3 ms·

It's worth looking at some video of what a laser strike looks like from the cockpit. eg: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eoj3H7LMy2k https://www.youtube.com/wa

It's worth looking at some video of what a laser strike looks like from the cockpit. eg: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eoj3H7LMy2k https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eoj3H7LMy2k And because this happens at night, the pilot looses their dark adaptation - they will have difficulty seeing for a minute or longer after each flash. So, no, the airplane won't instantly roll over dive into the nearest building. But it is still quite dangerous.

brokenmachine 5y ago
I note that in that video, the first footage there is a plane on the runway with someone shining the laser from maybe 30m away. Not a moving plane in flight. And it doesn't speak to the quality of the reporting when it shows the alarmist message "THIS FOOTAGE SHOWS A LASER ATTACK ON A PASSENGER PLANE", combined with footage that is clearly not from a plane but a helicopter. In my younger, stupider days I've played with laser pointers with my young, stupid friends, trying to shine them into each others eyes from across a park. It's really not that bad because you can't hold it steady enough and in a moving aircraft from a large distance would be a non-event. A helicopter would be more vulnerable however, and as I said a group of people all ARMED with laser WEAPONS to ATTACK. Yes, people who shine at planes are doing the wrong thing, but it's not bad enough to warrant alarmist all-caps warning messages and pretending it's anywhere near as much threat as physical impacts with drones, drunk/sleepy pilots, crappy maintenance or plane UI (lol, I watch Air Crash Investigations TV show), or anything else.
- Teever 5y ago
  > In my younger, stupider days I've played with laser pointers with my young, stupid friends, trying to shine them into each others eyes from across a park. I'm assuming that these were 1w red laser pointers? Have you ever played with those new 5w and 10w green lasers? They're a whole other ballpark. One of the big issues is that while a red light doesn't affect your night vision a green laser will.
  - anonymousiam 5y ago
    I'm assuming that you meant mW everywhere you wrote W.
    - Teever 5y ago
      Nope. https://www.laserpointerpro.com/attribute/power_5000mw-laser_81 https://www.laserpointerpro.com/attribute/power_5000mw-laser...
      - brokenmachine 5y ago
        Wow, that is actually very scary. I take it back. That is a ridiculous power in a handheld laser.
      - anonymousiam 5y ago
        I'm aware of these, but the context of what you wrote doesn't seem to match. Did you and your friends suffer burns or blindness when playing with these lasers (which likely did not yet exist when you were younger)? 5mW Nd:YAG(green) laser pointers have been around for about 20 years. Handheld green lasers with power levels above 2W have only been available for about five years.
  - brokenmachine 5y ago
    They were labelled as "<5mW" red lasers, from memory. I have seen the 5mW green lasers and you're right, I wouldn't play with them aiming them at people's eyes, but I still wouldn't call in an airstrike if my plane was hit by one for a split-second.

brokenmachine 5y ago

I note that in that video, the first footage there is a plane on the runway with someone shining the laser from maybe 30m away. Not a moving plane in flight. And it doesn't speak to the quality of the reporting when it shows the alarmist message "THIS FOOTAGE SHOWS A LASER ATTACK ON A PASSENGER PLANE", combined with footage that is clearly not from a plane but a helicopter. In my younger, stupider days I've played with laser pointers with my young, stupid friends, trying to shine them into each others eyes from across a park. It's really not that bad because you can't hold it steady enough and in a moving aircraft from a large distance would be a non-event. A helicopter would be more vulnerable however, and as I said a group of people all ARMED with laser WEAPONS to ATTACK. Yes, people who shine at planes are doing the wrong thing, but it's not bad enough to warrant alarmist all-caps warning messages and pretending it's anywhere near as much threat as physical impacts with drones, drunk/sleepy pilots, crappy maintenance or plane UI (lol, I watch Air Crash Investigations TV show), or anything else.

Teever 5y ago
> In my younger, stupider days I've played with laser pointers with my young, stupid friends, trying to shine them into each others eyes from across a park. I'm assuming that these were 1w red laser pointers? Have you ever played with those new 5w and 10w green lasers? They're a whole other ballpark. One of the big issues is that while a red light doesn't affect your night vision a green laser will.
- anonymousiam 5y ago
  I'm assuming that you meant mW everywhere you wrote W.
  - Teever 5y ago
    Nope. https://www.laserpointerpro.com/attribute/power_5000mw-laser_81 https://www.laserpointerpro.com/attribute/power_5000mw-laser...
    - brokenmachine 5y ago
      Wow, that is actually very scary. I take it back. That is a ridiculous power in a handheld laser.
    - anonymousiam 5y ago
      I'm aware of these, but the context of what you wrote doesn't seem to match. Did you and your friends suffer burns or blindness when playing with these lasers (which likely did not yet exist when you were younger)? 5mW Nd:YAG(green) laser pointers have been around for about 20 years. Handheld green lasers with power levels above 2W have only been available for about five years.
- brokenmachine 5y ago
  They were labelled as "<5mW" red lasers, from memory. I have seen the 5mW green lasers and you're right, I wouldn't play with them aiming them at people's eyes, but I still wouldn't call in an airstrike if my plane was hit by one for a split-second.