be seen in the air and tend to frighten the masses. A bunch of people call the police and everybody gets bothered.

Interestingly, there have been expirements performed to develop a high powered laser intended to blind pilots. The trick is to use a powerful enough laser to blind in an instant, as even the mechanical targeting systems developed for such weapons can only scan across cockpits instead of focusing on a pilot's face. While this might be an interesting idea, such purpose built systems are still not as effective as one might want. The truth is that all the fervor over people pointing lasers at planes is part hysteria and part "better safe than sorry" policy standard in aviation. The only serious concern is the potential, small as it might be, of lasers being used to guide a weapon. This is unlikely but, unfortunately, the only way to avoid such a problems is to crack down on lasers altogether.

Answer 3

it is possible

as i fly myself even a mirror or something it gets in your eyes

and its not that hard to hit a moving target

Answer 4

I call BS.  Try to hold a pen size dot on a moving target a mile away... not likely.

Answer 5

Just as with a gyroscopically or electronically stablilized binocular, a laser projector can be stabilized for tracking a distant target.  But you already know that, from seeing it done by combat aircraft miles from a target.  So why are you asking?

It's hard to have the right angle to hit the pilot?  Why?  You  think a pilot doesn't see the ground nearby?

Answer 6

Well I was lased in Las Vegas about 11 years ago.  At that time the Hilton had a green laser and yep if you looked at it, like I was stupid enough to do, I was blinded for a minute or two.  Complaints from airline pilots departing McCarran persuaded them to take it down.

You don't have to hit the pilot directly, just directing the energy at the canopy/cockpit is enough to disorient; most military lasers have at least that amount of energy-for hitting low flyers anyway. It's not unlike hosing AAA at a target.  You just need to sweep the jet/helo to cause the effect you want.

Answer 7

Well, as a pilot who HAS been lasered, I can attest to it.

I was on approach into El Monte Airport in SoCal, when someone lasered me and pretty much blinded me.  It's not all that hard to point at something and blind a pilot.  Lasers actually expand as distance increases, so you need to be less accurate the farther away a plane is from you.

Answer 8

I read an article like that on Yahoo news. Some lasers are extremely powerful. I remember in my astronomy class, my instructor would use a laser that would look like it was literally touching the sky.

If you're aiming it at a low flying helicopter or an aircraft on approach, it shouldn't be too hard to hit the cockpit.

Pilots are also blinded on occasions while flying above laser shows. Completely unintentional, but it happens.