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it's not going to do real damage to a full size airplane.

I'm sure that's comforting to the pilots that are blinded right before they crash the plane. Pilots already frequently report encountering laser incidents, on average 10 a night and those incidents aren't using lasers specifically designed to destroy things.

You're talking about a $10 laser pointer owned by a punk kid versus a multi thousand dollar device and the technical knowledge to modify it to target a full size aircraft instead of a drone. Even if you could buy one the limited number of these sold would make them trivial to track. This is FUD. The odds of someone buying one of these and using it on a commercial aircraft is pretty much nil as there would be a dozen easier ways to harass an aircraft.

it's not going to do real damage to a full size airplane.

I'm sure that's comforting to the pilots that are blinded right before they crash the plane. Pilots already frequently report encountering laser incidents, on average 10 a night and those incidents aren't using lasers specifically designed to destroy things.

Its been done already.

Just because you make it illegal doesn't mean people pay attention.

U.S.C. TITLE 18, CHAPTER 2
Sec. 39A. Aiming a laser pointer at an aircraft
(a) OFFENSE -- Whoever knowingly aims the beam of a laser pointer at an aircraft in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States, or at the flight path of such an aircraft, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 5 years, or both.

A bunch of other laws here:
http://www.laserpointersafety....

I just did a quick search and this is already being looked into. http://www.laserpointersafety....

http://www.laserpointersafety....

You mean the roughly 1 conviction per year since 2008 that didn't include pointing a laser directly at police?!?

Just like the example of enforcement I suggested of someone getting in trouble for using a copter to film our Sheriff or likely-future Attorney General instead of buzzing your neighbor's house?

> lasing of a commercial jet and the sheriff’s helicopter that was sent to investigate
> repeatedly aiming a green laser at a Fresno Police Department helicopter.
> aiming a laser pointer at a Pima County Sheriff’s department airplane
> aiming a “powerful red laser” at a Fresno County Sheriff’s Office helicopter.
> aimed a blue laser at a Columbus police helicopter “because he was bored.”
> aiming a laser pointer at a Customs and Border Patrol helicopter.
> aimed a green laser attached to his 9mm pistol at a police helicopter.
> A green laser beam was aimed at Dallas Police Department’s Air One at least four times over 10 minutes.
> lasing of a police helicopter.
> for aiming a green laser at a news media helicopter
> aiming a “commercial grade” green laser pointer at an aircraft and a police helicopter
> arrested on multiple charges for lasing a LAPD helicopter
> On November 9 2011, Cerise aimed a green laser at two commercial aircraft.
> aimed a green laser multiple times at a Virginia Beach police helicopter
> aiming a green laser at a Los Angeles Police Department helicopter
> aiming a laser four times at a Kern County Sheriff's Office helicopter
> illuminating a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department helicopter with a green laser.
> aimed a green laser at a boat, car, and commercial airliner.
> arrested for aiming a green laser at an Orange County (FL) sheriff's helicopter.
> aimed a green laser at a cargo plane.
> aimed 50 milliwatt handheld lasers at river barges, airplanes and a police helicopter
> aimed a laser at a California Highway Patrol helicopter.
> aimed a green laser pointer at a sheriff's department helicopter
> aimed a laser at a Philadelphia police helicopter.
> illuminated a police helicopter in Philadelphia.
> aimed a laser at a commercial aircraft and then at a police helicopter.
> aimed a laser pointer at a Columbus OH police helicopter.
> aimed a blue laser pointer at a sheriff's helicopter.
> lased a Massachusetts state police helicopter at least five times.
> aimed a green laser at a California Highway Patrol helicopter.
> aimed a green laser at a California Highway Patrol helicopter at least four times
> illuminated an Arizona police helicopter with a green laser pointer
> aimed a laser at a sheriff's helicopter.
> 2008, Welch aimed a laser at two commercial jets landing at John Wayne Airport
> aimed a green laser at a sheriff's helicopter
> aimed a laser pointer at a police helicopter

http://www.laserpointersafety....

You think these penalties are too extreme? Messing with pilots while they are controlling aircraft is a very serious activity.

A laser is more highly focused than lightning, so your theory is problematic. And how many times is lightning aimed a cockpit? http://www.laserpointersafety.... Here is a description of an incident of lighting blinding a pilot, causing the loss of control and 25 deaths: http://avstop.com/news/strikeb...

These pilots anti laser glasses block multiple frequencies, and do NOT impair ability to view instruments. And they are no more distracting than donning or removing sunglasses or prescription glasses, both of which pilots already use.

http://www.laserpointersafety....

If you've ever had to wear laser safety goggles, you'd know its highly disorienting to wear them for a long period of time.

Goggles for lab laser work, and glasses for pilots are very different things.

"These glasses have been tested by pilots for a major U.S. airline, who confirm that they can still safely distinguish colors in the cockpit (including green on indicators and LCD displays), and on airport lighting."
http://www.laserpointersafety....

http://www.laserpointersafety....

BattleApple posted this earlier in the thread: http://www.laserpointersafety....

The *potential* damage could be a few hundred dead people at the end of a runway. It's not that they're damaging to the eye, they're distracting. When cats start flying aircraft, maybe people will be prosecuted.

Check out the gifs on this page.. I definitely wouldn't want to try landing a plane in that situation.
http://www.laserpointersafety....

For a start, those stats are from 2008. Considering how many people have laser pointers now vs 5 years ago I think some more up-to-date stats are required. Heck, take a little look at these stats to see that the reported incidents of laser pointers has almost quadrupled since your stats were published.

Secondly, WTF cares whether or not there have been any casualties directly attributed to a laser pointer shone at an aircraft? There are plenty of reports from pilots about being distracted and minor incidents (the type that get no investigation from the FAA who actually only investigate a small number of actual incidents that meet certain criteria). What gives anyone the right to endanger lives just so they have a jolly shining a light at an aircraft? The jail sentence (which IMHO was rather harsh) is for endangering lives. Stupid people who do so for their own amusement should be smacked down with some jail time.

I work with laser daily that have far greater power and focus than the average 5mW laser you can buy in a store. And this report just makes me sad. Sending a guy to jail for something stupid. The pilots could never have been blinded (permanently or even for a short while) with laser of these low power unfocused types. Its basically more dangerous to your retina to look into the sun. The IEC 60601-2-22 for example defines a way to calculate the NOHD http://www.laserpointersafety.com/safetyinfo/safetyinfo/calcs.html Basically this a method of calculating the chance of damage to the eye, based on distance, divergence of the beam, power and wavelength.
Example:EXAMPLE 1: In the U.S., lasers sold as pointers must be less than 5 mW. A typical divergence is 1 milliradian. What is the Nominal Ocular Hazard Distance? The 50/50 injury chance distance?
NOHD (Nominal Ocular Hazard Distance) in feet = (32.8 / 1) * (square root of (0.5 * 5)) = 32.8 * (square root of 2.5) = 32.8 * 1.58 = 51.9 feet ED50 distance in feet = 51.9 / 3.16 = 16.4 feet
Answer: The Nominal Ocular Hazard Distance of a 5 mW laser pointer with 1 mrad divergence is 51.9 feet. The ED50 distance means that if a person is 16.4 feet from the laser and is exposed under laboratory conditions (the laser and eye are fixed relative to each other), there is a 50/50 chance of causing a minimally detectable retinal lesion.
In short, unless the guy was sitting within 16 feet of the plane/helicopter, he has a 50% change of inducing ANY form of damage to the retina. On the other hand, could the laser pointer pose a distraction to the pilot and the pilot could make a fatal error. Sure, but a ringing cellphone might do the same.

Now for lasers:
Sentencing is all over the map, but 2.5 years is not outrageous here.

Lets compare it to kids sentenced for throwing rocks at cars. We will see that it is all over the map as far as sentencing goes.

5 years 1 person injured
Probation+Restitution
Probation 1 child seriously injured

i would say the probation people got off way too easy. Though most of the articles I found were of people being killed, most of those were murder charges and life-sentences. Very few articles about non-fatal events. It makes me wonder if non-injury rock throwings are even investigated at all.

I was quoting you, are you that forgetful that you forget your own word usage?

Yes, the glasses are so narrowband that the best one "has 49% transmittance for low-light conditions".

"Blue blocker glasses have an effect on many different colors of blue and green. This may adversely effect how cockpit instruments and airport lights are perceived."

http://www.laserpointersafety.com/page52/laserglasses/laserglasses.html

Interesting. So pilots can wear anti-laser glasses during landing & take off. And put them on as soon as they first see a laser. So that's yet another reason the answer isn't banning.

http://www.laserpointersafety.com/page52/laserglasses/laserglasses.html

If police pilots were actually trying to get people to laser them, from the relatively short distance where they'd be able to pin-point the perpetrators, then at least those police pilots know it's not a real danger.

Or they were wearing laser safety goggles.

Oooh! I guessed right!

http://www.laserpointersafety.com/how2reduceincidents/pilots/pilots.html

http://laserpointersafety.com/news/news/other-news_files/429de9e7f6bef34ed0d1ad9f78914f53-219.php