Clearly, a stupid thing to do, but a felony?

[Typhoon]

http://www.dailybulletin.com/breakingnews/ci_7812535

10:36 a.m.: Laser pointer gets man arrested
Staff reports
Article Created: 12/26/2007 10:33:04 AM PST

LANDERS - A 46-year-old Landers man was arrested Tuesday after he illuminated a county sheriff's helicopter with a laser-pointing device.

The helicopter was assisting sheriff's deputies conducting a search around 8:54 p.m. near Ira Lane and Booth Road when Michael Donovan pointed the device at the aircraft, authorities said in a news release.

The helicopter's crew led a deputy on the ground to Stearman Road, where after an investigation, Donovan was arrested on a felony charge of using a laser pointer on an aircraft.

He was being held in lieu of $25,000 bail at the Morongo Basin jail.

Wow.  Not that I would ever do something that stupid, but I can't help but wonder what other things that are felonies I don't know about...

[BlueStarLizzard]

i thought there was something about distracting or blinding the pilet which is why it was illigal? your right though it does seem a little extream.....

[Firethorn]

i thought there was something about distracting or blinding the pilet which is why it was illigal? your right though it does seem a little extream.....

There might also be the concern that it could be used as a targeting designator for a missile...

And yes, blinding the pilot would be the major concern.  A high powered pointer can blind, perhaps permanently, in seconds.

[Jamisjockey]

i thought there was something about distracting or blinding the pilet which is why it was illigal? your right though it does seem a little extream.....

'zactly.  Al Queida even looked into using them enmasse to target airliners.  I remember seeing security alerts on it when I was in the FAA.  We had to report all incidents in a seperate package, and I remember a Delta Pilot in Utah being affected by a light, too.

[gunsmith]

Lasers can cause permanent damage to your eyes and can also
cause a Helicopter or plane to crash by blinding a pilot.

A felony is certainly warranted.

[Typhoon]

Yeah, I can understand the danger.  I suppose I was just a bit surprised by the story.  I wonder if the man arrested knew that this was a felony. 

So many behaviors are being criminalized now, it can be hard to keep up.

[Paddy]

I wonder if the man arrested knew that this was a felony. 

He knows now.

[gunsmith]

Eh, I have no sympathy for this kind of idiocy.

This isn't like having an ounce of weed in your home for personal use, blinding someone is serious.

[Boomhauer]

Speaking as a pilot, he ought to be shot.

A Kingair flying into my home base airport had a blue flare fired at it a few months ago. They didn't find the ahole that did it...

Yeah, there are plenty of things that ought not to be felonies...this does not fall in that category

.

[Jamisjockey]

I watched a red flare bounce off the bottom of a COA B737 on New Year's eve, 1998, in Brownsville, TX.  I didn't find it funny, neither did the pilot.  Cops never found that asshat, either.

[BobR]

Lasers pointed at planes = bad.

I think the big concern is blinding the pilot, causing a crash.

I think he should have to pay lots of money for his stupidity.

In the 80's we had laser goggles on our P3's. Any time we went down to look at a soviet boat, we had the goggles on. They seemed to enjoy illuminating us with their targeting lasers, as well as firing flares at us as we flew down the side of their ship.

We would write an incident report, the state department would protest, and the next time we did a rig on a soviet ship we would wear our goggles.

bob

[Sergeant Bob]

I think the danger from hand held laser pointers has been highly exaggerated. From what I've read, visible light lasers can not cause any physical damage to the eye and their only effect is in that they may induce flash blindness (like a Sylvania Blue Dot flash bulb) and have much less effect at greater distances due to dispersion of the beam. In addition,  AFAIK, the pilot would have to look directly into the beam for it to have much, if any effect.

[Boomhauer]

In the 80's we had laser goggles on our P3's. Any time we went down to look at a soviet boat, we had the goggles on. They seemed to enjoy illumnating us with their targeting lasers, as well as fire flares at us as we flew down the side of their ship.

Wasn't there one helo pilot that was permanently blinded by the Soviets?

I think the danger from hand held laser pointers has been highly exaggerated. From what I've read, visible light lasers can not cause any physical damage to the eye and their only effect is in that they may induce flash blindness (like a Sylvania Blue Dot flash bulb) and have much less effect at greater distances due to dispersion of the beam. In addition,  AFAIK, the pilot would have to look directly into the beam for it to have much, if any effect.

I don't give a damn how much the danger may or may not be exaggerated. I ain't taken any chances with my eyesight, and anybody that points a laser of any type at my eyes will get their ass kicked.

[Sergeant Bob]

In the 80's we had laser goggles on our P3's. Any time we went down to look at a soviet boat, we had the goggles on. They seemed to enjoy illumnating us with their targeting lasers, as well as fire flares at us as we flew down the side of their ship.

Wasn't there one helo pilot that was permanently blinded by the Soviets?

I think the danger from hand held laser pointers has been highly exaggerated. From what I've read, visible light lasers can not cause any physical damage to the eye and their only effect is in that they may induce flash blindness (like a Sylvania Blue Dot flash bulb) and have much less effect at greater distances due to dispersion of the beam. In addition,  AFAIK, the pilot would have to look directly into the beam for it to have much, if any effect.

I don't give a damn how much the danger may or may not be exaggerated. I ain't taken any chances with my eyesight, and anybody that points a laser of any type at my eyes will get their ass kicked.

I guess since the danger is the same as from a camera flash you'll be beating the crap outta grandma next time she takes your picture then tough guy?

[BobR]

I think the danger from hand held laser pointers has been highly exaggerated.

I guess it depends on the laser.

http://www.mayoclinic.org/news2005-rst/2800.html

http://www.sciencebuddies.org/mentoring/project_ideas/Phys_Laser_Safety.shtml

I believe it was a Norwegian P3 pilot that suffered permanent vison damage from a soviet laser that prompted the US to start flying with laser goggles, esp in the North Atlantic.

bob

[Sergeant Bob]

ROCHESTER, Minn.  Mayo Clinic ophthalmologists have found commercially available Class 3A green laser pointers can cause visible harm to the eye's retina with exposures as short as 60 seconds. The findings will be published in the May issue of Archives of Ophthalmology,

The green laser damaged the pigment layer of the retina, although it did not cause a measurable decrease in the visual function of the patient's eye.

I guess if they tied you down, held your eyelid open and shined it into your eye for an extended period of time then yes, it might cause some damage. So, the effects of hand held laser pointers are indeed being exaggerated.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

how drunk/stupid is a guy in his forties that does something like this?  a teenager i could understand but wiould still think deserved a beating.

[Boomhauer]

how drunk/stupid is a guy in his forties that does something like this?  a teenager i could understand but wiould still think deserved a beating

Stupidity knows no boundries...

[Firethorn]

I guess if they tied you down, held your eyelid open and shined it into your eye for an extended period of time then yes, it might cause some damage. So, the effects of hand held laser pointers are indeed being exaggerated.

Depends on it's power.  There are larger models out there that can cause damage quicker than you can blink.

For example: A 120 mW Green pointer

For comparison, 1 mW is considered safe because the blink reflex will prevent damage.  5 mW can cause damage if misused - no holding down necessary.

How much damage, and at what range, could one 24 times as powerful do?

[El Tejon]

Wonder if he said "here, boy, hold my beer and watch this" before he did this???

[MechAg94]

I guess if they tied you down, held your eyelid open and shined it into your eye for an extended period of time then yes, it might cause some damage. So, the effects of hand held laser pointers are indeed being exaggerated.

Depends on it's power.  There are larger models out there that can cause damage quicker than you can blink.

For example: A 120 mW Green pointer

For comparison, 1 mW is considered safe because the blink reflex will prevent damage.  5 mW can cause damage if misused - no holding down necessary.

How much damage, and at what range, could one 24 times as powerful do?

And if some asshat keeps pointing it at my face because he "thinks" it is safe, I will still be upset. 

[Declaration Day]

The helicopter's crew led a deputy on the ground to Stearman Road, where after an investigation, Donovan was arrested on a felony charge of using a laser pointer on an aircraft.

He deserves whatever he gets, +10 years for being dumb enough to get caught.  You'd either have to admit to it, or do it in front of a bunch of witnesses.

[MillCreek]

Several years ago, there was a series of stories in one of the local papers about a USCG helo pilot that suffered permanent visual damage when a Soviet 'fishing trawler' in the Strait of Juan de Fuca illuminated his helo with a laser.  If I recall correctly, it took local Congressional intervention to get this recognized as a service-related injury.  The military did not want to do this, since it would require admitting that the Soviets were taking hostile action against US military aircraft.  Back in the day, there were always a couple of Soviet 'fishing trawlers' just over the border in international waters off the Washington/Canadian coast off of the Strait.  They were there to listen for Tridents leaving Bangor on war patrol.

[Jocassee]

There might also be the concern that it could be used as a targeting designator for a missile...

In which case the poh-poh and the pilot would have bigger worries on their hands than charging someone for a felony.
Just thought I'd point that out.

[cordex]

I tend to agree with the "overblown and exaggerated threat" crowd.