Ground lasers hitting airline pilots in the eyes

[fredr123]

http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/...e9f3fb&k=14775

Transport Canada is probing 33 possible cases of airplane pilots being flashed in the eyes by ground-based laser beams - including one Calgary incident reported as recently as two weeks ago.


Transport Canada is monitoring the situation and has no explanation for the incidents, which appear to be getting more frequent and potentially put pilots and their flights at risk.


"I can confirm there have been 33 reported incidents in Canada (since 2005)," Transport Canada spokesperson Kirsten Goodnough said Friday from Ottawa.


Pilots have complained that someone on the ground is shining a laser at their cockpit windows trying to hit them in the eye, which can cause temporary or permanent eye damage.

Seriously bizarre. And Transport Canada should probably look up the definition of "pinpointed":

According to the Transport Canada report, the origin of the laser was pinpointed to a downtown Calgary location, south of the Bow River. But the source of the laser couldn't be determined.

[OutOfTheCube]

Probably some dumb teenagers.

[ken0042]

I wonder how many of these are telecommunications beams. When we set up an office in a different part of downtown one of the options we looked at was laser. We didn't use it because we had some line of sight issues.

I'm just thinking you'd need a powerful laser to hit an airplane pilot.

[Barnes]

Someone must have a pretty steady hand to get a laser dot in the eye of a pilot moving at 700 kph a kilometer away.

[Kidder]

This happened on CSI Miami... brought down a plane with one of those small laser pointers into a pilots eye. Those cunning, wily detectives were able to track down the perpetrator, although I forget who it was, probably a dumb teenager.

I laughed at the possibility then and I laugh at it now. How does someone point a laser at a plane 30,000 feet above the ground??? Not just the plane, the cockpit, right into the pilot's eye.

Now after reading the article I see that most of these incidents happened on landings. But still, if they 'pinpointed' it to downtown Calgary, that isn't even close to the airport. how does this happen? Seems unfathomable.

[Cube Inmate]

The people who host the public astronomy night (weekly) at the science centre use green lasers to point out objects in the sky... I laughed when I saw one of them pointing out Saturn, right in the direction of planes landing on RWY 34. That's probably what the majority of the 33 reported incidents are.

[Barnes]

Originally Posted by OutOfTheCube

Probably some dumb teenagers.

Ha..

It's not teenagers after all. It's rock and space nerds.

[schnee]

Probably the same person(s) who's been shining the green laser on the crowd and on the ice at some Flames home games...

[HotHotHeat]

I'm pretty sure laser pointing lost it's coolness sometime after fresh price went off the air. That, or, I graduated elementary school...

[Bob]

I'd say dumb teenagers, if anything.

If you had the capability to accurate shine a powerful laser into a pilots eye in the hopes of causing a airline crash, you'd be better off just shooting at the thing with a missile or something and then high-tailing it out of there.

[SarichFan]

Coke heads, definetely coke heads.

[metal_geek]

I'm sure alot of thoes have to do with Astronomy too, it's handy to be able to point out stuff to people. They are becomming more and more popular so makes sense that the incidents are increasing. I don't use one personally, but if I could turn off street lights with it, I'd Order the super delux, 1 billion MEGAWATT version in a heat beat...
________
Vaporizer wholesale

[BerubeHater]

When both my wife and I were landing at Athens, both of us were looking out the window when this bright green light came in our window from the ground in the city. It was pretty bazzar, but I don't see how it could hit/affect both the pilot and co-pilot at the same time. Must be dumb teenagers.

When it happened, I immediately thought of the CSI espisode.

[Flames89]

Originally Posted by metal_geek

... I don't use one personally, but if I could turn off street lights with it, I'd Order the super delux, 1 billion MEGAWATT version in a heat beat...

Isn't that called a bb-gun?

[metal_geek]

Originally Posted by Flames89

Isn't that called a bb-gun?

Oh I've considered that, I was hoping for a little less permanent, less distruction of property type thing I could shine in the little Light sensor, when I wanted them to be... "Off" for a few hours...


Now, the mini suns they have on the cranes at the new hospital location off deerfoot south, thoes I'd have no problem putting a few dozen BB's in to..
________
Weed vaporizer

[fredr123]

Update from Kevin Martin at the Calgary Sun. At least one guy's been caught:

Mackow, 29, decided to see if the new laser pointer he got shortly before last Oct. 15, had the ability to reach a plane as it landed in Calgary.

For a few brief seconds he shone it at an Air Canada Jazz Dash 8 from his Beltline apartment complex while it was about 8 km from reaching its destination.

When the plane safely landed the pilot informed transport safety officials of the potential danger and Calgary police were quickly notified.
If not for a brain freeze by Mackow, attempts by HAWCS helicopter to track the culprit would have been akin to searching for a needle in a haystack.

HAWCS took to the air with the knowledge the beam of light, which Capt. Mike Scarr said lasted less than 10 seconds, but posed a hazard to the flight, came from an area south of the downtown core.

The police helicopter dutifully went to the area and Mackow promptly led investigators right to him by shining his laser at the HAWCS pilot as well.

[tussery]

Originally Posted by metal_geek

Oh I've considered that, I was hoping for a little less permanent, less distruction of property type thing I could shine in the little Light sensor, when I wanted them to be... "Off" for a few hours...


Now, the mini suns they have on the cranes at the new hospital location off deerfoot south, thoes I'd have no problem putting a few dozen BB's in to..

Something like this just might work.
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/...85&postcount=1

[MelBridgeman]

Originally Posted by fredr123

Update from Kevin Martin at the Calgary Sun. At least one guy's been caught:

Mackow, 29, decided to see if the new laser pointer he got shortly before last Oct. 15, had the ability to reach a plane as it landed in Calgary.

For a few brief seconds he shone it at an Air Canada Jazz Dash 8 from his Beltline apartment complex while it was about 8 km from reaching its destination.

When the plane safely landed the pilot informed transport safety officials of the potential danger and Calgary police were quickly notified.
If not for a brain freeze by Mackow, attempts by HAWCS helicopter to track the culprit would have been akin to searching for a needle in a haystack.

HAWCS took to the air with the knowledge the beam of light, which Capt. Mike Scarr said lasted less than 10 seconds, but posed a hazard to the flight, came from an area south of the downtown core.

The police helicopter dutifully went to the area and Mackow promptly led investigators right to him by shining his laser at the HAWCS pilot as well.

all i have to say is what an farking idiot...especiall because its a 29 year old playing with his toy lazer.

[Daradon]

Wow, I had no idea you could purchase (anyone could purchase) such strong lasers.

Another example of the power of technology outpacing the growth of wisdom in humans.

[Boblobla]

It must be while the planes are landing that they shoot them? That is the only way that I see the pilots actually getting tagged in the eyes.