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☖ Forums → Discussion Forum → Terrorists and laser pointers?
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Terrorists and laser pointers?
2004-12-11, 1:41 PM #41
Quote:
Originally posted by Emon
If I'm a pilot with a laser in my eye, I cock my head to either side. BAM! Terrorists defeated.


I was just about to post this.
2004-12-11, 1:45 PM #42
Quote:
Originally posted by Sine Nomen
Almost as absurd as nineteen people with pilot training simultaneously hijacking four airliners with boxcutters and flying them into America's most recognizable buildings.


Let's just put it this way, Sine. If terrorists manage to crash a plane by shining lasers into the eyes of the pilots while they're landing, I'll mail you 50 bucks.
"it is time to get a credit card to complete my financial independance" — Tibby, Aug. 2009
2004-12-11, 2:22 PM #43
Quote:
Originally posted by Emon
If I'm a pilot with a laser in my eye, I cock my head to either side. BAM! Terrorists defeated.


You should realise two things: The damage has already been done the very moment you notice the laser in your eye. And secondly, I don't think they are using those laser pointers with <5mW that everyone of us owns (or at least those of us who are familiar with having presentations). I think they would be using more powerful lasers possibly altered so that the beam will be slightly dispersed, thus covering a larger area than a dot one millimeter wide. Aiming would be much easier, yet intensity sufficient for their diabolic purposes.

Not all terrorists are stupid dogs anymore, unfortunately.
Frozen in the past by ICARUS
2004-12-11, 2:28 PM #44
While that is true, it's still near impossible to get the laser to shine at exactly the proper angle into the eye to do damage. You have to take into consideration the index of refraction of the cockpit's material, for example. Not to mention that any pilot blinded would throw on autopilot and the plane would level until one of the pilots could recover. Or at the worst, until everyone could bail out.
Bassoon, n. A brazen instrument into which a fool blows out his brains.
2004-12-11, 2:33 PM #45
Um...joke...wow...yeah.
D E A T H
2004-12-11, 2:40 PM #46
Quote:
Originally posted by Emon
While that is true, it's still near impossible to get the laser to shine at exactly the proper angle into the eye to do damage. You have to take into consideration the index of refraction of the cockpit's material, for example. Not to mention that any pilot blinded would throw on autopilot and the plane would level until one of the pilots could recover. Or at the worst, until everyone could bail out.


We're talking commercial airliners that are landing. You can't just throw on autopilot and level the plane out since the plane would probably be less than 100 feet from the ground.
Pissed Off?
2004-12-11, 5:05 PM #47
Let's add that I never meant to claim it would be easy. But one big commercial place crashed would already be one too many. So, even if the terrorist succeed once per 200 tries, it's already a victory for them.

I believe everybody can agree on this, no matter how unlikely you think this scenario is.
Frozen in the past by ICARUS
2004-12-11, 5:16 PM #48
... You might be surprised, lassev
A desperate disease requires a dangerous remedy.

A major source of objection to a free economy is precisely that it gives people what they want instead of what a particular group thinks they ought to want. Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself.

art
2004-12-11, 5:40 PM #49
The trouble is that it's just so damned easy to try, even if the odds aren't that great.
Pissed Off?
2004-12-11, 5:50 PM #50
Quote:
Originally posted by Vad
The think geek ones come in green and a green-red combo, links at bottom... I was gonna buy one like yesterday!

hehehe, Now I'm buying one!! Get on the Homeland Security National Threat list!!!
Woo!!

Green- Red laser :http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/lights/657a/

Green laser:http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/lights/5a47/


I waaaaaaaaant it! </whine>
Hazard a company one process.
2004-12-11, 6:52 PM #51
...Wow. Some of you need to realize that both the U.S. and Russia have poured research and development into such lasers. They have blinded helicopter pilots and ships crews in both blocs, and have been to blame for various recon botches. I'm surprised it took them this long to start doing it.
omnia mea mecum porto
2004-12-11, 9:06 PM #52
Quote:
Originally posted by Roach
...Wow. Some of you need to realize that both the U.S. and Russia have poured research and development into such lasers. They have blinded helicopter pilots and ships crews in both blocs, and have been to blame for various recon botches. I'm surprised it took them this long to start doing it.


Not everybody studies current events with surch an ardent attention span. I pay more attention than your average joe to what's going on, but hell if I or most other people would know this.
D E A T H
2004-12-11, 9:11 PM #53
Quote:
Originally posted by Avenger
We're talking commercial airliners that are landing. You can't just throw on autopilot and level the plane out since the plane would probably be less than 100 feet from the ground.


Probably true, airliners wouldn't be able to pull up in time at 100 feet, autopilot or no (pilot pulls up on the yoke). At 100 feet, it's only seconds before you land, and you can probably make a safe enough crash landing. Once you get that close, you don't have to do much more but keep the plane in control. It would be good enough for everyone to not die.

No, they'd need to do it when the plane is still way up there, and at that point they could pull up.
Bassoon, n. A brazen instrument into which a fool blows out his brains.
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