|
L@ser attacks on Aircraft
At Snaresbrook Crown Court on the 15th May HH Judge Tudor Owen sentenced ech of two defendants who had pleaded guilty to recklessly endangering the safety of an aircraft by shining a green laser light into the cockpit of a police helicopter to 6 months imprisonment
Captain Brian Baldwin, the chief pilot of the Metropolitan Police Air Support Unit since 1997 told the court that the frequency of lasers being used against their helicopters is doubling each year so that there are now up to 15 incidents each month. In his opinion the increase in recent years is in direct proportion to the reduction in size, cost and increase in availability of such devices. He described the effect of shining such a device into the cockpit of a helicopter at night and gave his opinion that “..it is only through chance that we have not had a serious incident or accident from the increasing incidence of laser lights being used against police helicopters”. “The potentially catastrophic consequences of endangering an aircraft in flight are so obvious they do not need to be spelled out and when an aircraft is flying over a densely populated area the consequences may be even more serious. As frequently seen in cases before this and other courts, police helicopters do invaluable work protecting the community and combating crime. That includes, for example, searching for and helping to apprehend suspects, assisting with firearms incidents, public order incidents and counter terrorism operations. The crews are entitled to be protected from the likes of you who are, as I have said, a dangerous menace. The message should go out that people who target helicopters in this idiotic and dangerous way should expect to receive custodial sentences.” |
"The message should go out that people who target helicopters in this idiotic and dangerous way should expect to receive custodial sentences.” Hear, hear. Would that there were more people with the evident good sense of the honorable Judge. The laser blinding issue received an airing in the NYT's house blog today, and to judge by the tenor of the comments, the seriousness of this issue continues to be lost on the general public. Of course, if there is eventually an outcome wherein metal is bent and bodies are broken, there will be a vitriolic public outcry that someone should have done something about the problem sooner. |
Two and a half years for this man..
http://www.shortnews.com/start.cfm?id=69852 |
cwatters
Two and a half years for this man.. Let's hope courts in all countries start taking a serious line. Gotta be the way to go. :ok: B. |
Originally Posted by Legalapproach
(Post 4117342)
At Snaresbrook Crown Court on the 15th May HH Judge Tudor Owen sentenced ech of two defendants who had pleaded guilty to recklessly endangering the safety of an aircraft by shining a green laser light into the cockpit of a police helicopter to 6 months imprisonment
|
Link below from the Middle East forum is interesting, same problem...lets see what happens to these imbiciles.
http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?t=325957 |
Laser beams
"Laser beam 'dazzles' pilot preparing to land at airport"
http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/la...ing.4183538.jp Any updates on this one? |
This has happened at quite a few places recently and to me personaly twice in the last 6 months. Thankfully the laser was far enough away and comeing from a bit off center so I never had it shine straight into my eyes. For me it was an annoyance rather than a danger.
That said some of these devices are pretty powerfull and have the potential if used correctly to cause real damage. I think a police helicopter driver had his vision impaired by one of these lasers. It beggars belief that people are this dum and think its a lark, bit like putting rubble on a railway line to see what happens. Maybe the plods should declare it as terrorist activity and proceed accordingly. |
The same thing happened at Dublin airport a few weeks back, pilots reporting a green laser beam directed at them on approach to runway 16. Garda chopper was brought in to sust it out. Unbeleivable how stupid some people can be.
|
There have been a rash of such attacks in NZ too-
"The Civil Aviation Authority says 16 laser strikes have occurred in Wellington alone during the past 18 months, out of a nationwide total of more than 30 over the past decade." www.radionz.co.nz/news/latest/200806141422/30bcbacc And Oz- "A recent laser attack on a Qantas Boeing 747 has led to concerns over the high intensity lights that are being imported into the country. The aircraft was on final approach into Sydney Airport after travelling from Melbourne when it was attacked by the green laser. However it did not affect the landing and the aircraft landed without incident. This was not the first time that lasers had been used on aircraft in the area, one of which led to a youth being arrested. It is not clear if the incidents are the work of irresponsible individuals or if there is a more serious aim to the attacks. After the spate of attacks the Australian Government has said that is will ban the import of such devices." |
I've resisted saying this on a public forum for some time for fear of giving someone ideas, but now, with so many recent instances of laser attacks, I think it's just a matter of time before you-know-who's boys mount co-ordinated attacks in many different cities worldwide on civil aviation targets. Unless airlines and authorities prepare for such an attack, it has the potential to have a devastating effect.
The authorities have to make it very clear to anyone who thinks pointing a laser at an aeroplane is a clever idea that any such attack (and 'attack' is the correct word) will be treated very, very seriously - as in attempted murder, for murder is what it will amount to eventually when either professional terrorists or some stupid fool gets 'lucky' and dazzles a pilot at a critical point on the approach or during the takeoff roll. |
Unauthorised lasers also figured in the EGFF NOTAMs today. I had an incident not so long ago - reported to ATC who passed it on to the police. Lock some of these morons up for a few years and we will see how funny it is then.
|
Can't see how it can be policed. |
Laser? More dangerous than one might think!
Although the above technical decription serves well to inform us - it does sound as if some issues are not addressed:
The fact that the green light "speads" or "dillutes" is comforting until one discovers that the wind shield has a few "scratches" that causes it to suddenly become completely green. Unlike you car where the problem of an oncoming vehicle not dimming their head lamps? Check this thread from the rotor heads: http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?t=320314 HansFlyer |
This is worth a read..
"The Effects of Laser illumination on Operational and Visual Performance of Pilots During Final Approach" http://www.faa.gov/library/reports/m...media/0409.pdf It says that "illumination of flight crewmembers with laser radiation > 0.5uW/cm^2 is unacceptable" If I did the sums right... A 500mW output laser spread over a 1 meter diameter spot would be around 64uW/cm^2. Thats 128 times the acceptable level. |
From the Southern Echo website toady:
Man Charged After Pointing Laser Pen At Plane (from Daily Echo) A HAMPSHIRE man has been charged with putting an aircraft in danger by shooting a laser beam at a plane. Police have charged 19-year-old David Williams of Cuckoo Lane, Stubbington following an incident involving a 'laser pen' at the former Daedalus airfield at Lee-On-Solent. A police spokeswoman said: "Williams was arrested by police after a laser pen beam was repeatedly aimed at the Hampshire Constabulary Air Support Unit plane, which was taking off from its airfield base at 11.13pm on June 5 this year. advertisement "The beam affected the pilot's night vision, but he was able to take the plane to a higher altitude and the plane's observer officers used the aircraft's equipment to search the area below." Police teams on the ground were directed to a nearby park where the Williams was stopped by police officers and today he was charged with the offence under the provisions of the Air Navigation Order 2005, Article 73. It is the first time that this charge has been brought against a person in Hampshire. Williams is due to appear before Fareham Magistrates Court on Thursday, July 24. |
I got lit up twice a few weeks ago. The same guy hit two other aircraft and the police helicopter that was looking for him. They caught him easily. The FBI agent told me there were four kids joyriding with a $300 laser bought on line. I was 15 miles from the laser and it made my left eye sore for a day.
|
A matter of time.
l remember passing Manchester heading north in `93 on " guy fawkes " night and having a problem with lasers criss-crossing the sky ( l mean strong enough to light clouds which was the intention plainly). l made a report to atc from above 14,000ft, asking that the police investigate. My co-pilot, who was medicaly trained, kept his/her head down `till it stopped.
Our very own lawyer has got this right, bang `em up if caught "playing" with aircraft. |
L@sers And Aircraft
|
a total muppet who should get the electric chair :mad:
luckily it was a two crew a/c |
Mindless or terrorist? Keep checking under your bed though. |
ASBO should just about cover it along with a good shoeing down the cop-shp
|
Bollox to that-attempted murder. If i stormed a flight deck and shone a l@zer into pilots eye...id be down guantanamo by end of month..
|
Make him look into his own LASER :D
Uh no then he could get a place on Big Bruvva:ugh: Sir George Cayley ps Just thought, throw the book at him. CAP736 to be precise! |
Precedent already set in South Australia is two years jail, and it is a felony.
|
What if l@zers are been seen shone into the cabin?
What actions would the two up front, like passengers to do if we become aware the aircraft is being illumniated by a l@zer from the ground?
|
DAL208 is right.
It's attempted murder. Much like shoving a block of concrete off a motorway bridge through the windscreen of an oncoming car or lorry. CJ |
Why are these things still out in the public?
A nineteen-year-old can't posses a shoulder launched device can he? What's the difference with this laser? Aren't they military spec green lasers? Aren't they designed to disable the vision of the enemy? In Las Vegas in the 90's laser light shows would occasionally nail a crew and nothing was done to license or punish operators of these public hazards. This has been going on for a decade now. How long is it until another dumb dumb tries this from the same town? These lasers should be treated like illegal contraband and taken off the market imho. |
What actions would the two up front, like passenergers to do if we become aware the aircraft is being illumniated by a laser from the ground? [EDIT] Thought you asked "what actions should the two up front take." Just re-read the question. My answer is probably still valid, but doesn't address your question, sorry. But I would still suggest not looking at it. These things, if strong enough, can damage the eyes. |
I suppose he comes from a broken home, was abused by his father & was only doing it for a laugh.This unfortunately plus a brief provided by the taxpayer, will most likely get him off.
Yes it is attempted murder, cut & dried no questions, but we all know he will be sent home with a smack on the wrist. |
Antone seen a photo of this scumbag?..... no, no let me guess.....
Shaved head, mouth breather, vacant look, IQ of around 55. Parents no prettier. |
Incidents of lasers being shone at aircraft are very much on the increase. We were getting about one report per month until we raised the profile and then the reporting rate doubled. The reports are about 50:50 UK (our base) and Europe, so it is not just a British malaise.
Industry advice is as follows: 1. If you notice a laser, don’t look at it. It is very tempting, but it will increase the chance of eye injury. 2. Report it to ATC immediately. They can help pinpoint the location and report it to the police. This will also warn other nearby aircraft. 3. File an ASR. On CAA advice we are classifying all laser incidents as MORs so that the CAA can understand the extent of the problem and maybe take action nationally. 4. If any after-effects are felt, the crew member should seek specialist medical attention. In the UK the police will probably be very proactive since they got a successful prosecution against a Muppet who shone a laser at the Manchester police helicopter.:ugh: |
Since laser light has a specific wavelength, I wonder if anyone has thought of equipping police heli pilots with eye filters for the times they have to go hunt these idiots.
|
Trouble is, there's all sorts of laser pointers out there, all emitting light of different wavelengths. You'd need umpteen filters to counter them all, and many of the wideband filters also restrict passage of visible light too.
Death's too good for the b@$t@rds. |
What exactly are these fecking laser thingies for? Do they perform some sort of useful function?
Or are they something we can order shops to stop selling and no-one would be particularly aggrieved by it? I realise that they would still be available abroad, over the web etc, but it would be a start as I think most of these attacks are spur of the moment things rather than meticulously planned. Anyone? |
They are useful for teachers and lecturers for pointing to particular points on a display without having to lean in front of it: hence the name, laser pointers. Somehow I doubt this guy is a lecturer!
|
Luddite I know, but why not use an old fashioned pointer?! I'm sure the lecturers could live with it.
|
OK, so I'm not a pilot, but I do know a lot about Lasers.
The issue here is with the small diode lasers that are sold as laser pointers, and as alignment lasers to the construction industry. The law on these items is that they should all be below 1mW, and hence fall into safety Class 1. Class 1 lasers are inherently safe - in other words there is no way you can damage you eyes, no matter how long you stare into the beam. Which is why they can be sold without restrictions. However you can find higher power diode lasers on sale, with 5 or more mW, which pushes them into Class 2 or even 3a. These you do have to be careful of, as they can do damage if you stare into the beam. This is quite hard to do in practice as you tend to blink and look away as the light light hurts, long before it actually damages you eyes. Even laser light spreads out as it travels (the narrowest laser spot we can put on the moon is five times with width of the moon!), so the damage peters out in a few metres. Every so often Trading Standards cracks down on the illegal sale of Class 2 and 3a lasers as laser pointers, but given the flood coming in from the far east, they are losing the battle. They are the people who you should be complaining to. Class 4 lasers are the ultra high power ones used for cutting metal and professional lighting displays. You need a lot of training before you will even be sold one of these. :ok: The main hazard to pilots from nighttime lasers is distraction and temporary blindness. It is basically impossible to cause permanent damage from the ground, with anything you can buy over the counter (legal or illegal). It's the temporary blindness that is the major hazard to navigation, and why the sales of illegally high powered laser pointers should be better policed. S |
They're also fairly extensively used in the building industry, for lining up things that matter. Floor joists, when re-piling, for instance.
These ones are probably a bit more powerful than the ones used by lecturers, at a guess. |
The main hazard to pilots from nighttime lasers is distraction and temporary blindness. It is basically impossible to cause permanent damage from the ground, with anything you can buy over the counter (legal or illegal). It's the temporary blindness that is the major hazard to navigation, and why the sales of illegally high powered laser pointers should be better policed. Even the first laser was recognized as being potentially dangerous. Theodore Maiman characterized the first laser as having a power of one "Gillette"; as it could burn through one Gillette razor blade. Today, it is accepted that even low-power lasers with only a few milliwatts of output power can be hazardous to human eyesight, when the beam from such a laser hits the eye directly or after reflection from a shiny surface. At wavelengths which the cornea and the lens can focus well, the coherence and low divergence of laser light means that it can be focused by the eye into an extremely small spot on the retina, resulting in localized burning and permanent damage in seconds or even less time. Lasers are usually labeled with a safety class number, which identifies how dangerous the laser is: Class I/1 is inherently safe, usually because the light is contained in an enclosure, for example in cd players. Class II/2 is safe during normal use; the blink reflex of the eye will prevent damage. Usually up to 1 mW power, for example laser pointers. Class IIIa/3R lasers are usually up to 5 mW and involve a small risk of eye damage within the time of the blink reflex. Staring into such a beam for several seconds is likely to cause (minor) eye damage. Class IIIb/3B can cause immediate severe eye damage upon exposure. Usually lasers up to 500 mW, such as those in cd and dvd burners. Class IV/4 lasers can burn skin, and in some cases, even scattered light can cause eye and/or skin damage. Many industrial and scientific lasers are in this class. The indicated powers are for visible-light, continuous-wave lasers. For pulsed lasers and invisible wavelengths, other power limits apply. People working with class 3B and class 4 lasers can protect their eyes with safety goggles which are designed to absorb light of a particular wavelength. Certain infrared lasers with wavelengths beyond about 1.4 micrometres are often referred to as being "eye-safe". This is because the intrinsic molecular vibrations of water molecules very strongly absorb light in this part of the spectrum, and thus a laser beam at these wavelengths is attenuated so completely as it passes through the eye's cornea that no light remains to be focused by the lens onto the retina. The label "eye-safe" can be misleading, however, as it only applies to relatively low power continuous wave beams and any high power or Q-switched laser at these wavelengths can burn the cornea, causing severe eye damage. [edit] |
| All times are GMT. The time now is 07:35. |
Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.