***Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation***

[NJFFSA16]

If you observe any related, suspicious activity...Contact your local law enforcement agency! They still haven't connected the dots on these events.

The FBI, concerned that terrorists could use lasers as weapons, is investigating why laser beams were directed into the cockpits of seven airplanes in flight since Christmas.

Laser beams can temporarily blind or disorient pilots and possibly cause a plane to crash.

The FBI is looking into two incidents in Colorado Springs, Colo., and one each in Cleveland, Washington, Houston, Teterboro, N.J., and Medford, Ore., according to federal and local law enforcement and transportation officials, some of whom spoke only on condition of anonymity.

A federal law enforcement official, who declined to be identified by name, said Thursday there is no evidence of a plot or terrorist activity. But pilots are troubled by the incidents, and the FBI earlier this month warned of the possibility that terrorists might use the devices as weapons.

"It's not some kid," said Paul Rancatore, a pilot who serves as deputy chairman of the security committee for the Allied Pilots Association. "It's too organized."

Loren Thompson, who teaches military technology at Georgetown University, called it a "rather worrisome development," though he said experts would be more puzzled than alarmed.

"What we're talking about is a fairly powerful visible light laser that has the ability to lock onto a fast-moving aircraft," Thompson said. "That's not the sort of thing you pick up at a military surplus store."

Thompson said a piece of equipment that could do the things the FBI suspects would be "fairly expensive and fairly sophisticated."

"It sounds like an organized effort to cause airline accidents," Thompson said.

Law enforcement officials, though, say they have no evidence of such an effort and that the lasers in question are readily available. Further, they say they've had reports of similar incidents since the technology became popular.

But a memo sent to law enforcement agencies recently by the FBI and the Homeland Security Department says there is evidence that terrorists have explored using lasers as weapons, though there's no intelligence that indicates they might use them in the United States.

Pilots and safety officials have long been concerned about the dangers of laser light shows, which have caused temporary eye injuries to several pilots over the last decade.

Most recently, a pilot for Delta Air Lines reported an eye injury from a laser beamed into the cockpit while approaching the Salt Lake City airport in September. The plane landed safely.

The Civil Aerospace Medical Institute has a database of several hundred reports in which civilian or military aircraft were illuminated by lasers. Though there have been no accidents reported, pilots in some cases were startled, temporarily blinded and disoriented.

The Food and Drug Administration, which regulates laser light shows, consults with the FAA when someone proposes operating a laser outdoors near an airport. The FAA recommends the maximum safe level of laser light exposure for pilots maneuvering near airports.

An FAA-commissioned study released in June concluded that "a laser attack could be quickly deployed and withdrawn, leaving no obvious collateral damage or projectile residue, and would be difficult to detect and defend against."

"A sufficiently powerful laser could cause permanent ocular damage, blinding crewmembers and make a successful landing virtually impossible," the report said.

More recently, some pilots have pushed to analyze the possible dangers posed by terrorists trying to cause an accident with the devices.

"It's a low-tech way to cause crashes," Rancatore said.

On Christmas night, two SkyWest pilots said they saw two laser-like rays of light in their cockpit as they attempted to land at the airport in Medford, Ore., according to FBI spokeswoman Beth Anne Steele.

On Monday, a laser beam was directed into the cockpit of a commercial jet flying about 15 miles from Cleveland Hopkins International Airport at an altitude of between 8,500 and 10,000 feet, FBI special agent Robert Hawk said. It was determined the laser came from a residential area in suburban Warrensville Heights.

Also on Monday in Colorado Springs, two pilots reported green pulsating laser lights beamed into their cockpits. Police sent patrol cars and a helicopter in a fruitless search. FBI spokeswoman Monique Kelso said the bureau is continuing to investigate.

In New Jersey, the pilot of a corporate-owned Cessna Citation carrying 13 people said three green lasers were pointed into his cockpit while approaching the Teterboro airport on Wednesday night. Law enforcement officials said they were believed to have originated near a mall in Wayne, according to Passaic County Sheriff's Office spokesman Bill Maer.

All the planes landed safely.

[NJFFSA16]

~bumped~ 19:30 hrs EST

You'll see why soon. ;)

[ullrichk]

How soon? ;)

[nmfire]

Dude, you can't leave us hanging like that!

[stm4710]

Seems the "Alan Parsons" project is going well.......:p


One thing still bugs me about this. If you look at aircraft in the air whats something you cant see? Cockpit windows. Almost seems as though these lasers have to come from something else that is air born......even then it would have to be a rather good system to aim at a pilot.......from miles and miles away.altitude of between 8,500 and 10,000 feet

[ullrichk]

Originally posted by stm4710
One thing still bugs me about this. If you look at aircraft in the air whats something you cant see? Cockpit windows. Almost seems as though these lasers have to come from something else that is air born......even then it would have to be a rather good system to aim at a pilot.......from miles and miles away. [/B]


You assume that you're looking straight up (normal to the earth's surface)as opposed to at an angle (as if an aircraft were approaching from a distance).

If it is a backyard laser successfully tracking aircraft at 10,000 feet (plus or minus) we need to find that gizmo and incorporate it into the missile defense system that stll isn't working.

[superchef]

~bumped~ 19:30 hrs EST You'll see why soon

Oh NJ......where are you? Midnight is approaching (depending of course on where you are). :D

[NJFFSA16]

December 31, 2004

NY/NJ Port Authority Police, operating in conjunction with NJ State Police and other agencies, have apparently apprehended a laser device that may have been targeting aircraft in the Northern NJ skies.

A Port Authority police helicopter pilot and crew, operating in the area of Wayne, Parsippanny and Boonton, NJ, spotted the laser being fired from the ground shortly before 7:15 this evening. The officers contacted ground units in the area and directed them to a residence in Parsippany, where the laser was discovered on the property. It is still unclear whether any persons were taken into custody. Detectives from the Port Authority, who were aboard the helicopter, where met at Morristown Airport by Morristown Police, and taken to the location in Parsippany.

No other details have emerged at this time.

***Still awaiting an official release regarding this incident.***

[superchef]

ok. You get your midnight kiss. ;)


Thanks for the post NJ.

[nmfire]

How did they see him using it? Please tell me this person was not stupid enough to shoot the laser at the police helicopter.

[NJFFSA16]

Person questioned about laser beam, planes

By BRUCE SHIPKOWSKI
The Associated Press
12/31/2004, 11:33 p.m. ET


TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — A laser beam was aimed at a police helicopter Friday — one of several incidents involving aircraft across the country in the past week — and federal authorities were questioning someone who had been at a house where they said the light had originated.

Officials said no one was hurt when the laser hit the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey police helicopter as it flew over an area where a similar incident occurred Wednesday.

Soon after, Port Authority officials and the FBI went to a Parsippany home where they had tracked the laser beam and were questioning a person there in connection with both incidents, said Steve Coleman, an authority spokesman.

No charges had been filed as of late Friday night, Coleman said.

Police in the helicopter were trying to pinpoint the spot where three green lasers were pointed at a pilot preparing to land a plane at Teterboro Airport on Wednesday night. The force's superintendent and some detectives were in the helicopter at the time, Coleman said.

The plane involved in Wednesday's incident, a corporate-owned Cessna Citation with 13 people aboard, was about 11 miles from the airport when the incident occurred, authorities said. It landed safely and no injuries were reported.

Federal agents are looking into several recent incidents involving lasers and aircraft, including cases in Cleveland, Washington, Houston, Colorado Springs, Colo., and Medford, Ore. In some cases the lasers locked onto aircraft several thousand feet up as they approached airports for landing.

Though there have been no reports of accidents caused by lasers, they can temporarily blind and disorient a pilot and could lead to a plane crash. The FBI is investigating whether the incidents are pranks, accidents or something more sinister.

[FF2BKE]

The FBI is investigating whether the incidents are pranks, accidents or something more sinister.

Accidents, not likely.
Pranks, too many, not likely.

:( :mad: :(

[Engine58]

Was watching the news before I watched the ball drop...they said there was another incident in North Jersey...Earlier this evening

[Co11FireGal]

So how powerful are we talking here? I've gotten to play around with a laser that has a pretty long range before (have friends that are into astronomy). Very neat technology...but it says right on the thing "do not point at air craft." I can't imagine someone doing something like that without malicious intent. Accidental? I don't think so.:mad:

[GeorgeWendtCFI]

Under the incredibly dumb/incredibly unlucky heading...

FBI probes laser beam reported in Parsippany
By Staff and Wire Reports, Daily Record

A laser beam was aimed at a Port Authority of New York and New Jersey police helicopter Friday as the aircraft flew over an area where a similar incident occurred earlier this week. Officials later tracked the beam to a Parsippany home and were questioning a person in connection with both incidents.

Samuel J. Plumeri Jr., the force's superintendent, and some detectives were in the helicopter when the beam hit it, said Steve Coleman, an authority spokesman. At that time, they were trying to pinpoint the location from where three green lasers were pointed at a pilot preparing to land a plane at Teterboro Airport on Wednesday night.

Shortly after the beam hit the helicopter, port authority and federal officials went to a home at 19 Pitman Road and were questioning a person there, but no charges had been filed as of late Friday night, Coleman said.

More than a dozen police units from Parsippany, Morris Plains and Denville blocked the house for about three hours.

FBI officials arrived at around 6 p.m. to question the homeowner and his neighbors. Parsippany police Sgt. James Carifi said, "We've been out all night, and there's no arrest."

The homeowner apparently had astronomy equipment in his backyard, which he used occasionally, according to a neighbor. The homeowner could not be reached for comment.

The FBI said the investigation is ongoing.

Pilots from time to time encounter laser beams that stray into the cockpit on approach to an airport, but a recent rash of such incidents - at least seven since Christmas - has them worried about an organized effort to take down airliners.

Though there have been no reports of accidents caused by lasers, they can temporarily blind and disorient a pilot and could lead to a plane crash.

The FBI is investigating whether the incidents are pranks, accidents or something more sinister.

The pilot of a corporate-owned Cessna Citation carrying 13 people said three green lasers were pointed into his cockpit while approaching the Teterboro airport on Wednesday night. Law enforcement officials said they were believed to have originated near a mall in Wayne, according to Passaic County Sheriff's Office spokesman Bill Maer.

Federal agents are also looking into two incidents in Colorado Springs, Colo., and one each in Cleveland, Washington, Houston and Medford, Ore., according to law enforcement and transportation officials, some of whom spoke Thursday only on condition of anonymity.

The hunt for clues to this new mystery led law enforcement officials to swarm a Parsippany street on New Year's Eve, but no arrests were made, according to FBI spokesman Steve Kodak.

Scientists discount the possibility that pilots are merely the victims of a popular new Christmas toy or jokesters toying with a $19 laser pointer from an electronics store.

Loren Thompson, who teaches military technology at Georgetown University, said a piece of equipment that could do the things the FBI is investigating would be "fairly expensive and fairly sophisticated."

He characterized it as a reasonably powerful visible light laser that can lock onto a fast-moving aircraft. "That's not the sort of thing you pick up at a military surplus store," he said.

Law enforcement officials say they have no evidence of an organized effort to take down planes. Further, they say they've had reports of similar incidents since the technology became popular.

But a memo sent to law enforcement agencies recently by the FBI and the Homeland Security Department says there is evidence that terrorists have explored using lasers as weapons, though there's no intelligence that indicates they might use them in the United States.

Pilots and safety officials have long been concerned about the dangers of lasers used in light shows or to attract the public to an event.

Hundreds of cases of lasers shining into pilots' eyes have been reported over the past decade; in several, the pilots sustained damage to their eyes.

Most recently, a pilot for Delta Air Lines reported an eye injury from a laser beamed into the cockpit while approaching the Salt Lake City airport in September. The plane landed safely.

The Food and Drug Administration, which regulates laser light shows, consults with the Federal Aviation Administration when someone wants to operate a laser outdoors near an airport. The FAA recommends the maximum safe level of laser light exposure for pilots maneuvering near airports.

An FAA-commissioned study released in June acknowledged the possibility that terrorists could use a laser to attack an aircraft - and that it would be hard to detect and to defend against.

"A sufficiently powerful laser could cause permanent ocular damage, blinding crewmembers and make a successful landing virtually impossible," the report said.

Rob Sproc, a pilot who serves as vice president of the Airline Pilots Security Alliance, says pilots should have heard about the recent laser incidents from the government, not from the news media. Whether they're a safety hazard or terrorist threat, he said, "we're a little distressed that the information isn't being passed along the way it should be."

"If it takes you down, it's kind of irrelevant what the source is," Sproc said.

On Christmas night, two SkyWest pilots said they saw two laser-like rays of light in their cockpit as they attempted to land at the airport in Medford, Ore., according to FBI spokeswoman Beth Anne Steele.

On Monday, a laser beam was directed into the cockpit of a commercial jet flying about 15 miles from Cleveland Hopkins International Airport at an altitude of between 8,500 feet and 10,000 feet, FBI special agent Robert Hawk said. It was determined the laser came from a residential area in suburban Warrensville Heights.

Also on Monday in Colorado Springs, two pilots reported green pulsating laser lights beamed into their cockpits. Police sent patrol cars and a helicopter in a fruitless search. FBI spokeswoman Monique Kelso said the bureau is continuing to investigate.

All the planes landed safely.

[NJFFSA16]

Originally posted by nmfire
Dude, you can't leave us hanging like that!

Couldn't post the info before the operation was completed. I do have some smarts!:D

[nmfire]

Is it possible that with all this publicity, every jackass with an expensive laser has said to themselves "Hey, I never thought of that, let me try it!"

It would be difficult to blind a pilot of a commercial airliner on approach due to the nose being up. You would have to be a very long distance away to get that shallow of an angle and at the low altitude of an approach, you could never do it with building and land obstructions. Not to mention, hello there is at least a copilot that can also take over. At worst, you can hit the button and I'm sure there is an automatic abort-and-go-round function. Of course none of this is true 100% of the time. My point being there are far more efficiant ways to take down an airliner and shooting lasers at it. I personally do not see this as any kind of terroist issue and is probably just people being grossly stupid.

[NJFFSA16]

Lawyer: Man with laser meant no harm
Sunday, January 02, 2005
BY MIKE FRASSINELLI
Star-Ledger Staff
The Parsippany man whisked from his home on New Year's Eve and questioned by the FBI about a laser pointed at a decoy police helicopter was in the "wrong place at the wrong time," his lawyer said last night.

David Banach and his young daughter were playing with a laser on the deck of their back yard on Pitman Road, illuminating neighborhood trees and houses and pointing it into the sky around 5:30 p.m., lawyer Gina Mendola Longarzo said.

Soon, the neighborhood was swarmed by law enforcement officials.

Banach, 38, was taken Friday night to FBI headquarters in Newark and didn't get home until 4:30 a.m. yesterday, traumatizing his worried family and leaving the young daughter feeling guilty that she got her father in trouble, Longarzo said.

"They were going to have a quiet night," Longarzo said. "His daughter wanted to look at the stars. ... This is clearly not an act of terrorism."

The lawyer said Banach, a father of three young girls and the husband of a local PTA president, works in fiber optics and uses the laser in his work.

She said the laser, while strong, is "totally legal."

"He was in the wrong place at the wrong time, playing with his daughter with a laser beam toy," Longarzo said.

She said Banach had nothing to do with the laser incident near Teterboro Airport on Wednesday that prompted the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to take a decoy helicopter to the skies on Friday.

In a state where law enforcement officials are sensitive to terrorism, particularly when it comes to aircraft, they are taking seriously Wednesday's incident in which a laser was shone three times into the cockpit of an incoming private corporate flight to Teterboro Airport.

After the decoy police copter was tagged with a green laser beam on Friday, authorities spent the last hours of 2004, and some of the first ones of 2005, questioning David Banach.

Several other pilots across the United States in recent weeks, including ones in Ohio and Colorado and Oregon, have reported similar incidents with green hand-held lasers, frequently used by astronomers or teachers during class lectures.

"Obviously, it's a concern for us because we operate three larger airports and a smaller airport in the region, and it's an extreme safety hazard for pilots who are in the process of coming in for final approaches," said Steve Coleman, a spokesman for Port Authority, which oversees Newark, LaGuardia, JFK and Teterboro airports.

Flying in the metropolitan New York City area, with its proliferation of airports and abundance of people, is tough enough for pilots, said John F. Gambal of Montville, a pilot who uses Teterboro. Dodging laser beams makes it even more difficult, he said.

"Any kind of light in the cockpit is a huge distraction, especially when you are flying at night," Gambal said.

He said that unlike a giant light heralding a grand opening of a store, which the pilot can see from afar and easily avoid, the pilot can't see the finer, more intense laser beam until the light strikes the pilot in the eye.

Far from being toys, some lasers can cause retina damage, Gambal said.

Spokesmen for the Port Authority and the U.S. Attorney's Office yesterday would say only that they questioned people in the Teterboro incident and haven't made an arrest. An FBI spokesman wouldn't even say that much.

All three spokesmen said the investigation was continuing.

Banach is known in the neighborhood for buying gadgets for his daughters and having the nicest Christmas display on the street.

Jay Patel, who lives across from Banach in the neighborhood that sits near Lake Parsippany, thinks Banach's detainment was the result of a misunderstanding.

"I think he was playing along with his kids," Patel said yesterday. "He's not the kind of guy who would try blind a pilot or anything like that. He buys all kinds of toys for his kids, motorized cars and stuff like that."

The proliferation of law enforcement vehicles that descended on Banach's house -- still adorned yesterday by Christmas decorations and a sign in the front that read, "No Parking Except for Dad" -- was the talk of the quiet neighborhood.

"Everybody knew about these lasers and everybody was curious about what happened," said Patel, a resident of the neighborhood for more than 20 years. "It was a big shock."

[nmfire]

Oh great. Clark Grizwald is the cause of all this big news.

[firefightergtp]

Originally posted by nmfire
Oh great. Clark Grizwald is the cause of all this big news.


Bauh hahahahahaa, Clark Griswald, LMAO

[GeorgeWendtCFI]

Posted 09:46 AM from the Daily Record newsroom

Parsippany man to face charges in laser pointing
By Chris Gosier, Daily Record

Federal authorities will bring charges against a Parsippany man today in connection with an incident on Friday after a laser light beam struck a Port Authority of New York and New Jersey police helicopter flying over the area, the man's attorney said late Monday night.

The attorney, Gina Mendola Longarzo, said that David Banach of Pitman Road will be charged with “pointing a laser into the sky,” and “lying to law enforcement officials.”

Banach is expected to turn himself in to authorities today, Longarzo said.

Longarzo said Banach maintains he was playing with a hand-held laser with his daughter in his backyard, and not targeting aircraft. He bought the laser pointer over the Internet a few weeks ago from Bigha, Inc., Longarzo said. “Poor guy, he's terrified,” said Longarzo, adding it's “the furthest thing from a terrorist act.”

Banach was questioned by police Friday night after they took him from his Pitman Road home while investigating laser lights that struck the Port Authority helicopter and a corporate jet landing at Teterboro Airport last week.

A phone message to Banach’s home was not returned.

On Wednesday night, a pilot preparing to land the jet at Teterboro reported seeing three green laser beams about 11 miles from the airport.

The plane, a Cessna Citation with 13 people aboard, landed safely with no injuries reported.

On Friday, the helicopter carrying Port Authority superintendent Samuel J. Plumeri Jr. and some detectives was hit by a beam as they surveyed the area in an attempt to pinpoint the origin of the original beams.

In addition to the Teterboro incidents, federal agents are looking into recent reports of lasers being shone at aircraft in Colorado Springs, Colo., Cleveland, Washington, Houston and Medford, Ore., according to law enforcement and transportation officials, some of whom spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

Federal law enforcement officials have said there is no evidence of a terrorist plot involving laser beams, though last month the FBI and the Homeland Security Department sent a memo to law enforcement agencies saying there is evidence that terrorists have explored using lasers as weapons.

Meanwhile, the company that sold the laser light beam device seized at a Parsippany man’s home on Friday issued a plea for the lasers to be used safely and properly.

The company, Bigha, Inc., developed the laser for use in outdoor recreation, mainly stargazing, and has sold thousands since introducing it eight months ago, said Noah Acres, marketing director for the 15-person startup company in Corvallis, Ore.

A message posted Saturday on the Bigha Web site said the FBI contacted them last week and asked if anyone suspicious had bought lasers, especially in New Jersey, Colorado, Oregon or Ohio.

The Jasper laser sold by the company is about five inches long and shines at 3.5 to five milliwatts, the maximum power a laser can have without requiring a special permit, Acres said. Lasers are regulated by the federal Food and Drug Administration.

The laser sold to Banach has a 3.86 milliwatt capacity, he said.

“If you own or are about to purchase a Jasper, please do not point it towards people or moving objects. It is dangerous. Please do not modify it to increase the power output,” says the statement he posted under “Bigha Blog” at www.bigha.com.

The output cannot be beefed up to the level of a weapon, he said, but the device could be dangerous if aimed directly at someone’s eye or used to distract the driver of a car, he said.

“The temptation to point it at different stuff is overwhelming for some people,” he said. “Just like anything, it’s a useful tool and it’s a fun tool, (but) when you use it irresponsibly or without thought, it can be dangerous.”

“I certainly welcome the attention, but I really don’t want people to think this is a death ray,” he said.

The handheld, $119 laser projects a beam that can be used for stargazing by aligning the end of the beam with stars and constellations at the point where it dissipates into the night sky, he said.

About 70 percent of buyers use it for stargazing, Acres said. It’s also used for presentations, aiming devices on firearms, or alignment in construction work or fence-painting.

The laser was designed by Bigha and is manufactured by Leadlight Inc. of Taiwan, Acres said. They are sold only over the Internet. The company name, “Bigha,” comes from the Apache word for “because,” signifying outdoor sport done for the fun of it rather than for competition, Acres said.

“We sell a lot of these lasers,” he said. “We are pretty much sold out of the Jasper, always. We have really high demand for them. We’re trying to get them in as fast as we can

[Dalmatian90]

http://www.bigha.com/sky/index.php

[Dalmatian90]

LOL...

http://www.bigha.com/buy/index_jasper.php

"We're sorry...we're completely sold out of the Jasper and won't be restocked until January 15..."

Calling conspiracy theory...Makes you wonder if they're really o-o-s or if federal agents & attornies are in negotiations :D

The one that's "sold out" is the continous-on model that I'd reckon would be easier to use to aim/track aircraft with.

And it has a range of 25,000 feet!!!!

BTW, sounding more & more like a new toy that's generating a lot of "collateral" damage -- not quite a purposeful thing, not quite pranksters. Maybe negligence and analagous to people not understanding when you shoot a gun in the air, the bullet comes down somewhere?

[Dalmatian90]

Wonder if aircraft use red-lighting in their cabs (our crew-cabs have red lights in the back so you can see to finish donning gear...without interefering with the driver's night vision)...and wonder if this comes into play:

More from bigha:
http://www.bigha.com/sky/story.php
"...the human eye interprets the color green to be three times brighter than read. So if you had a 5mw red laser beam next to a 5mw green laser beam, the green beam would appear 50 times brighter."

Also
http://www.bigha.com/sky/safety.php
When used with caution, Jasper lasers are completely safe. Technically, Jasper is a Class IIIa laser, which means it does not have enough power to burn. The only caution regards eyesight. Jasper's beam is extremely bright and can easily disorient an unsuspecting bystander.

[NJFFSA16]

Originally posted by Dalmatian90
The only caution regards eyesight. Jasper's beam is extremely bright and can easily disorient an unsuspecting bystander.

Or should that read "Flystander?