No police cars showed up at my house
I wasn’t the only one playing with a laser pointer:
David Banach was showing his daughter a common laser pointer that he had purchased on the Internet, said attorney Gina Mendola Longarzo. Longarzo said she met with Banach on Saturday.
“At one moment he was in the backyard playing with his daughter,” said Longarzo, “and 10 minutes later 12 police cars descended and he was whisked away by authorities and interrogated until 4 a.m.”
Banach was taken from his Pitman Road home Friday by state, local and federal authorities investigating the shining of green lasers onto aircraft flying over the region.
Longarzo said once authorities fully investigate the incident, her client will be exonerated. He has not been charged, she said.
I am curious what these common laser pointers are. On another recent laser pointer play session with the dog, I decided to see how far I could shine the beam and still see it. I have a laser pointer that I bought at Office Depot that is common for presentations and such. I paid about $5 for it. I shined it at the trees behind the house and could clearly see it (I’d guess about 50 yards). Then, I aimed it down the street careful not to shine it at anyone’s houses. I could see it to the end of the road (I’m guessing about 500 yards or so). Then I shined it toward the barn over the hill. I’d guess that’s about 800 yards or so. I could still see it. I then shined it at the moon. I couldn’t see it on the moon. So, the effective range of a common presentation type laser is between 801 yards and 240,000 miles.
In addition to noting that the FBI says it’s not terrorism, USA Today writes:
Lasers have been a growing concern in the aviation community. Laser pointers, devices the size of a pen that are used by public speakers, have enough power to cause vision problems in pilots from a distance of 2 miles, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. A pilot hit by a laser also could become distracted.
So, maybe a little less than 240,000 miles.
Coming soon: ban on laser pointers.
January 4th, 2005 at 10:41 am
Ok frist off, what is an airplane doing above you house.
January 4th, 2005 at 12:26 pm
Another example of old news being recycled by the lazy media. (not you, the people you are getting the stories from)
Over eight years ago New York City was going to ban laser pointers because of all of the people “dotting” cops from every direction and altitude.
Around six years ago a US Navy Aviator was zapped by a visible light laser from a Russian ship. He is still seeking disability status.
Before 1988 Cobra pilots were zapped with green lasers from HIND helicopters along the German border.
During the Iran/Iraq war one of the highest non-lethal injuries was from battlefield laser injury to the eye.
Also, the media keeps running down the wrong track with this. Industrial lasers are plenty powerful enough to blind someone with visible light but military battlefield lasers are normally infrared.