When lasers are outlawed, only outlaws will have lasers
I'm sort-of glad I haven't bought that "high-powered" green laser pointer yet...sooner or later purchase records will be used to track-down possible culprits. Time for a "concealed carry" laser permit! I found this on the AOL homepage; note he was using it to "look at stars"(!): Man Charged With Aiming Laser at Aircraft By WAYNE PARRY, AP NEWARK, N.J. (Jan. 4) - Federal authorities Tuesday used the Patriot Act to charge a man with pointing a laser beam at an airplane overhead and temporarily blinding the pilot and co-pilot. The FBI acknowledged the incident had no connection to terrorism but called David Banach's actions "foolhardy and negligent.'' Banach, 38, admitted to federal agents that he pointed the light beam at a jet and a helicopter over his home near Teterboro Airport last week, authorities said. Initially, he claimed his daughter aimed the device at the helicopter, they said. He is the first person arrested after a recent rash of reports around the nation of laser beams hitting airplanes. Banach was charged only in connection with the jet. He was accused of interfering with the operator of a mass transportation vehicle and making false statements to the FBI, and was released on $100,000 bail. He could get up to 25 years in prison and fines of up to $500,000. Banach's lawyer, Gina Mendola-Longarzo, said her client was simply using the hand-held device to look at stars with his daughter on the family's deck. She said Banach bought the device on the Internet for $100 for his job testing fiber-optic cable. More on the Laser Scare · Nashville-Chicago Incident May Have Been Prank "He wasn't trying to harm any person, any aircraft or anything like that,'' she said. The jet, a chartered Cessna Citation, was coming in for a landing last Wednesday with six people aboard when a green light beam struck the windshield three times at about 3,000 feet, according to court documents. The flash temporarily blinded both the pilot and co-pilot, but they were later able to land the plane safely, authorities said. "Not only was the safety of the pilot and passengers placed in jeopardy by Banach's actions, so were countless innocent civilians on the ground in this densely populated area,'' said Joseph Billy, agent in charge of the FBI's Newark bureau. Then, on Friday, a helicopter carrying Port Authority detectives was hit by a laser beam as its crew surveyed the area to try to pinpoint the origin of the original beam. According to the FBI, the Patriot Act does not describe helicopters as "mass transportation vehicles.'' As for why Banach was not charged with some other offense over the helicopter incident, Michael Drewniak, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office, did not immediately return calls for comment. A few hours after the helicopter was hit by the laser, FBI agents canvassed Banach's neighborhood, trying to find the source of the beams. Banach told the agents it was his daughter who shined the laser at the helicopter, according to court papers. Similar incidents have been reported in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Cleveland, Washington, Houston and Medford, Oregon, raising fears that the light beams could temporarily blind cockpit crews and lead to accidents. Last month, the FBI and the Homeland Security Department sent a memo to law enforcement agencies saying there is evidence that terrorists have explored using lasers as weapons. But federal officials have said there is no evidence any the current incidents represent a terrorist plot. __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? The all-new My Yahoo! - What will yours do? http://my.yahoo.com
Actually, our Green Laser does help me to "See" stars... My wife has much better eyes than I do, and many times I cannot see the dimmer stars in the sky. However, if she points the green laser at a particular dim star, it helps my eyes to identify and focus on that particular star and see what she is identifying in the night sky. Well, that's my 2 cents worth. (BTW - As I read that article about the guy being busted for blinding a pilot, it did mention that his laser was one he had for "Testing Fiber Optics", which would be of unknown power and obviously not intended for use as an astronomical aid) John Zeigler www.johnstelescopes.com -----Original Message----- From: diveboss@xmission.com [mailto:diveboss@xmission.com] Sent: Tuesday, January 04, 2005 10:44 PM To: Utah Astronomy Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] When lasers are outlawed,only outlaws will have lasers About the only way a person would be able to "look at stars" while using one of these would be from having someone whack them across the head for shining it in their eyes. ;) Quoting Chuck Hards <chuckhards@yahoo.com>:
note he was using it to "look at stars"(!):
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I use my green laser quite a bit. It is particularly helpful in getting rude drivers to dim their headlights. They will either dim their lights, or, they will have to pull off the road until they can see again. ;) By then I'm long gone... Just kidding, for those who haven't figured it out. ;) Quoting John and Lisa Zeigler <john@johnstelescopes.com>:
Actually, our Green Laser does help me to "See" stars... My wife has much better eyes than I do, and many times I cannot see the dimmer stars in the sky. However, if she points the green laser at a particular dim star, it helps my eyes to identify and focus on that particular star and see what she is identifying in the night sky.
Well, don't I feel stupid. I didn't see all of the subject line in Chuck's email (settings only showed "When lasers") and didn't realize he had already paraphrased my favorite anti-gun-control argument. Sorry, Chuck. You de man. While I wouldn't wish to downplay the seriousness of pointing lasers at airplanes, I believe that the media's use of "momentary blindness" is misleading and alarmist. Anyone who looks at a bright light can become blinded momentarily. How about an oncoming airplane's landing lights? Aren't they blinding if you look directly at them? How about those advertising searchlights? Rather than ban any currently legal light source, if lawmakers really look into this, they would be better off simply to tell those who aren't intelligent enough to know already, that it is now illegal to direct any light source at over-flying airplanes. Kim Hyatt Architect 1849 East 1300 South Salt Lake City, Utah 84108 Tel: 801.581.0561 Mobile: 801.631.5228 kimharch@msn.com<mailto:kimharch@msn.com> serius est quam cogitas
Kim Hyatt wrote:
Well, don't I feel stupid. I didn't see all of the subject line in Chuck's email (settings only showed "When lasers") and didn't realize he had already paraphrased my favorite anti-gun-control argument. Gee, and just when I was about to say something about prying the laser out of some cold, dead fingers...
Anyone who looks at a bright light can become blinded momentarily. How about an oncoming airplane's landing lights? Aren't they blinding if you look directly at them? Speaking as a pilot, were I to see another aircraft's oncoming landing lights I think I'd be worried about something more than blindness...
Grins, Patrick
Speaking as a pilot, were I to see another aircraft's oncoming landing lights I think I'd be worried about something more than blindness...
My point. Kim Hyatt Architect 1849 East 1300 South Salt Lake City, Utah 84108 Tel: 801.581.0561 Mobile: 801.631.5228 kimharch@msn.com<mailto:kimharch@msn.com> serius est quam cogitas
This laser flapdoodle is raising a lot of dust all across the Internet. It seems that some of the most ardent defenders of our God given right to squirt coherent light beams wherever we please are Liberals. Suppose for the sake of argument that someone, O say our own Guy for example were to be charged with Interfering with the operation of a mass transit vehicle. Could we expect him to be defended in court by the ACLU? The irony of that would be hilarious. As another possibility, consider what would happen if Guy, again only as an example for sake of illustrating a hypothetical situation, were to accidentally shine a laser into the cockpit of an F16 on night maneuvers in the west desert. Further assume the pilot was one of those recently given orders for another tour of duty in the Middle East, so that he is currently having a really bad day. No, this wouldnt be a nice legal issue of interfering with a mass transit vehicle. The pilot however would be duly qualified, armed and authorized to use deadly force to defend himself and his aircraft. So he proceeds with turning poor Guy (again only for example) into a greasy spot in the west desert with one of those new 800-pound smart bombs with the television camera in the nose. You know, the laser guided kind. Now that would be really ironic. Clear Skies Daniel Turner __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail - Easier than ever with enhanced search. Learn more. http://info.mail.yahoo.com/mail_250
This is a comon problem on the ground. Poliote pilots don't use landing lights until they are about to commence their takeoff roll for exactly this reason. I'm sure Patrick was referring to the in flight situation, although they are blinding when passing even 500 feet or 1000 feet below. They are pointed down at an angle that is similar to a standard approach. They are not pointed straight forward. Brent --- Patrick Wiggins <paw@trilobyte.net> wrote:
Speaking as a pilot, were I to see another aircraft's oncoming landing lights I think I'd be worried about something more than blindness...
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I hope this doesn't end too soon 'cause I'm working on a special laser "trigger lock" device. I'm even thinking about fitting my laser with a flash hider and even a bayonet lug in case the batteries fail... ;) Quoting Patrick Wiggins <paw@trilobyte.net>:
Kim Hyatt wrote:
Well, don't I feel stupid. I didn't see all of the subject line in Chuck's email (settings only showed "When lasers") and didn't realize he had already paraphrased my favorite anti-gun-control argument.
Gee, and just when I was about to say something about prying the laser out of some cold, dead fingers...
--- diveboss@xmission.com wrote:
I hope this doesn't end too soon 'cause I'm working on a special laser "trigger lock" device. I'm even thinking about fitting my laser with a flash hider and even a bayonet lug in case the batteries fail... ;)
Well why not a laser sight to help you point it more accurately? Oh but then you would have to collimate it with yet another laser.................You know I don't see this thing EVER ending. DT __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? The all-new My Yahoo! - What will yours do? http://my.yahoo.com
Don 't forget the silencer... ---- Jim Cobb james@cobb.name On Jan 6, 2005, at 12:00 AM, daniel turner wrote:
--- diveboss@xmission.com wrote:
I hope this doesn't end too soon 'cause I'm working on a special laser "trigger lock" device. I'm even thinking about fitting my laser with a flash hider and even a bayonet lug in case the batteries fail... ;)
Well why not a laser sight to help you point it more accurately? [...] DT
participants (8)
-
Brent Watson -
Chuck Hards -
daniel turner -
diveboss＠xmission.com -
Jim Cobb -
John and Lisa Zeigler -
Kim Hyatt -
Patrick Wiggins