Laser Pointers are on my mind.

**Article was written and published on the 4th of March 2021 at 4.16 pm GMT.

Today and it was my fault for latching on to a post on Facebook about an appeal by South Wales Police about laser pointers, and I received some backlash for merely trying to clear up some confusion in my mind.

Facebook Group Message.

My mistake was I commented on someone’s shared post and got hate for it. It was no different from what I have said below although I have further elaborated on my statement.

The link is also here: Facebook SWPC Article. Obviously, the people or persons that pointed the laser should be punished under the terrorism act.

The reason why I latched on was that I could not believe that a simple pocket laser could cause harm or injure a pilot airborne or crew member when the culprit was on the ground, according to the original post an on-board critical care practitioner suffered blurred vision, and migraine, and had to go off-duty (This implies the injury was serious). Obviously, I was naive about laser pointers and have since learned a thing or two.

The incident happened on Sunday 28th February 2021 at 9.30 pm over Heath Roath Park and Roath Recreation Ground in Cardiff UK. The laser was directed at a Wales Air Ambulance causing injuries to a crew member.

This is what a laser pointer looks like from the ground according to the blogger of this paper link below:

54 year-old man jailed for Cardiff Airport laser attack on Tui 737

A laser pointer distance depends on what type of laser pointer is being used, not all fit the same mold. Laser hazard distance chart – Laser Safety Facts

For more information about laser pointers and aircraft click the link here.

I obviously did some research and fact-checking and all I got was negative people trolling me, with one stating that my shared links were belittling the crime and that what I was sharing were theoretical papers, even going as far as insinuating I had some ulterior motive to make the comment. (I do not take kindly to accusations), the said person (mentioning no names) even demanded I explain myself.

Also, it was unclear how come the pilot was not mentioned. unless the person was a paramedic and pilot.

When writing articles one should be clear about the content so as to not confuse the reader. One should not write one line and hope the reader will second guess the rest.

The only reason for the Facebook Comment if I am brutally honest was to establish facts and clear up any confusion, first of all, there was no mention of how far the helicopter was off the ground at the time of the incident?… so my question was how did the laser pointer affect a paramedics vision? Was the helicopter landing or taking off or in mid-air?

Good Journalism should not cause confusion.

A laser pointer can be a distraction for helicopter pilots that wear night vision goggles or airplanes that want to land, the same applies to military aircraft at night.

MOST IMPORTANTLY!

The most important part was I was not condoning this in any way and all perpetrators should be punished to fit the crime. I was merely pointing out that there would be no adverse physical effects from this according to the Fact Checking‘ I had made from two verified sources the BJO & BBC, links below:

https://bjo.bmj.com/content/82/11/1335

I can see how serious pointing a laser at an aircraft can be to the aviation authority and it can be deemed as an act of terrorism and I certainly do not condone it.

Laser pointers can be distracting to pilots!

It seems to be a craze or fad for idiots to laser aircraft. Perhaps the powers that be should educate people in the masses about STUPIDITY with social awareness and media amplification that pointing lasers at aircraft is wrong on all levels, regardless if it affects a pilot or not. I can see that laser pointers can be distracting and potentially dangerous. https://www.laserpointersafety.com/laser-hazards_aircraft/laser-hazards_aircraft.html

I personally think that laser pointers should be banned from the public and only used and sold to businesses and higher education institutes. I also believe fireworks should also be banned from sale to the public or the public need a license. Fireworks should only be sold to organizations for public events or to people with fireworks licenses.

I am still open-minded about the distance a laser pointer would have had to be to cause any adverse effect to the paramedic, considering in the BJO a laser does not cause headaches, but temporary blindness similar to a flash on a camera going off.

I have since removed myself from the group. I do not know how Facebook groups work but I do not wish to be associated with narrow-minded people.

(Addendum) apparently, if you remove yourself from the group it still does not remove you from the thread, lesson learned, hence I had someone like my comment a few minutes ago.

My daughter gave me some solid advice: “if you do not want to be trolled do not leave comments as people do not like the truth”.

“I never once said that I was defending or condoning the culprits, I on the contrary was fact-checking”.

All I was doing was getting my head around the fact when one verified fact-checked source said one thing and I read something else from another source that is confusing and that is when I started to question the credibility of the information.

From what I can gather according to my verified source below, it is virtually impossible to have adverse physical effects from a laser on the ground whilst a pilot is airborne. If anything it can be a distraction when pilots wear nighttime goggles or are landing and may experience flash blindness.

However pointing a laser at an aircraft is an obstruction and should carry the punishment of an act of terrorism (and if it isn’t, it should be).

According to the Civil Aviation Authority in 2016, there were 1,258 incidents of lasers being pointed at aircraft. In the future, those who deliberately target aircraft with lasers could face a jail sentence or hefty fine. Currently, shining lasers at planes has a penalty of up to £2,500.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/laser-pointers-blind-pilots-uk-government-aircraft-attacks-civil-aviation-authority-eye-injury-a7890146.html

Pointing a laser pointer at an aircraft is illegal (so don’t do it regardless of what pointer is being used).

Obviously, I reiterate again, pointing a laser at a moving vehicle such as a plane, helicopter, car motorbike, boat, yacht, etc can be deemed as an act of terrorism, it does not matter why a perpetrator has engaged in such an act but more so that they executed their action and this is punishable by law.

For pilots to be affected and injured because of this act, the laser would have to directly be pointed at their eyes, or for they to experience a flash-blind effect.

According to The British Journal of Ophthalmology (BJO)

While many claims have been made for ocular and other injuries, as a result of exposure to laser pointers, none has been sustained. Most victims are unaware of the clinical symptoms that would be appropriate to retinal injury; thus many individuals claim to have seen a bright light followed by pain or irritation in the irradiated eye. Some also complain of redness of the eye and headaches. In reality, there are no pain receptors in the retina and, therefore, threshold laser strike in the visible region of the spectrum is not associated with pain.

https://bjo.bmj.com/content/82/11/1335

Maximum Jail Term. Yes, a maximum punishment should be served to idiots using laser pointers for illegal means and maximum jail time should apply, as it could potentially cause a catastrophic disaster. This also applies to drones. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/drones-are-you-flying-yours-safely-and-legally

I personally think all journalists and media should use the phrase:

“Anyone caught using a laser pointer publically for illegal purposes will be arrested and punished under the terrorism act”, which adds MORE CLOUT than a minimum sentence of 5 years, going as far as spreading awareness in bold campaigns that show how dangerous laser pointers can be.

“Good Journalism Does Not Cause Confusion”.

It does not take much effort to log details of who the device was sold to, making verification ID mandatory in the UK. However, to stop people from buying them from abroad is another matter and there would have to be an import ban from other countries to the consumer and only legitimate organizations that were licensed would have access.

UK Ministers are talking about bringing in licenses to sell laser pointers: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/laser-pointers-blind-pilots-uk-government-aircraft-attacks-civil-aviation-authority-eye-injury-a7890146.html

According to The British Journal of Ophthalmology (BJO

BJO states and I quote “that in conclusion, laser pointers, pens, or key rings if used appropriately are not an eye hazard, and even if used inappropriately will not cause permanent eye damage”.

FINAL THOUGHTS.

“It is sad that in this day and age with an array of social media platforms, we are censored for the things we write. I am all for censorship if it promotes hate crime or worse. But when it comes to merely expressing an opinion or asking a question we should not be scrutinized. There is little room for freedom of speech anymore and we cannot ask questions as people will question our motives and get defensive. I believe if people have questions they should be able to express them without the fear of someone trolling them and without the fear of being censored or punished”.

Pointing any laser device to a moving vehicle eg: (planes, trains, cars, motor bikes, boats) or directly at someone to purposely maim including eyes and body, for the purpose to cause destruction and accidents, the perpetrators should be punished to fit the crime.

Further Reading:

https://www.askthe.police.uk/content/Q757.htm

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/65424/what-pilots-see-when-you-shine-laser-pointer-aircraft

According to this article distances of up to 1200 feet can engulf a cockpit. It remains a distraction hazard all the way up to 12,000 feet.

The point is:

The maximum altitude that a helicopter can be reached during forward flight typically depends more on the ability of the engine. Helicopters can reach around 25,000 feet. But the maximum height at which a helicopter can hover is much lower – a high-performance helicopter like the Agusta A109E can hover at 10,400 feet. However, if the helicopter remains in ‘ground effect’ – ie, if it is hovering close to high ground – its maximum hover altitude will be higher. The Agusta can hover in ground effect – ‘HIGE’ in helicopter jargon – at 13,800 feet. This is useful for mountain rescue missions.

https://www.laserpointersafety.com/laser-hazards_aircraft/laser-hazards_aircraft.html

According to the BBC:

I would also like to add I am a law-abiding citizen and if I was to catch anyone pointing lasers for illegal purposes, other than for the purpose of business, education, or pet entertainment, I would report them to the authorities without question.

Here is the post to the South Wales Appeal Page: https://www.facebook.com/SWPCardiffVOG/posts/2948640848753159 Anyone with information should contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 quoting ref *071640.

#laserpointers #laserpointercrime #laserpointerlaw #laserpointerdistance #factchecking #goodjournalism #laserpointerterrosism