L@ser attacks on Aircraft
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L@ser detector device reference
L@ser properties captured for forensics by what looks like
OPTRA - L@ser Event Recorder,
but you still need to find the perpetrator with the helicopter's regular optical/IR imager.
It's not a cover story - the device is real; hopefully this report will make l@ser-abusers think twice.
OPTRA - L@ser Event Recorder,
but you still need to find the perpetrator with the helicopter's regular optical/IR imager.
It's not a cover story - the device is real; hopefully this report will make l@ser-abusers think twice.
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L@ser 'attacks' seen at LGAV
I've seen a green l@ser while landing at Athens (LGAV) perhaps 3 weeks ago. I recall seeing it twice, once on the left of us, approximately abeam the coast line while on ILS03L, and again (I guess a week later) from our 10 o'clock position approx. 5DME out on ILS21R. Can't say it was that disturbing though. Both times I guess it was about 9 or 10pm.
Perhaps its more of a threat to VFR/Heli's, than it is for airliners as we tend to be more head's down & concentrated on the instruments.
It would be interesting to know how many other pilots have noticed l@ser pointers while on approach to LGAV.
Perhaps its more of a threat to VFR/Heli's, than it is for airliners as we tend to be more head's down & concentrated on the instruments.
It would be interesting to know how many other pilots have noticed l@ser pointers while on approach to LGAV.
L@sers
4 attacks within the last week at Larnaka, Cyprus. Several teens held on suspicion (appx. 16 years old...)
Apparently on the base turn ILS 22.
The Police and the DCA have taken the events very seriously and are taking all reasonable measures to prevent further attacks and to bring justice to the 'offenders' - Cyprus Mail, April.
Apparently on the base turn ILS 22.
The Police and the DCA have taken the events very seriously and are taking all reasonable measures to prevent further attacks and to bring justice to the 'offenders' - Cyprus Mail, April.
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Hi all new poster been reading for a few days budding flyer and airport worker (security unfortunately!!)
Me and my friend had this happen to us flying vfr after departing LPL at night last year the beam was on my side of the aircaft it was green and at first i thought it was from top of a night club building in the way the laser was being pointed back and forth until it targeted us a few times we then changed course away from it to avoid being exposed to the laser light and immediately reported it to ATC and we ascertained that it was coming from west kirby and all credit to the folks at LPL they contacted the police and as we were coming back from the southport area flying high over Woodvale ATC advised that there would be traffic taking off from Woodvale the police helo going to deal with our problem!!
Me and my friend had this happen to us flying vfr after departing LPL at night last year the beam was on my side of the aircaft it was green and at first i thought it was from top of a night club building in the way the laser was being pointed back and forth until it targeted us a few times we then changed course away from it to avoid being exposed to the laser light and immediately reported it to ATC and we ascertained that it was coming from west kirby and all credit to the folks at LPL they contacted the police and as we were coming back from the southport area flying high over Woodvale ATC advised that there would be traffic taking off from Woodvale the police helo going to deal with our problem!!
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How stupid a person should be to do such things!!!!!
Do they not realise the plane is full of alive people inside???The most complicated phases of flight are TO and landing so why jeopardize?idiots.
Do they not realise the plane is full of alive people inside???The most complicated phases of flight are TO and landing so why jeopardize?idiots.
Article from 7 July:
U.K. Pilots Demand Police Crackdown on Laser Attacks
Apparently moronic actions are pretty contagious. 
U.K. Pilots Demand Police Crackdown on Laser Attacks
July 7 (Bloomberg) -- U.K. pilots are calling for the government to invest in new technology to help curb laser-beam attacks on airliners after the number of incidents rose sevenfold last year.
The British Airline Pilots Association has written to Transport Secretary Andrew Adonis asking him to ensure that police forces are equipped with state-of-the-art equipment that can locate the origin of laser beams directed at planes.
So-called laser guns, some no bigger than ballpoint pens, can be bought for as little as 10 pounds ($16.20) from Web sites and convenience stores, Balpa said. There were 206 reported incidents of beams being directed at pilots last year, mostly on takeoff or landing, compared with 29 in 2007, it said.
“It’s happening all the time now, at a rate of about four or five times a week,” London-based Balpa spokesman Keith Bill said in a telephone interview. “It’s climbing again this year. It’s an epidemic fad.”
Pilots are being targeted at almost all U.K. airports, including London’s Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted, Bill said. Six people have been imprisoned in Britain after being convicted over laser-related incidents, he said.
“The government takes any threat to aviation safety extremely seriously,” the Department for Transport said in an e-mailed statement. “There are already strong sanctions in place to deal with those who endanger aircraft in this way and we are in contact with the Civil Aviation Authority about what further action can be taken on this issue.”
The British Airline Pilots Association has written to Transport Secretary Andrew Adonis asking him to ensure that police forces are equipped with state-of-the-art equipment that can locate the origin of laser beams directed at planes.
So-called laser guns, some no bigger than ballpoint pens, can be bought for as little as 10 pounds ($16.20) from Web sites and convenience stores, Balpa said. There were 206 reported incidents of beams being directed at pilots last year, mostly on takeoff or landing, compared with 29 in 2007, it said.
“It’s happening all the time now, at a rate of about four or five times a week,” London-based Balpa spokesman Keith Bill said in a telephone interview. “It’s climbing again this year. It’s an epidemic fad.”
Pilots are being targeted at almost all U.K. airports, including London’s Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted, Bill said. Six people have been imprisoned in Britain after being convicted over laser-related incidents, he said.
“The government takes any threat to aviation safety extremely seriously,” the Department for Transport said in an e-mailed statement. “There are already strong sanctions in place to deal with those who endanger aircraft in this way and we are in contact with the Civil Aviation Authority about what further action can be taken on this issue.”
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It appears from the latest ATSIN that has been issued that airport Visual Control Rooms are now, in Europe anyway, becoming the target for laser 'attacks'.
Not quite on the same danger scale as for pilots landing but certainly a serious risk for ATCOs.
Not quite on the same danger scale as for pilots landing but certainly a serious risk for ATCOs.
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Crisis Writes:
" It appears from the latest ATSIN that has been issued that airport Visual Control Rooms are now, in Europe anyway, becoming the target for l@ser 'attacks'.
Not quite on the same danger scale as for pilots landing but certainly a serious risk for ATCOs. "
" It appears from the latest ATSIN that has been issued that airport Visual Control Rooms are now, in Europe anyway, becoming the target for l@ser 'attacks'.
Not quite on the same danger scale as for pilots landing but certainly a serious risk for ATCOs. "
I wouldn't think it's a smooth handoff, like "I have to go pee, back in a few" or whatever.
Blinding several of you at one time could be a serious issue, especially if anything odd happens to be going on at the same time.
.
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We had the same experience with green laser during this past week. While on ILS 25R into UUEE (23:45 lcl) we got the laser beem into the cockpit roughly 11 NM from the threshold.
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Phil,
The ads on PPRuNe (from a separate ad-server) are "context-sensitive".
Mention pilot handbooks in the thread, and you may see an ad from a bookshop, for instance.
When this thread started, we were bombarded with ads for precisely the things (hand-held l@sers and suchlike) we were saying should be banned. So PPRuNe now treats it as a dirty word, and systematically substitutes "l@ser".
CJ
The ads on PPRuNe (from a separate ad-server) are "context-sensitive".
Mention pilot handbooks in the thread, and you may see an ad from a bookshop, for instance.
When this thread started, we were bombarded with ads for precisely the things (hand-held l@sers and suchlike) we were saying should be banned. So PPRuNe now treats it as a dirty word, and systematically substitutes "l@ser".
CJ
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Further to my post of yesterday. We had the idiots out again last night. The Police Heli took the brunt of the attacks. I was impressed when I asked if he could give me an approximate location(for the MOR paperwork) and he was able to give me the EXACT address(DOWN TO HOUSE NUMBER AND STREET) and number and sex of ALLEGED perpetrators.
I do hope the scumbags are arrested.
I do hope the scumbags are arrested.
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Astronomy
I completely agree that anyone who deliberately shines a coherent light beam at an aircraft should be jailed.
However, whilst I am not a fnantical astronomer it is pleasant to take the telescope out on clear nights and see what is out there. Laser sights are really most useful in acquring a good position and the more coherent the light then the better the alignment. I have both red and green lasers but there is a flight path due south of me so although I try to be careful it is possible I might shine a laser at about a right angle to an aircraft on approach to an airport.
I would apppreciate some comments about this -
Is even a momentary exposure enough to cause problems?
Does a laser have much effect at oblique angles?
In general do astronomical lasers cause problems? ( I dont mean the huge things that professional observatories have but simple domestic set ups such as I have)
However, whilst I am not a fnantical astronomer it is pleasant to take the telescope out on clear nights and see what is out there. Laser sights are really most useful in acquring a good position and the more coherent the light then the better the alignment. I have both red and green lasers but there is a flight path due south of me so although I try to be careful it is possible I might shine a laser at about a right angle to an aircraft on approach to an airport.
I would apppreciate some comments about this -
Is even a momentary exposure enough to cause problems?
Does a laser have much effect at oblique angles?
In general do astronomical lasers cause problems? ( I dont mean the huge things that professional observatories have but simple domestic set ups such as I have)
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mercurydancer,
While I'm still not too clear about the use you amateur astronomers make of l@aser pointers (could you explain a bit more?).....
I would assume...
- you point it towards a sky object, be it a planet, a star or a galaxy, and it then would remain steady, or at the most waver a bit while you're searching, then follow the 24 hour movement of astronomical objects.
- you would not point it towards an aircraft or suchlike, and try to follow it.
In that case...
- the beam, being coherent and very narrow, would be unlikely to "hit" an aircraft,
- even in the unlikely case of an aircraft exactly crossing your steady beam, the "flash" would be so short as not to matter.
It would seem from what I've read that you amateur astronomers get some use out of l@ser pointers to the sky.
All the more regrettable that the current crowd of criminal users will probably soon result your 'amateur' use being classed as criminal as well.
CJ
While I'm still not too clear about the use you amateur astronomers make of l@aser pointers (could you explain a bit more?).....
I would assume...
- you point it towards a sky object, be it a planet, a star or a galaxy, and it then would remain steady, or at the most waver a bit while you're searching, then follow the 24 hour movement of astronomical objects.
- you would not point it towards an aircraft or suchlike, and try to follow it.
In that case...
- the beam, being coherent and very narrow, would be unlikely to "hit" an aircraft,
- even in the unlikely case of an aircraft exactly crossing your steady beam, the "flash" would be so short as not to matter.
It would seem from what I've read that you amateur astronomers get some use out of l@ser pointers to the sky.
All the more regrettable that the current crowd of criminal users will probably soon result your 'amateur' use being classed as criminal as well.
CJ
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mercurydancer
I have been on the wrong end of a laser many times.
Yes, a momentary exposure will be very noticeable, even an oblique angle is enough to be distracting. At the wrong time, distracting enough to be dangerous.
However, I do not think that one used for astronomy, and presumably shone straight up at the heavens would cause any more than a fleeting "what was that"?
If you use your laser for astronomy regularly, why not get a NOTAM issued?
The aircraft must be intentionally targeted for the (UK) law to have been broken.
Note that by "intentionally" I mean intending to shine it at the aircraft, not necessarily intending harm to its occupants.
Fatty.
I have been on the wrong end of a laser many times.
Yes, a momentary exposure will be very noticeable, even an oblique angle is enough to be distracting. At the wrong time, distracting enough to be dangerous.
However, I do not think that one used for astronomy, and presumably shone straight up at the heavens would cause any more than a fleeting "what was that"?
If you use your laser for astronomy regularly, why not get a NOTAM issued?
The aircraft must be intentionally targeted for the (UK) law to have been broken.
Note that by "intentionally" I mean intending to shine it at the aircraft, not necessarily intending harm to its occupants.
Fatty.