But the word is still in the thread title at the top of the page.

I did suggest another method, but it appears to have been 'moderated'.

Honestly, no matter how anachronistic it may seem, advertising for lasers on this thread is the last place we should really be worrying about (how many of us are gonna buy one start shooting at aircraft?). The mods and powers-that-be are working on the issue and it'll be dealt with when it's dealt with. Hell, use the ads as a tool. Find out who's selling, where they are, and then report them.

Would be very happy to do that, but to whom ?

This has now happened to 2 of my mates in the last week or so.

1 was going into SOU and the other was going into LGW.

For me, it seems as though the entire situation is getting a little bit out of hand here - we as pilots can only ever report when we've seen one, but I somehow doubt that the guilty parties will ever be caught as the area it's coming from can be so large.

But really, in my humble opinion, this is rapidly turning into a major problem.

Reducing advertising or making the sale of higher-power lasers illegal won't help, because there's a very common source of high-power lasers: CD and DVD players. Both contain lasers that can cause eye damage, and they can be modified to produce even higher powers. The players that can also record are even worse, since they need lasers with still higher powers to handle the recording operation. Such players have long contained warnings on the inside not to overcome safety mechanisms or look at the laser, and the warnings are not just for show.

The new Blu-ray players are a great source of the coveted violet laser diodes:

Blu-ray Reader Dissection by Leslie Wright and Sam Goldwasser - Main Page

I4U News - Exclusive! Sonar Blu-ray Laser by Wicked Lasers

I am 16 years old. I am a laser fanatic. I have several different wavelengths and they can light matches. That is power!
I believe I have the right to own them, but sadly there are so many irresposible idiots out there. I plan to become a commercial pilot and a hit to the eye whilst flying could impact my medical, and job.

Even though I am responsible with lasers, idiots are NOT. They also do not understand that shining a laser at an aircraft is no joke. Especialy on finals. I was hesitating at first, but now I have come to agree with the ban of handheld lasers above 1mW to been a restricted import.:D

I was reading through this thread and a pilot said something about wearing sun glasses while flying at night. I'm not sure if he or she were serious. But this will do NOTHING. Sunglasses are to protect the wavelength of UV. I dont need to explain UV here...:=

Bollocks. Sorry for the swearword, but I cannot stand inflammatory statements like that. CD and DVD lasers are not high power. Not even close.

Go back and read my posting on the maths of eye damage at altitude. You can overdrive a DVD-R laser to about 20mW, which is nasty if you a a few feet away, but cannot cause damage if you are a few tens of feet away, let alone a few thousand.

The primary reason for the warnings on CD and DVD players is that the lasers are infrared, so you don't have the blink reflex to protect your eyes. Perversely Blu-Ray lasers are safer, as they are visible, and it's really hard to stare into the beam for length of time required for permanent damage.

Simon.

LambofGod - I apologise in advance because I'm about to rain on your parade. As much as I highly value and encourage curiosity and fun in all things scientific, I'm sorry to say that unless you have had training in the safe use of lasers from an appropriately qualified person I'd be taking your lasers from you. Even at class 3B, the professionals do a lot to limit exposure to the beams, not just for others but for ourselves too, and with very good reason. If the experts do this why should anyone else be exempt? Please, leave the bigger lasers alone unless you are in an appropriate environment, at your age that will either be a school or university teaching lab.


AMEandPPL - I had said in my earlier post that in the UK you can report sellers to the Department of Trade and Industry. Of course the DTI as such no longer exists but the appropriate body is now called the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) (UK Dept for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform)


AnthonyGAI'll disagree and say that it certainly will help. I think you greatly overestimate most people's technical skills or inclination to take apart their CD or blu-ray or DVD player and get a working laser out of it. The vast majority will take the obvious (i.e. currently advertised) route and simply buy.

Of course, simply banning the sale of lasers won't help much for the lasers already out there. Banning unauthorised use of lasers, but allowing the sale of them, won't help either. A combination of both approaches would seem like a good place to start. To use a different problem as an example - if we simply ban people from using guns does that mean we can still allow the open, unregulated sale of them?

Some sick person is currently flashing a green laser at incoming aircraft into runway 28 in Dublin from somewhere off Howth Head which is just to the left of the flight path.

Still using 28 at the moment only one report in but every lander getting a full warning. To the credit of the ATC in EIDW in the past if there where several reports they have switched the active if possible.

theothersimon - A DVD burner has two diodes, an IR (infra-red) which is probably around 20mw. And, a 650nm (red). If teh DVD burner is say 20X, than you could run a safe current to the diode with an output of 300mW+

I have built a Blu-ray Laser and I think I am getting someone around 100mW's.

NO LASER IS SAFE! unless it's <0.5mW...:ok:

DrKev - I know I should stay away from lasers. Especialy when I dream to be a pilot. If anything happened at my age, I would ofcourse look back at it and say "damn I was irresponsibe".
But to assure you;

• I have some safety glasses on there way,
• I do not use lasers irresposibly, and
• I have had no physical training, although I am a member of a laser forum which has provided me with very helpful safety info.

Just remember, those safety glasses tend to be specific to a certain type of laser, you probably need more than one set if you're experimenting with DPSS lasers. The familiar orange safety glasses for a 532 nm laser won't provide much protection in the 650 nm range.

Heads up, some muppets around CYUL...

CTV.ca | Montreal pilots flashed with laser during landings

Presumably if you're not looking out (ILS) until minimums you're OK?

Another one..
 

From the aviation Herald:- The Aviation Herald

Accident: American MD82 near Austin on Nov 22nd 2008, green laser injures crew member

By Simon Hradecky, created Monday, Nov 24th 2008 16:22Z, last updated Monday, Nov 24th 2008 16:22Z

Did I miss something?
 

A quick question:
In the majority of posts in this thread, "l@ser" is used instead of "L*SER" which is the acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation - why is this?





Edited. Please let's not go through this again.

Duck

Look at posts # 161 and #162. Google adverts were previously being generated for the very items being complained about ! Interesting to note that the PPRuNe software has NOT automatically substituted "the word" when you put it in capitals, though !

London City
 

I haven't read the preceding pages of posts, just the last page which makes me wonder what on earth this thread is about... but...
Walking along the south bank of the Thames in the early evening near the Superfluous Inverse Meniscus a couple of weeks ago I was surprised to see at least two enormously powerful lasers projecting into the sky at variable angles. These seem to be extremely close to flightpaths at London City.
What's the deal here?

Green Laser in East London
 

Skridlov,

The lasers you are on about a from the Greenwich Royal observatory and marks the prime meridian:-

BBC News | UK | Laser lights up London sky
Prime Meridian - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I am not qualified to say but I would imagine that discussion/permission from the CAA regarding issues were sorted out beforehand - the laser has been there since 98 with no issues reported that I can find.

Cheers

Forgive the ignorance, but exactly what recreational use do lasers have in the hands of private individuals (as opposed to organisations that do Son et Lumiere)?

Maybe Lambofgod could elucidate?

Edit: I didn't write laser with an @ symbol in it, but it got converted on posting. What's going on here?

Another edit; re-read the thread and apply a bit of lateral thinking re-Google adverts. Not an elegant solution, more of a sticking plaster, but it is working. If only you had any idea the grief we went through to get to THAT solution....

Squid