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Green Laser Pointers!!

centroid

By centroid
in The Astro Lounge

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EA2007

EA2007

Posted
Posted

I doubt it, they're not a weapon as such.

Pretty sure some ppl associate them with the one in Goldfinger but the ones that the public can buy are a lot lot less powerful, the most you can get out of them is popping balloons and lighting matches although if you were to prolong a beam on something flammable you could probably do some damage.

If they acted like light sabers then I think we'd know about it.

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MarkAndLeanne

MarkAndLeanne

Posted
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Further to earlier comments about aeroplanes vs helicopters, I fly airliners and was recently on the receiving end of a deliberately targeted green laser. I was flying an approach into Venice at about 2000 feet when someone on the ground started shining the laser at the cockpit. While it is obviously impossible to shine it up through the cockpit floor, shone from the front at an angle, it definitely comes in through the window and shines in your eyes! After the first glimpse, I kept my head down and told my copilot to do the same, and we continued OK. However, we did miss a radio call and were somewhat later than usual putting the wheels down...

Points to note:

1) I don't believe there was any danger of eye damage. At that range (2 miles horizontal, 2000 feet vertical) the beam was about a metre across, so the energy was diffused.

2) The real danger is distraction, as flying an approach in any aircraft is a critical process that is quite unforgiving of errors. It is made more difficult if you're trying to hide behind the dashboard :)

3) Reports of 'blinding' are more likely intended to mean 'dazzled' or 'temporarily blinded' and loss of night vision. It's not hype; more the result of media over-simplification. While not permanant injuries in themselves, the resulting crash tends to cause serious illness!

I should point out that I have a glp for astro use myself, and find it very helpful. As always it's the idiots that spoil it for the rest of us.

PS I think that just bolting one to the computerised mount instead of a red dot and letting it track round the sky (or even sit waiting for an aeroplane to fly into it) is a little reckless... they are much safer used hand-held so you can see what you're pointing it at.

Mark

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EA2007

EA2007

Posted
Posted

mark...

good to hear about the experience of a glp inside a flightdeck...

may I ask what aircraft you fly...I am looking to fly airliners too, and I have my Oxford Aviation academy assesment in dec...aaarrrgghhh

thanks, best wishes

Paul

PM me if you wish instead!

You jammy sod Paul! lol Good luck with that though!

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EA2007

EA2007

Posted
Posted

mark...

good to hear about the experience of a glp inside a flightdeck...

may I ask what aircraft you fly...I am looking to fly airliners too, and I have my Oxford Aviation academy assesment in dec...aaarrrgghhh

thanks, best wishes

Paul

PM me if you wish instead!

You jammy s,o,d Paul! lol Good luck with that though!

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narrowbandpaul

narrowbandpaul

Posted
Posted

thanks EA...i am actually panicking a wee bit. I hope I'm whats required.

I am a bit of a flight sim fanatic, have various complex simulations...the one im most proud of is Ariane 737-600. The most accurate one around

I wouldnt call it luck...to an extent Im fortunate where flying training is a possibility, but they test you (hence assesment 2 days at kidlington) to make sure you have the right attributes..intelligent, logical thinking, team work, arithmetic...and member of SGL!

from the tone I cant hear in your voice, do you/have you had a wish to fly?

Cheers

Paul

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EA2007

EA2007

Posted
Posted

I have always had an interest in all things mechanical, especially flight.

I was at the great north run this year and the red arrows were on a display, I was thinking to myself "I would love to do that". Anytime I watch a t.v, program with fighter jets and the like I sooo want to do it.

Visited Edwards AFB a few years ago and that was amazing, they have a museum at the entrance and its filled with everything from the Bell-X1 (albeit a replica) to F-16's and the forecourt has a F-4 Phantom along with a SR-72 Blackbird.

The SR-72 is actually the incorrect title, it was initially named RS-72 after one of the designers (or something) but in an address to the nation on its entrance to service one of the 'then' presidential advisers got the letters the wrong way around, hence it being now known as SR-72.

We had a tour of the hangers and saw F-22's and a B-52, along with access to some top secret F-15's that NASA had. We were told they were top secret although the information on them was on the web!

You can probably guess I like fighter jets!!

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Tiny

Tiny

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In days of old before security I went to the local airforce base - this was in 1957. They let you into the Canberra but the hatch was tiny. As for the US stratotankers there was a tube with a skateboard to lie on to get from front to back and no-one could fit through that. I trust modern planes are bigger.

We were at Farnboro when the Blackbird flew in from the US. They put the R/T on the loud speakers...I am beginning my turn over Bognor Regis... (a few minutes later. I am turning over the East German border... and then she was in and landed.

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kniclander

kniclander

Posted
Posted

to all you lovers of fast jets, read "the Right Stuff" by Tom Wolfe (if you haven't already read it) - covers post war US test pilots through to early space flight - brilliant - seat of the pants stuff to outright ROFL (eg Gus Grissom managing to lose the capsule...)

Dan

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The Warthog

The Warthog

Posted
Posted

GLPs made the Canadian National News last night. In 2006 there were 3 incidents, in 2007 23, and in 2008 so far, 46. They managed to catch one of the perpetrators, took away his laser and fined him $1,000. This is going to spoil things for the people who use them as finders. I assume that when you are using them as finders, you don't leave them on all the time?

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narrowbandpaul

narrowbandpaul

Posted
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i must admit, EA, that i have never been particularly keen on fighter jets...i prefer the cosy life of a commercial airline pilot. I always say when asked about RAF flying.."I dont want to be shot at", but then I suppose if I was being shot at, i would like to shoot back.

Cant think of anything better than landing 100tons of metal at 160mph with a 10knot (dont want it too big) crosswind...on a narrow strip just 50m wide and 3000m long, with 150 paying passengers glad to step foot on solid land again!

mark, i must think that the job satifaction is incredible!

i cant wait....(grinning like a schoolboy on christmas :-) )

paul

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EA2007

EA2007

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the flight I took to America lasted 11 hours and it was one of the most boring things ever...........can't imagine being a pilot and just being sat doing nothing much whilst looking at clouds.

Would far rather be sat doing something constructive :)

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The Warthog

The Warthog

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the flight I took to America lasted 11 hours and it was one of the most boring things ever...........can't imagine being a pilot and just being sat doing nothing much whilst looking at clouds.

Would far rather be sat doing something constructive :)

What were you flying in, a Piper Cub? I've never flown that route in more than 7 hours. Or did you fly straight to the Midwest?

Last time I flew to England, I took a sleeping pill about an hour before I got on the plane. Cut the boredom factor a lot, as I slept almost all the flight.

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EA2007

EA2007

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Posted

no, its easier flying east.

Warthog I was in a 767-400 or something similar, the film selection was rubbish, either kids films or artsy euro films that made no sense.

Its just dull sat in a noisy hole for 11 hours, it was direct from LHR to LAX, the only highlight was landing which was the best landing ever, didn't even know we'd touched down.

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Tiny

Tiny

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the flight I took to America lasted 11 hours and it was one of the most boring things ever...........can't imagine being a pilot and just being sat doing nothing much whilst looking at clouds.

Would far rather be sat doing something constructive :)

Try flying a B1 bomber - non stop subsonic from US to Serbia and back - refueling lots of times takes them 20+ hours just sitting there. (They brought a bed from Wallmart to get 4 hour power sleeps!) They are provided with a toilet.

And all this time stealthed on autopilot to dial in the (revised) targets for the plane to drop the bombs on before they head home. As the guy said it's boredom followed by terror for when the bomb bays open and our stealth bomber loses stealth and shows up like a B52 on the radar - at which point you hope the other guys have killed the radar. Incidentally one B1 pilot was female - wonder if she flies missions.

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MarkAndLeanne

MarkAndLeanne

Posted
Posted

Paul, all the best for the selection. I did the BA version before going to Oxford 10 years ago, and all I can say is that you can't really prepare! Most aptitude tests just require that you be yourself, and be honest. At the interview, they want to see commitment, obviously, but also they will be asking 'would I really like to be locked in a metal box for 11 hours with this guy?' :)

As for job satisfaction, yes sitting for hours watching the autopilot fly you somewhere is not tremendously exciting, but then throwing a heavy jet at Jersey's shortish and undulating runway in a 40 knot crosswind kind of makes up for it... too much excitement can be bad for you!

...oh, yes, then there's the view from the office window. You can't see that at mach 1.5 with your head up a sheep's **** 8)

And since you ask, Boeing 737-300 -400 and -500 from the West Sussex Flying Club (aka London Gatwick).

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