Police hunt after pilots are blinded with lasers at Edinburgh Airport

"Joe Curry" <jcurry99@> wrote in message
news:in18d419k0vb2masv2vc770076b29vct8l@...
> On Fri, 19 Sep 2008 20:21:58 +0100, Jim <jim&linda@> wrote:
>
>
>>Police probing the latest scare are concentrating their inquiries in
>>Livingston, West Lothian.
>
> Anyone know the range of these laser pens? Typical height on approach
> over Livingston is some 1200feet? Assuming of course it was laser pens
> and not something more sophisticated?

Don't know about the range but consider the degree of accuracy. If you use
these things as a laser pointer from the back of a normal room onto a
whiteboard or screen they fly around all over the shop. What are the chances
of blinding a pilot at 1200 ft moving at around 100 knots??. I would have
thought less than nil with a laser pen.
Now... a commercial laser could be a different story but again accuracy
would surely be the challenge given height and speed. There must be
something in the story though. Anything that interferes with aircraft
guidance needs sorted quickly!

Ras
--

In article <j0UAk.60400$E41.17297@text.news.virginmedia.com >,
rdigitiston@bluedigityonder.co.uk says...

> Don't know about the range but consider the degree of accuracy. If you use
> these things as a laser pointer from the back of a normal room onto a
> whiteboard or screen they fly around all over the shop. What are the chances
> of blinding a pilot at 1200 ft moving at around 100 knots??. I would have
> thought less than nil with a laser pen.

I would have doubted if they emit a strong enough beam to `blind`. Perhaps
distract?

> Now... a commercial laser could be a different story but again accuracy
> would surely be the challenge given height and speed. There must be
> something in the story though. Anything that interferes with aircraft
> guidance needs sorted quickly!

Indeed.