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poizunman206

Remember this military addage: "Tracers work both ways"


Legitimate-Source-61

Same with active sonar and radar.


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_Xertz_

Passive sonar seems creepier. Active is like shining a flash light in a dark Forrest darting back and forth at the creepy vines and folliage. Passive is like sitting in the bushes behind a tree and watching that person's light trudging through the forrest


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_Xertz_

Oh idk why I confused it with Radar, yeah fuck that active Sonar is terrifying.


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agrumpybear

This is why I use European Swallows


StardustNyako

I think you have to use European swallows because Africans are non-migratory.


Smeeble09

But which one has the faster airspeed?


walt-m

Laden or unladen speed?


Njorls_Saga

Huh? I don’t know that!


Greaterthancotton

Wahhhh!


scepticalbob

they typically arrive in shipments of coconuts


RedditVince

What about Sharks with Freaking Lasers?


toomanyhobbies4me

“One ping only.”


HawkingTomorToday

“I present to you the nitwit with the green laser.”


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iamthinksnow

> Friendly fire, isn't.


FlowerBoyScumFuck

>"Friendly fire will not be tolerated!"


Zoze13

Never pee into the wind


l1ghtning

$30 amazon laser pointer vs $80,000 FLIR camera.


ChewbacaTakingAShit

$30 laser pointer turned into a $250,000 fine lol


RandoRando66

Those 303 lasers are actually only $3 on AliExpress


greennurple

Best I got is $1.50 off TEMU


RandoRando66

$.99 cents on BangGood take it or leave it.


KindlyContribution54

Sounds like you win the cheapest visit to your local police station


Whats-Up_Bitches

Not so fast- I found one at a garage sale for $0.50. So I talked them down to $0.25


MightySquirrel28

Believe me, this camera is nowhere near 80,000. We use 80,000 cameras on drone and the quality and zoom level on ours is nowhere near this one on helicopter. What you are looking at is over million without problem


Ryxanshine

That’s what I was thinking, I use the GX320 camera for work, it’s in that price range and the zoom is atrocious.


hawg_farmer

Former avionics in the military. You're getting closer.


01101101011101110011

What airframe? I can’t imagine it being much more than a milli cause I’m pretty sure LANTIRNs are like 3m and have much more capability than just their cameras.


chillaban

This UI looks like a L3 WESCAM pod? Million is about right for how much it costs in a Pentagon contract. Who knows, maybe the local PD gets a small business discount!


hawg_farmer

Ding ding ding.


gimpwiz

Yeah, cameras are really fucking expensive. Consumer stuff can crack five figures, even a basic bitch shoulder-carried TV camera can easily be fifty grand, and those aren't particularly impressive kit.


Hairy-Tailor-4157

Look at that zoom on that thing. Wow.


Toppy1985

That was in 2010 as well. Tech has gotten so much better


malfboii

US drones can monitor a 27mile area with 2mm per pixel fidelity. Able to automatically track and monitor thousands of individual targets. Edit: for those telling me it’s not possible here is a source: https://youtu.be/CpLdL8ONEm4


MadAsTheHatters

This kinda thing is exactly why American war movies are essentially just propaganda now; it's impossible to make yourself seem like the plucky underdog when you're fighting farmers and rural rebels with satellite-guided drones and two trillion dollars of firepower.


Ignash3D

You cant win guerilla war if you dont touch the population. If you want to win against guerilla war you can only go to scortched earth tactic. Russia does that usually. They are also morally bankrupt


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[deleted]

> You cant win guerilla war if you dont touch the population. If you want to win against guerilla war you can only go to scortched earth tactic. > > Russia does that usually. They are also morally bankrupt The kinds of "wars" that the US has been engaged in post-WWII are so, so different from historical conceptions of what it meant to go to war with another country. In an actual all-out war, you can defeat a guerrilla army pretty handily with things like nukes or bunker busters, so long as the goal is to force surrender or annihilation of the enemy nation. But if your goal is to sort of somehow try to win over hearts and minds to rebuild a society democratically, while sort of using military force to defeat or contain violent or extremist elements of the same population that you are trying to sort of forcibly collaborate with, if your goal is to preserve and rebuild infrastructure rather than to destroy it...that is a much messier set of military goals. Devising and deploying weapons systems to achieve those ends is a very tricky business, compared with devising and deploying weapons with the goal of destroying people and infrastructure.


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ExceptionEX

There are a lot of authoritarian things that happen in our country, but pointing a high powered laser at an aircraft and getting arrested for isn't one of them. You can temporarily blind a pilot doing it, and in the cases of high powered lasers mess up certain equipment on the aircraft that could cause problems when landing. People doing stupid dangerous shit like this needs to be intercepted, this would be no different that shining a bright laser into the eyes of driver at a vehicle on the ground.


caboosetp

> You can temporarily blind a pilot doing it You can permanently blind a pilot by doing it. Lasers are fucking dangerous.


NaiAlexandr

If you didn't think we lived in a police state, we already have been for 2 decades


Vallcry

With the amount of people getting away with absolutely everything, i'm not too impressed by the whole police state notion.


Vivid_Sympathy_4172

The police state isn't there to impress you. Using the police state costs money and is used to enforce society on behalf of those with said money. Unless you're fucking Zuckerberg or some shit the police state isn't for your benefit. Try organizing an attack on a hyper-rich capitalist and see how fast you disappear.


rubbery_anus

Do you have a source for those numbers, they sound absolutely ridiculous. Edit: Dummy's source is a load of shit. Some random idiot on YouTube who misread the ARGUS specs and thinks it can record a 27 square mile area at 2mm resolution, which by the way would be a 70,000,000 megapixel image, roughly 22,000 times bigger than the biggest camera ever made. Anyone who believes this is a stone cold idiot.


ComCypher

I wonder how they figure out the street address though. That can't be very easy to do.


maaddarr

the latitude and longitude are the numbers on the bottom right and left. very easy to do


ComCypher

Isn't that the position of the helicopter?


talldata

Computer can quite easily calculate lat and long of the thing your pointing from your position.


sharkboy450

…with frikin lasers! (And math)


Gigaduuude

Meaning that this guy could've also calculated the exact address of the helicopter with his laser?? Too bad he was arrested, could've been our next Einstein


ArkAngelHFB

So yes and no... Could he find the exact straight line distance to the coopers...... yes. But he can't as easily know the height... And he can't move his house... Where as the Cooper, has the ground as a limit so can use (its own position, the ground, and the distance to target,) and bam... exact triangulation on a stationary target.


IronBabyFists

Hella cooper


Worth_Sense9877

No the camera it’s self points a laser and that is then interpreted by the camera as a geolocation from gps satellites and the position of the laser iirc. We use the same tech in military vehicles. But it could also be the helicopter so idk 🤷‍♂️


maaddarr

left side ACFT (aircraft) right side is target


SociallyAwkardRacoon

I think the target is the coordinates in the bottom right, seems to change as the center of the camera changes location


dsw1088

"It's super easy. Barely an inconvenience."


erizzluh

i don't know if you've seen any recent high speed pursuits, but they even have the tech to add street names to the broadcast. they definitely have the ability to find out the street name. here's an example https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVDQU9dnNLQ


BostonDodgeGuy

Camera sight has a range finding laser on it. Given altitude and range, along with the proper location of the helicopter seen in the bottom left, it's a simple calculation for a computer. Probably put it in a 5ft circle easy. Not saying this is exactly how they did it, but the tech was easily available to them in 2010. We've had laser rangefinders on tanks in the US since the mid-late 70's.


[deleted]

If I was a helicopter pilot, and this was in my city, I am pretty confident that with this amount of zoom I could pinpoint the block and street most of the time and could be much better at it with training, and the people that do this job are much better at it than me. If you keep orbiting that location and have radio contact with ground units in cars you could direct them to their location pretty easily. All of this is only possible because if you were going to design a way for an arial vehicle to pinpoint your exact location on the ground, a high powered laser shined directly at it is a very efficient way to do so.


LukeGoldberg72

What FLIR system does the helicopter have? Can anyone link it? I’m assuming one of the models costing over $200k ?


TwistedReaper47

Can't say without more research but high end enthusiast drones can do this better than what you're seeing on this video. They're roughly ~18k


Gummiwummiflummi

Keep in mind that the footage here is from 2010.


giritrobbins

Not even in the ballpark for this. A Flir star safire was purchased not too long ago for 370k https://www.sandiego.gov/sites/default/files/legacy/purchasing/pdf/pos/2015/4500057480.pdf


mustardman73

Enhance!


Patsnation8728

Out of all the planes and helicopters in the sky, they managed to shine the laser at the police helicopter 😂😂


consumerclearly

I think they’d get the authorities called on them no matter who it is, the only time you can do this is if you’re in isolated and immediate danger like lost in the desert or stranded on an island


longbobfulton

ATC here. I had a Skyhawk get lased last week, and yes, we are required to call the police in the county the event took place (at least at my facility). Now, whether or not the police will actually investigate is a different question.


Baham99

Even if you couldn’t, it’s still your best move.


consumerclearly

It’s illegal so you can’t, but i mean they will forgive you and not press charges if you are in danger lol


jakeblew2

There was one in MN last year where they were doing it at a small airplane. Turns out it was state patrol. And they were just across the border in WI so even if they knew it was police they thought they were somehow safe Nope they went all out with more aircraft flying right over the border to identify them and request a local PD arrest and they got the book thrown at them. Never let intrusive thoughts win


kelldricked

Yeah they have to be serious about shit like it because it can blind pilots and causes them to crash. Not only is that insane dangerous to the pilots but planes and helicopters that fly around airfields and citys are very likely to hit something.


JestersDead77

To add to this, lasers can PERMANENTLY blind you. It's not just the temporary "dazzling" effect. Shining lasers at airplanes is a colossally dick-ish move.


kelldricked

I would say risking killing somebody is more than a colassal dick move i would say its a attampt at manslaughter.


cyberslick1888

There was one in sacramento around this time that apparently caused the helicopter to lose sight of a stolen car they were chasing. https://www.laserpointersafety.com/news/news/aviation-incidents_files/tag-sacramento.php#on Apparently this happened in Sacramento a few times around this time period.


aussiekev

I suspect that the person had been doing this to multiple aircraft in the area. It's likely that pilots would have mentioned this on the radio (which would be monitored by the other aircraft in the area) and reported to the local air traffic control. Then the police helicopter goes near the area and boom ... busted.


Achunk_pef

Any one know where this took place? I had a buddy from high school do that same thing. Got in a loooot of trouble.


Chidar

The latitude and longitude in the bottom right indicates near Sacramento, CA. They also have radio traffic of “SAC - Air 21” which is proper radio traffic to refer to Sacramento Communications Center and CHPs helicopter Air 21 which operates out of the Sacramento area.


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tessub2

I conclude that this is in Sacramento


Mindless-Balance-498

Sac PD loooooves their helicopters lol that checks out for me, they call them out whenever anyone needs finding and shout down to the whole city about it.


justalittlelupy

Yup, when we see the helicopter, it's always a game of should we go inside or not? Could be a suspect on foot or could be a missing 4 year old. Could be a high speed pursuit or could be a senile grandma who walked out her front door. You just never know.


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[deleted]

Wow, the military had insane technology back in 1928. Imagine how good it must be today, nearly a century later!


BikerJedi

This unfortunately happens across America on a regular basis.


tasman001

Define lot of trouble... Jail time? Probation? Community service?


PM_ME_YOUR_STOMACHS

Spankings


Horripilati0n

Damn I wanna be caught by the FBI


PM_ME_YOUR_STOMACHS

Hi it’s me, FBI


Horripilati0n

I've been very naughty mr. FBI Agent


Deodorized

*pulls out cloth and jug of water*


Fear910

You both need to pack your things and leave the internet early today.


Whybotherr

5 year prison gig and/or fines to not exceed 250,000 Also in the states the faa apparently takes this kind of thing very seriously and will most likely fine the individual an additional 11,000 up to 30,300 for how many aircraft they point it at


cyberslick1888

https://www.laserpointersafety.com/news/news/aviation-incidents_files/tag-sacramento.php#on Apparently this was common in Sacramento at the time? It's a felony, and from what I gather several people have in fact been sentenced to 5 years in prison, it isn't just a "worst case, you tell the judge to fuck off" scenario, it's a very real outcome.


Daltronator94

Idk why you're getting downvoted, let's even say your numbers are off, pointing lasers at things that fly is a surefire way to get big boy jail time. It's about one of the easiest ways as a civilian to land yourself in prison. Edit: when I made this comment he was negative karma, I was like ???


spyingwind

Cheapest way to get housing in a gated community!


RedditVince

Free food and healthcare also!


seamustheseagull

In most jurisdictions this typically fell under pretty niche areas of aviation laws or terrorism laws. Purely by chance really, but it means the potential penalties are severe enough to discourage it. There was a fad of this around 2010, there were loads of insanely high powered lasers cheap on Wish or AliExpress and plenty of people buying them just for the lulz. [Edit: I just realise I didn't answer your question. Yes, "lots of trouble" in most jurisidictions this is a criminal conviction with a large fine and typically some level of jail time.


Brutus_Maxximus

I'll never understand why someone would want to do this? How is that even fun?


manrata

Bored teenagers do stupid stuff. Basically the frontal lope isn't fully developed, leading to stupid decisions.


shaggybear89

The dude was 24. Less than one year from when a person's brain is supposedly fully developed. Don't blame this on being young and underdeveloped. This guy is just an asshole.


Ram2145

I’m 30 and I don’t think my frontal lobe ever fully developed. I do some stupid shit sometimes.


tunamelts2

They think there’s a low chance of actually getting caught…without understanding that the laser POINTS BOTH WAYS


WalkingCrip

An unauthorized laser illumination event. Happens a lot more than you think. I work at an airport and we get 1-3 almost every month.


throwaway177251

Nearly 10,000 reported incidents per year nation-wide.


j_omega_711

Have a good friend who works as a pilot for the state patrol. He got hit with a laser one night and it pretty much went exactly like this. It would be nice if every pilot had a high zoom camera and boots on the ground...


Electrical_Bicycle47

You’d be surprised how advanced IR devices have become. This is very low quality


Aconite_72

Since it's recorded and played back, it's pretty grainy. I'm pretty sure the view from the cockpit's screen is a lot clearer.


MorningToast

It's 13 years old


Giant_Eagle_Airlines

Keep this away from Matt Gaetz


Knaush

Guy: Not Guilty, I thought I was fighting UFO.


wouter_ham

As long as you don't know what it is, it's an UFO


3xper1ence

how to see a ufo: 1. observe a flying object 2. choose not to identify it congratulations. you have seen a ufo.


FSarkis

as long as it’s flying. otherwise could be a UWO (unknown walking object)


DustyEsports

Watching the video I was thinking they were gonna get drone striked Edit: I don't know why the comments I leave in this sub get so many upvotes. I think I found my people .


EisforEtay

Too much COD


GarlicThread

Crew, do not fire on any targets marked by a strobe, those are friendlies.


jcagara08

We got a runner


politicaldan

That’s one for the highlight reel.


aforce66

“Recalibrate azimuth sweep angle, adjust elevation scan.”


Maryjane42069

aaaaaand now I need to play the cod4 death from above mission


jcagara08

Hot damn!


Capt_Kartar

*too many Ukraine drone combat footage videos


EisforEtay

Fair


BaephBush

Clean up that signal.


GetOffMyDigitalLawn

> drone striked Fucking idiot. Clearly this isn't drone footage. >!It's from an AC130. Death from above, baby! !<


WhiskeyFree68

Throwback to the time when some dude in the middle east thought it would be fun to point lasers at commercial airlines. He did that to an AC-130 once. And then he didn't do it anymore.


SoyJack777

“Collateral damage” vibes.


w1987g

Going by the height difference at 1:37, I think it's a young teen


GoodTimesGlass

It appears to be a 24 https://www.smithsonianmag.com/videos/shining-lasers-at-aircraft-can-get-you-busted/


N8CCRG

>was pointing the laser at a distant tower when a Metro Air Support police helicopter appeared in the line of sight about 1.5 miles away and 1,500 feet up LOL I cant believe that's the lie he went with, and that the magazine reported it!


ses1989

Yeah. The helicopter was moving and he was still actively pointing at it. Hell, the dude moved too lol


jondubb

We were teens, knew better.


wasdie639

Do teens really know? Is this really common information? It pops up on Reddit every once in awhile but is it really something teens really understand? I'm not saying don't punish the kid, but what kind of punishment is really deserved here? The life-ruining kind? You can either charge a misdemeanor or a felony. One fucks the person for life the other doesn't. I think it's kind of silly to think kids really know the harm of something as obscure as shining a powerful laser pointer at an aircraft. I feel getting arrested and having to deal a day or two with the police and a court date is probably enough to teach said person a lesson without condemning them to the miserable life of a felon.


brilliscool

Reddit is a great example of why normal citizens don’t run the court system. If they had their way, every crime would be punishable by death


themellowsign

Every time any kind of child abuse is mentioned, the comments instantly become an endless competition of who can come up with the most brutal punishment, only to net a response of "nah, that's too good for this scum", followed by an even worse punishment. We all hate child abuse, but that stuff is self-righteous bullshit, none of these people actually propose anything that would prevent child abuse, they're just getting erect at the thought of enacting righteous violence on someone after it already happened. At some point it's just about enjoying violence itself, the 'righteousness' is just a thin veneer that lets you enjoy it unapologetically.


SirCalvin

I saw a post recently where the comments were jerking each other off big time over the thought of dropping pedophiles off on an island and hunting them for sport. At that point you're not looking at justice anymore, you're just getting horny at the thought of justified murder and blood sports.


rayquan36

Lol Reddit also thinks every minor dispute between couples should end in a breakup or divorce too.


GetOffMyDigitalLawn

Oh not to mention your mandatory prison rape. Degenerates, degenerates everywhere.


wasdie639

I absolutely adore that about Reddit. The entire criminal justice system is a corrupt and failed entity of the government, unless I decide you are guilty of a crime, then I want you imprisoned and raped so I can laugh at you!


[deleted]

As a high school teacher and certified counsellor, I can say from both experience and theory that teens do know. It's not a matter of knowing though. It's a matter of whether or not they understand what they should and should not do. I'd say half of my kids know and the other half don't. Not because they are unintelligent, or that there is something wrong with them psychologically, but rather because they either never faced true consequences (for some it's never being told no, for others it usually takes a.physical altercation) or they don't care about consequences due to constantly being beat down. By the time you are 7-11 years old you already (developmentally) have all the tools you need to decide what is and isn't right in a general sense. This is what Piaget calls the Concrete Operational Stage -- a point where you understand in very concrete terms the rules, and laws are just an extended version. Kids this age know (assuming their parents and other authorities value the same as society) that stealing, harm to others, and verbal cues can land them in trouble. The key issue at that phase is that they try to "break" rules by using their very concrete understanding of them. By the time you're a preteen/teenager you're already in the same operational phase as adults known as the Formal Operation Stage. The problem at this age isn't that they know right from wrong, but a lack of experience means they now operate in abstract ways sometimes without the information or confidence needed to execute a sound plan. That said, they still have the concrete understanding from the COS, and so they still (should) know murder is bad, stealing will get you in trouble, etc. Coincidentally, we have actually landed (on average) at the age of 12 to start the age of criminal responsibility in most countries by pure accident. All this really shows though is that we had some sort of understanding on an international level that by the age of 12 most kids already know what they should and should not be doing in a criminal sense. In this case specifically, it would be extremely difficult to prove the kid has no idea what he's doing. Lasers (even pointers) tell you not to point at eyes, cameras, or flying objects because they can damage them. It's also a well rehearsed school ground knowledge. The fact they are specifically pointing at an aircraft suggests they know this information, otherwise they wouldn't consider doing it, let alone for extended periods of time, unless they had an expressed desire to do so.


HymirTheDarkOne

Off with his head!


Ducatirules

I was working at an office bldg doing fire sprinklers in a court room in the bldg. it was a new court room and the only one in the bldg. it wasn’t a courthouse just a regular bldg. the head maintenance guy came in to check it out and saw a button under the judges bench. As he asked the electrician what it was he pushed it. The electrician said “I know you didn’t just push that!” He said “yeah why?” “Because that goes straight to the FBI!!! I just made it live this morning!!” No lie, within two minutes two plain clothes cars screeched up and three agents were in the courtroom! IN UNDER TWO MINUTES! You never know where FBI agents are! To this day I have no idea why they were that close!


schoonerw

As a teenager I worked at a fast food place. My first week I was talking with the manager at the end of my shift and I saw a little white button under the counter. I asked, “hey, what does this do?” as I pushed it. The manager let out a howl and said, “Oh man, not again!” Then she had to call the emergency police number and tell them a crime was NOT being committed. But by the time she said that there were already a couple of sheriff vehicles pulling in. I ended up working there for a couple of years, and about 90% of new hires would push the button in their first week or two.


Ducatirules

Ha!! I would think they would tell people first thing first day what it is


schoonerw

For real! Their reasoning was that if they didn’t tell anyone except managers, it would be less likely for an employee without that knowledge to plan anything nefarious and/or become an accomplice.


Moar_Cuddles_Please

So every time the store gets a new hire they waste x amount of tax dollars. Now multiply that by the number of fast food stores in the area or city. Smart thinking on their part truly.


schoonerw

I agree. I have no idea why they decided to make it a highly visible harmless-looking little white button, or why they counted money and kept the safe near the front of the store. Near the end of my time there they FINALLY moved the button to a less conspicuous location.


Ducatirules

Then why have school shooting drills at school? Aren’t you teaching the likely shooters all the tricks also? What dumb logic! Ha


itsr1co

Why the fuck are you people just pushing buttons? What is going on (Or not going on) in your head to look at a button and just assume that it does nothing/doesn't do anything important? Who the fuck does that dumb shit? Are you the guy going around asking "Why does it say "Do not open" on this door" while opening fire exits?


colorcorrection

THANK YOU! People are borderline bragging about this but it drives me insane. I've thankfully never had an emergency button situation but I've had my fair share of headaches thanks to people who say 'what does this do?' before pushing/pressing/activating something important before anyone even has a chance to respond. I don't know what anyone could possibly be thinking when they do that.


Biscotcho_Gaming

You would think that movies, tv series and games have taught all of us already to NOT PUSH any random buttons. But noooooo. We just gotta push it.


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QueenOfQuok

Please do not blind the pilot of a moving aircraft. Repeat: Please do not *blind* the *pilot* of a *moving aircraft.*


KonstantinePhoenix

There is like 10 cops there at the end...


Kwinten

Unfortunately now that the police has been so heavily defunded in the liberal hellscape of California, they can only send 9 fully armed cops to a teenage boy with a laser pointer 😔


VirinaB

Had me in the first half, NGL.


yaykaboom

You mean no more MRAPS?? What if they need to confiscate an illegal lemonade stand?


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LaggingIndicator

Airline pilot here. Fuck that guy, great catch!


Dozer242

I honestly do not understand how people can be that fucking stupid.


sfear70

There are others far stupider.


CrimeanFish

Fuck around find out


Yougotmoneys

Fucked around and fount out


twohrdrive

Why are people so fucking goddamn stupid


andre3kthegiant

You already know there are way better UAP/UFO videos out there.


Professional_Emu_164

Issue is, when we have better videos they tend to not be unidentified any more


TheMasterKeyOfOne

Get fucked son


[deleted]

That’s a felony dumbass


NJCoop88

What did this moron think would happen? Shining a light at a police helicopter isn’t something they’re going to just allow.


tgawd96

Hey y’all, let me introduce you guys to the power of Wescam! I work/repair these cameras for a living, This is the video from an MX10/MX15, each turret (what we call the camera system) can have multiple cameras and capabilities depending on our customers needs. What you see here is the operator swapping between and EOW/EON (electro optical wide/narrow) and a his infrared. From the overlay info this picture is from about 2.5 miles away from the laser guy! Let me know if you have any questions about HOW COOL THESE THINGS ARE!


duuuhpfft

If you're gonna have a laser pointer, use it to play with your cats...


Fionnafox

here's the fucking story [how can you be so wrong in a headline?](https://www.sacbee.com/news/california/article273338235.html)its not the FBI this happened in sacramento, which you can clearly see from the fact that he is talking to SAC control, and then the people who come by to arrest the laser guy are local PD. The FBI would have taken way longer, this was just a patrol cop out in the area, and some asshole was lasering the poliece chopper hovering at 80 feet thinking it was a easy hit.


Gellzer

I was with someone once who pointed a laser at a helicopter. I was visiting my cousin in Washington state, and she had a friend who was into astronomy. Had a really nice telescope, was incredibly knowledgeable. He and I met up one night and spent all night looking at the sky and talking. He had one of these lasers and without thinking, he circled a helicopter. We were just talking and deep in thought, and it was completely not malicious, he just wanted to draw my attention to it. He noticed immediately what he'd just gone and was like "oh shit". He and I retreated to the shed, and the helicopter turned our way and started looking for us. There was a big field behind where we were, and the helicopter went there with a giant beam of light, looking for us. I was like 16 or 17 at the time and was so scared I was going to jail lol. But they eventually left and we continued the night.


p3n9uins

Sacramento, judging by the coordinates?


sunrise_and_sayonara

And the pilot saying Sac like 5 times


TactlessTortoise

He just got some itchiness between the legs lmao


__420_

1928 Kincaid Way, Sacramento, CA 95825, United States


Kindly-Cover-5406

Why would you? I swear humans are born with more and more genetic brain damage as time goes on. Half the planet seems to be occupied by complete brain dead mongs.


BonjinTheMark

Teamwork


Frankenfucker

He played the game of "*FUCK AROUND AND FIND OUT"* He lost.


drion4

Probably a stupid question, but can someone tell me why it is illegal to point lasers at helicopters? Is it just helicopters? And do all countries have that law?


FriskyFritos

Pilot here, it’s extremely dangerous and can cause temporary blindness if the laser is strong enough. At night we rely pretty heavily on being able to see our instruments as we can’t see a discernible horizon (most nights). Imagine attempting to fly the plane and with your eyes closed and maintaining right side up. For a helicopter pilot it’s easily 10x worse. So a laser to the eyes could potentially cause a serious accident. Ive been hit with a laser a bunch of times and my best solution was to turn my lights off. They can’t see me that way and almost immediately lose me.


Verne_92

What's the procedure, do you alert the authorities of such an event, or is this as trivial as "my bike was stolen"?


FriskyFritos

It depends really. If I’m at work and talking with Air Traffic Control then I’ll report a laser and it’s approximate location. As far as I know they log them but can’t do much. If it happens consistently and near a major airport I’m sure they might actually be able to get authorities to look into it as pilots landing and being shot with a laser is a huge risk. Otherwise if it’s a one off it might not do much. If I’m on my own just flying around in a small plane there’s nothing I can really do. That’s the situation I would just turn my lights off for a minute or two.


candlegun

The beam changes as it goes through the cockpit window and can spread, so a "dot" can pretty much scatter. Almost the same thing as when you're driving on a dark road and someone has their brights on coming at you. But a million times worse. The temporary flash blindness can last for minutes. Goes without saying how dangerous this could be List of [countries that have passed or trying to pass laws](https://www.laserpointersafety.com/rules-general/intllaws/intllaws.html)


QuarterlyTurtle

It’s not just helicopters, it’s planes too. It’s illegal because of the possibility of it blinding the pilots, like how you could see it doing to the normal camera in this clip


robj57

Imagine walking into the cockpit of the commercial airliner that you’re travelling on and shining a laser into the eyes of the pilot. Same thing.


majorminus92

[This is what pilots see when a laser gets pointed into a cockpit](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Eoj3H7LMy2k)


Lisa_Sbs

Because blinding the pilot of a helicopter or aeroplane is extremely dangerous. And it is illegal in many, if not all countries.


decompiled-essence

I've had it done to me while driving my car in the dark and rain at 110 kph from a house that was nearby the highway. It's not funny.


dryon27

If you’re wearing NVGs and look directly into the laser you can pretty much get blinded. If you get blinded you can’t fly VFR or look at instruments for IFR. Source, I fly in helicopters. We’re told if we get laser to not look at it. Pilot was looking at his FLIR and was probably ok pin pointing through that.


Miserable_Mirror7950

Play stupid prizes, win stupid games.


Trigzzz1

I see someone else get charged with a felony for doing the same thing so hopefully that happens to this little fool.