[Laser] Laser injures Delta pilot's eye

[Paul B. Webster]

On Sat, 2004-10-02 at 07:43, ed wrote:

> any experimenters working around Salt Lake City International Airport
>  last week?

  However tongue-in-cheek that comment may have been, we are *not*
talking of the devices ("officially" less than 1 mW, and in practice no
more than 5 mW) such as I carry every day in my pocket (for the past 4
years).

  John's comments are significant, especially when he points out that
the deliberate burns involved in the laser treatment involved 750 bursts
of a precisely focused beam of the order of 1 watt.  To the operator,
each pulse produces a visible (tiny) lesion on the retina.

  Commercial lightshows do use lasers of comparable power, up to 20W as
I understand.  Nevertheless, targeting an aeroplane cockpit in flight,
even given a generous beamwidth (with obvious consequence on intensity),
for more than a very few milliseconds would require a purpose-built
aiming system.

  One can give the article more or less credence as one chooses, but any
injury as a result of exposure in such circumstances would neither be
accidental, nor in any way attributable to any of the lasers the great
majority of us might be using.

-- 
  Cheers,
    Paul B.