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Laser strikes against airplanes now an “epidemic,” says FBI


Hunting the source of a laser strike.










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210 Reader Comments

  1. rodalpho wrote:
    Major General Thanatos wrote:
    If you bothered to either read my post regarding that site, or checked it out more fully yourself, you'd discover that: ... olicy.html

    Everything you are demanding a law for (short of a license that wouldn't do anything) they already do.

    Take your authoritarian ignorant ass and show yourself out.

    My whole post was about licensing use. You say "that wouldn't do anything". So why do we force citizens to get licenses to drive cars, or buy guns, or hunt or fish? Is all that just revenue generation by the government with no intrinsic value? (If that is your answer, we have a fundamental disagreement.)

    You haven't explained how licensing for this use would do anything, therefore, it does nothing until you explain what it should do.
    You're saying you comply with all laws. I believe you. But there aren't any laws constraining purchase or ownership of lasers of ANY power.

    And there isn't any need for one.
    You include a safety pamphlet and safety glasses. That's great. But it's not the same thing as licensing use.

    You just went into dangerous assumption territory.
    Also, I suggest you moderate your tone when posting as a representative of your company. You come off as kind of an asshole.

    Not my company. Asshole. See where that assumption got you?

    Disclaimer: I don't even own a wicked laser.

    The laser I'm saving up for has considerably more wattage.
    18977 posts | registered
  2. Major General Thanatos wrote:
    The laser I'm saving up for has considerably more wattage.

    15383 posts | registered
  3. Ostracus wrote:
    Major General Thanatos wrote:
    The laser I'm saving up for has considerably more wattage.


    Actually, it's kinda like that.

    United Nuclear: Death Ray Parts
    18977 posts | registered
  4. Major General Thanatos wrote:

    Whether it's your company or not, you remain an asshole.
    358 posts | registered
  5. rodalpho wrote:
    Major General Thanatos wrote:

    Whether it's your company or not, you remain an asshole.

    As one asshole to another, Cheers!
    18977 posts | registered
  6. I wonder about the possibility of selective wave length polarization for aircraft cockpit windows. A sensor that could detect amplitudes of light above a certain threshold and then polarize the cockpit against the frequency of light that is exceeding that amplitude selectively.

    I am not saying it is cheap or that it might not take a big enough fraction of a second to react that blindness still couldn't result, but it does make me wonder if it is both feasible and a solution?
    1051 posts | registered
  7. Ostracus wrote:
    One Sick Puppy wrote:
    I don't see the fun factor in this kind of mischief.

    Some see fun in fart jokes.

    584 posts | registered
  8. richten wrote:
    People have been using green lasers to distract players in football (soccer) matches for a while now . There too it is almost epidemic and I don't know what is being done to solve the problem.

    Unfortunately, it's not just football "fans" that are doing this these days. It's also crept into Rugby Union, very notably when Argentina hosted the Wallabies this past weekend: ... 6492320811

    The All Blacks were treated to similar hospitality in their earlier Rugby Championship game the week before.

    Bloody pathetic behaviour at an international match...

    Edit: swapped out for a better link with a photo and video of a couple of the incidents...

    Edit: Rugby League? What the hell was I thinking?
    3602 posts | registered
  9. I'm wondering how much of this is BS. How can you point that laser so good from that distance. OK OK.....if it does happen and the person is caught, and they are that good..... give them a rifle and send them over to Iraq. I'm thinking all those lights are just people trying to take photos of the planes taking off- when you press down the shutter button a LED light go out to check for distance. It is bright, but not deadly.
    1 post | registered
  10. WTF? What is wrong with people? I just don't get it. I say throw the book at them.
    1445 posts | registered
  11. Up to 5 years and $11,000 fine is too lenient. They should get the maximum penalty for attempted 1st degree murder. Imagine someone bringing down a fully loaded jumbo jet and killing everyone. Maybe they should also consider applying a "one-way mirror" reflective coating on cockpit glass. Of course, that has the disadvantage of not being able to see what is going on inside the cockpit if some other shenigan is taking place - like a sky-jacking.
    29 posts | registered

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