Pointing A Laser At A Police Helicopter Is An Idiotic Idea

Megalith

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This is what happens when you’re young, dumb, and the police have an L-3 WESCAM trained on you. I feel like I’m watching something out of a Tom Clancy game; I was almost expecting a missile strike at some point.
 
It's like.....one of those air support combat vids you see coming out of Iraq / Afghanistan.

LEOs must love it. :D

However - it'll be interesting when civilians start attaching optics which approach the level of fidelity provided by that L-3 FindYourAssAnytimeoftheNight system.
 
'attaching optics to drones***' - thanks Mr. NoEditFrontPageNewsPosts rule.
 
This happened a couple of hours from where I live. It has been a problem for several years in the Toront area. The young pup had a laser sight on a pellet gun. The charges are not just criminal but federal, as interfering with an aircraft in flight with a laser is a Transport Canada matter.
 
I'm torn on this video. The tech is impressive and the potential problems of being hit by laser pointer at just the right time may be bad, did it really require the resources they used. More than a half dozen cops and a helicopter chase down for what is in the US a misdemeanor. Then again, it happened in Canada and wasn't my tax dollars at work. :p
 
I'm torn on this video. The tech is impressive and the potential problems of being hit by laser pointer at just the right time may be bad, did it really require the resources they used. More than a half dozen cops and a helicopter chase down for what is in the US a misdemeanor. Then again, it happened in Canada and wasn't my tax dollars at work. :p

Pointing lasers at airborne human-piloted vehicles should quite frankly be a felony, minimum, in the US. If it aint, then the LEO effort/resources spent to apprehend is definitely not worth it.

At the end of the day, I'd much rather cash my tax $$$ in for felons getting hooked up. Sadly, it's pretty much the other way around these days.
 
Lol those guys got owned, they figured it would be impossible to find them but this is cops they're dealing with. It's like going to shoot an army tank with a BB gun. You just don't do that, you're only going to piss off whoever is inside. :D

This is a serious matter though, it can cause permanent eye damage to the pilot let alone the whole idea that the aircraft can crash.
 
Pointing lasers at airborne human-piloted vehicles should quite frankly be a felony, minimum, in the US. If it aint, then the LEO effort/resources spent to apprehend is definitely not worth it.

At the end of the day, I'd much rather cash my tax $$$ in for felons getting hooked up. Sadly, it's pretty much the other way around these days.

Damn dude calm your tits. It's just some kids shining a laser. Big whoop, especially in this case. No need to get all federal on their asses. Are you Judge Dredd or some shit?
 
Damn dude calm your tits. It's just some kids shining a laser. Big whoop, especially in this case. No need to get all federal on their asses. Are you Judge Dredd or some shit?

The problem isn't who is doing it. The problem is what is being done.
 
I thought that had a gun profile when he stashed in his pants (which ironically probably is what lead them to find it as his body heat warmed it up enough to continue to shine out IR in the darkness.
 
Pointing lasers at airborne human-piloted vehicles should quite frankly be a felony, minimum, in the US. If it aint, then the LEO effort/resources spent to apprehend is definitely not worth it.

At the end of the day, I'd much rather cash my tax $$$ in for felons getting hooked up. Sadly, it's pretty much the other way around these days.

So if you are in highschool and a dumbass with a laser pointer on your airsoft, and you point it at a manned aircraft, like a dumbass, you should loose your right to vote and own a fire arm, for the rest of your life?

Then again in some states a few years ago, intentionally throwing someone iphone out the window or into a fish tank met the min property damage for a felony...
 
So if you are in highschool and a dumbass with a laser pointer on your airsoft, and you point it at a manned aircraft, like a dumbass, you should loose your right to vote and own a fire arm, for the rest of your life?

Then again in some states a few years ago, intentionally throwing someone iphone out the window or into a fish tank met the min property damage for a felony...

Yep.

Fortunately, people like you and your kind don't run the show.

We do. Deal with it. :cool:
 
Oh noes! Not the deadly laser pointer! What ever shall we do against such a dastardly weapon?!
 
I'm torn on this video. The tech is impressive and the potential problems of being hit by laser pointer at just the right time may be bad, did it really require the resources they used. More than a half dozen cops and a helicopter chase down for what is in the US a misdemeanor. Then again, it happened in Canada and wasn't my tax dollars at work. :p

It shouldn't be a misdemeanor. It starts with a police helicopter that has 3 or 4 people in it, and it finishes with an airliner with hundreds of people.
 
Oh noes! Not the deadly laser pointer! What ever shall we do against such a dastardly weapon?!

Put your @$$ in jail where you can't endanger other people's very lives in such a careless, selfish manner.
 
Oh noes! Not the deadly laser pointer! What ever shall we do against such a dastardly weapon?!

Shine one directly into your eye, see how you like being blind.

Brain dead idiots like bildad here the reason so many people keep shining lasers at aircraft, they don't understand how serious it is.
 
I think the source of disagreement here is that many people don't realize just how serious a threat a laser pointer can be to an aircraft.

They seem kind of wimoy on the ground, but the effect on a cockpit is anything but, and can lead to severed disorientation and even result in crashes.

And that's with legal sub 5 milliwatt lasers. If the idiot who is pointing it at an aircraft has an illegal made in china version that exceeds the 5 mW its mucb worse.

this explanation might help

I'm all for throwing the book at anyone who points a laser at an aircraft or even a car for that matter.

Oh, and no, these are not misdemeanor charges in the U.S., there are plenty of 2-3 year prison sentences to come out of pointing lasers at aircraft.

There was even one guy using an illegal higher wattage laser who got 14 years in prison...

It is a very serious matter.
 
http://www.laserpointersafety.com/laser-hazards_aircraft/laser-hazards_aircraft.html


Don't want over regulation on your toys then you should use them in a responsible manner.

Nice assumption, I don't even own one lol. And I don't buy that shit anymore than I buy cell phones disrupt our airliners. Protip: They don't, never did. Hence why they lifted it. It's called being scared of something you didn't bother to research. if they are so dangerous, ban them ENTIRELY and be done with it. they won't, because it's not.
 
Nice assumption, I don't even own one lol. And I don't buy that shit anymore than I buy cell phones disrupt our airliners. Protip: They don't, never did. Hence why they lifted it. It's called being scared of something you didn't bother to research. if they are so dangerous, ban them ENTIRELY and be done with it. they won't, because it's not.

Adding it to that since i can't edit.

If it was so dangerous, they would ban it entirely.
 
Side effects could be bad. Scare potential, bullet(s) or missile will follow, very bad.
 
Piloting an aircraft is difficult enough without deliberate attempts to distract the crew.

A sudden unexpected flash in the corner of a pilot's field of view can be misinterpreted as a notification light in the cockit or electric arcing.

While they're looking around for the source they lose some ability to control actual threats like terrain obstacles, powerlines...
 
As a pilot let me assure you this is not a joke. If you are approaching the runway for touch down and fighting a crosswind for example and get temporarily blinded you could very easily crash the plane and kill or maim a lot of people. Same goes for idiots that fly drones near airports. Believe me this is going to cause loss of life, it's not a matter of "if it happens but "when it happens".
 
As a pilot let me assure you this is not a joke. If you are approaching the runway for touch down and fighting a crosswind for example and get temporarily blinded you could very easily crash the plane and kill or maim a lot of people. Same goes for idiots that fly drones near airports. Believe me this is going to cause loss of life, it's not a matter of "if it happens but "when it happens".

Got live video evidence of this "blinding light"? I'm all for completely banning their sale if true (Thus making owning them illegal). But I'm not buying verbal recounts from unknowns. Proof is required by those making these claims. Not those refusing to accept conjecture at best.
 
I don't think anyone piloting an air craft should have to put up with unneeded crap but at the same time I really don't know if I think its OK to put someone behind bars for long lengths of time over this and especially not on a first time issue. A simple but hefty fine should probably teach them a good lesson, jail time should be reserved for repeat offenders or those shown to have malicious intent.

I know people say that this is bad but the reality is there have been over 4000 cases of this and AFAIK none have resulted in a crash. And I think pilots are supposed to be smart trained people who can deal with not having perfect visibility at all times or other things going wrong, else they shouldn't be flying. What happens when their is fog or snow does everyone just crash? But the other thing I have noticed is a lot of pilots are pretty anal people in general that have a harsh view on things which is somewhat understandable given mistakes can cost them and everyone a life, so I am not really surprised they would vote to throw the book at a 12 year old kid that pointed a laser pointer at them.
 
I don't think anyone piloting an air craft should have to put up with unneeded crap but at the same time I really don't know if I think its OK to put someone behind bars for long lengths of time over this and especially not on a first time issue. A simple but hefty fine should probably teach them a good lesson, jail time should be reserved for repeat offenders or those shown to have malicious intent.

I know people say that this is bad but the reality is there have been over 4000 cases of this and AFAIK none have resulted in a crash. And I think pilots are supposed to be smart trained people who can deal with not having perfect visibility at all times or other things going wrong, else they shouldn't be flying. What happens when their is fog or snow does everyone just crash? But the other thing I have noticed is a lot of pilots are pretty anal people in general that have a harsh view on things which is somewhat understandable given mistakes can cost them and everyone a life, so I am not really surprised they would vote to throw the book at a 12 year old kid that pointed a laser pointer at them.

My thoughts exactly. Also why they severely advanced electronics to guide them, for exactly these scenarios among so many others.
 
Lock 'em up. It's the only deterrent that people take seriously. Slap on the wrist fines don't do jack.
 
This is just like the issue with people flying drones, er quadricopters into areas they should not and believing they are above the law and/or common sense. Those who fight to their last breath defending it can not be convinced. Waste of time.

I would bet that if those of you defending this laser-pointing practice were pilots and it happened to you, you might not be so smug about it.
 

Yeah no, that an't shit. Annoying maybe, dangerous hardly. The first part of that is a camera see'ing it. That will always be so much worse because of the glass on the camera in proximity of the recording sensor. i'm sorry it's just a annoyance. I don't agree with people doing it because it's a shithead thing to do, but hardly criminal.
 
So if you are in highschool and a dumbass with a laser pointer on your airsoft, and you point it at a manned aircraft, like a dumbass, you should loose your right to vote and own a fire arm, for the rest of your life?
Most states (48) don't allow felons to vote while incarcerated, very few states (4 I think) prohibit voting after a felon has served his term.

And the house recently passed a bill allowing non-violent felons to own guns, and even before it it was not strictly impossible to regain your right to have guns.

So yeah, the whole "for the rest of your life" bit is a bit of an over exaggeration unless said person is jailed for life.

But hey, they won't ever have to serve on a jury ever again! :D
 
This would make a great PR campaign to show the efficacy of multi million dollar equipment and law personnel thwarting local teenage hooligans.
 
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