Title: Lasers and aviation Safety
1Lasers and aviation Safety
- Patrick Murphy
- Executive Director, International Laser Display
Association - SAE G-10T Committee Member
2Lasers and Aviation Safety
- Laser pointer threat
- Laser uses in airspace
- Laser hazards in airspace
- Hazard factors
- Hazard reduction
- Regulation and control
3Laser pointer threat
- Steady rise in incidents
- Due to
- Lower cost
- Higher powers(100-300 mW)
- Green (more visible)
- Internet (easy to obtain)
4Laser pointer threat
- January 1 February 23, 2009 148 laser
illuminations of aircraft in the U.S. alone - 2.7 per day
- February 22 12 illuminations of aircraft landing
at Sea-Tac
5Laser pointer threat -- Australia
- 140 incidents Jan. - April 2008
- March 2008 coordinated attacks in Sydney
- Led to NSW ban on laser pointer import, sales and
possession
6Why not ban laser beams from airspace?
7Laser use in airspace
- Guide star lasers used in astronomy
- Satellite communications and ranging
- Atmospheric remote sensing
8Laser use in airspace
- Aircraft warning
- Visual Warning System used in Washington
Metropolitan Air Defense Identification Zone
(ADIZ) - 7 locations
- Green and red lasers, 1.5 watts
- Visible up to 20 nautical miles away
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10Laser use in airspace
- Entertainment
- Nightly show at a fixed site (theme parks)
- Infrequent shows at various sites (special
events) - Usually only 30-60 minutes long
11Not practical to ban lasers from airspace
- Unduly restricts legitimate users
- Does not prevent accidental illumination
incidents - Does not stop deliberate targeting of aircraft
- Ignorance does not know effects
- Malice trying to cause harm
12How are laser beams hazardous to aviation?
13Primary hazard is to pilots
- From visible laser beams
- Visual interference during critical phases of
flight - Distraction, glare and flashblindness
- Potential eye damage during any phase of flight
- From non-visible (infrared, ultraviolet) beams
- Potential eye damage during any phase of flight
14Visual interference
- Distraction
- Distracting, but can see past the light
- 0.05 µW/cm2
- 5 mW laser pointer at 3,700 feet (1130m)
15Visual interference
- Glare
- Interferes with vision
- 5.0 µW/cm2
- 5 mW laser pointer at 1,200 feet (365m)
16Visual interference
- Temporary flashblindness
- Blocks vision during and after exposure
- 100 µW/cm2
- 5 mW laser pointer at 350 feet (107m)
17Visual interference does affect pilots
- 2004 FAA simulator study
- Pilots flew a challenging short-final approach
- Glare and flashblindness significant
- Adverse effects for more than 50 of the
approaches - 20-25 rate of aborted landings
18Laser exposure in police helicopters
19Potential eye damage
- Can be caused by visible or non-visible laser
beams, at power above the MPE - Unlikely, though possible
- Few confirmed reports
- Damage could be pre- or post-exposure
- Previous eye injuries or abormalities
- Rubbing the eye after exposure
20Lasers vs. searchlights Toet, 2009
- High-intensity searchlights
- Carbon arc light, HID arc light, HMI Dominator,
4K xenon Skytracker - 3.5 mW laser from RadioShack
- Aimed at helicopter in San Antonio tests
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22Lasers vs. searchlights Toet, 2009
- At 200-500 meters, no adverse effects from
searchlights - Laser pointer impossible to perceive details
outside impact was unacceptable. - Glare, flashblindness and afterimages from laser
not from searchlights - Laser beam appeared suddenly, thus causing
additional startle"
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27Hazards summary
28A plea for properly proportioned diagrams!
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316 watt, 532 nm, 1.1 mrad laser
- Eye hazard to 1600 feet (488m)
- Flashblindness to 8200 feet (1.5 mi/2.5 km)
- Glare to 36,800 feet (7 mi/11.2 km)
- Distraction to 368,000 feet (70 mi/112 km)
32What are the factors affecting the hazard level?
33Factors affecting hazard level
- Laser factors
- Power, divergence, visible/non-visible,
wavelength, pulsed vs. CW - Operational factors
- Area covered in sky (stationary vs. moving)
- Location relative to airports
- Terminated vs. non-terminated beams
- Use of airspace observers (spotters)
- Use of automated detection (radar, cameras)
34Factors affecting hazard level (cont. 1)
- Situational factors
- Day vs. night
- Aircraft speed and distance (helicopters at risk)
- Laser pointer user factors
- Deliberate (longer and more exposures) vs.
accidental (short, single event)
35Factors affecting hazard level (cont. 2)
- Pilot factors
- Read NOTAMs
- Flight phase (takeoff, landing, emergency)
- Pilot experience and training
- Recognizing a laser event
- Properly responding, to successfully avoid
problems
36Factors affecting hazard level (cont. 3)
- Legal and regulatory
- Follow aviation authority procedures
- FAA, CDRH in US
- Laws against interference
- Restrict the sale or use of laser devices
- May not be practical
- May give false sense of security
- Does not guard against deliberate intent
37Single most effective way to reduce the hazard?
38Pilot training reduces the hazard
- Laser illuminations can be managed with training
- Effective against both accidental and deliberate
exposures - Not a substitute for regulations and restrictions
on law-abiding laser users
39Other important ways to reduce the hazard
40Laser sellers and manufacturers
- Educate heavy laser pointer users
- www.LaserPointerSafety.com
- Self-regulation/education by laser pointer
sellers - Package inserts
- Permanent labels on laser pointers
- Laser pointer seller participation in regulatory
efforts - Laser pointer seller trade association
41www.LaserPointerSafety.com
- Facts, news and links on laser pointer safety
- Help reduce annoying and dangerous incidents
- Bad for safety pilots, drivers
- Bad for yourself possible arrest, fines, jail
- Bad for pointers misuse will lead to bans
42Regulatory and standards bodies
- Require an Aviation Safety Label on appropriate
lasers - Low cost and easy to implement
- Labels are already required on lasers
- Addresses a hazard not on previous labels
- Provides legal notice to users
- Helps establish willful intent
43Aircraft warning on label
- WARNING DO NOT SHINE YOUR LASER AT AN AIRCRAFT
- Shooting a laser at an aircraft is considered a
felony in the U.S.
44ILDAs Aviation Safety Label proposal
- Label required on
- Lasers with visible beams
- Class 3 and Class 4
- Longest dimension is 15 inches or
lesshandheld
45ILDAs Aviation Safety Label proposal (2)
- Required text varies, depending on space
available for label
46ILDAs Aviation Safety Label proposal (3)
- Details required in User Manual
- Label text can vary for special lasers
- Laser Rescue Flare
- DO NOT aim at or near aircraft, except to make
your position known in an emergency situation or
when a cooperating aircraft is looking for your
signal. It is otherwise illegal to aim at
aircraft and distract pilots. - Lasers used by government to notify or aid pilots
47ILDAs Aviation Safety Label proposal (4)
- Exemptions
- Lasers larger than handheld
- High-divergence or diffuse beam
- lt5 µW/cm² at all distances beyond 500 feet
- Visual equivalence formula
- Takes wavelength into account
- Equivalent of lt5 µW/cm² at 500 feet at 555 nm
- Diffracted lasers (star projectors)
48ILDAs Aviation Safety Label proposal (5)
- How to require?
- Easiest for CDRH to suggest voluntary guidance
- ILDA prefers mandated regulation
49What regulations must be followed in the U.S.?
50U.S. regulations
- Federal Aviation Administration
- Has no direct authority over laser uses
- Requests that laser uses be reviewed in advance
by aerospace specialists - Issues a Letter of Non-Objection if OKa
Letter of Objection if not OK
51U.S. regulations
- FDAs Center for Devices and Radiological Health
- Regulates laser devices (equipment)
- Only regulates three uses
- Medical
- Surveying
- Demonstration
- Includes laser pointers and light shows
- Demonstration users MUST file with FAA and MUST
get a Letter of Non-Objection. Only laser users
legally required to get permission.
52FAA regulations
- Four zones around airports and sensitive
airspace, for visual interference - Laser-Free Zone, lt 0.05 µ/cm2 (50
nanowatts/cm2) - Critical Flight Zone, lt 5.0 µ/cm2
- (optional) Sensitive Flight Zone, lt 100 µ/cm2
- Normal Zone, ltMPE, no visual restrictions
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55What U.S. airspace is controlled?
- Almost all lasers outdoors in the U.S.
- Even if between two buildings on a city street
- Helicopters may need to fly between the buildings
- Even if terminated from ground to surfaces
- Termination may fail
- FAA control stops at about 60,000 feet
- Some lasers are hazards above 60,000 feet
- Must be reported to Air Force Space Command
- No current requirement to detect hard-to-spot
aircraft - Stealth, unmanned aerial vehicles, supersonic
56How to report U.S. laser operations
- FAA Form 7140-1 (part of Advisory Circular 70-1)
57Current status
58Standards development
- SAE G-10T Laser Safety Hazards Subcommittee
- ANSI Z136.6 Standard for Safe Use of Lasers
Outdoors - Upcoming ILDA proposal for an Aviation Safety
Label
59Current status
- SAE G-10T working on guidelines for automated
detection and avoidance systems - Prominent laser users (e.g., observatories) and
laser shows follow FAA guidelines - Laser pointers now are the area of primary
concern - Some concern over deliberate targeting to cause
harm - Difficult to do, not very effective
60Resources for background, general public
- This paper and its references
- www.LaserPointerSafety.com
- Links page
61Questions
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63(Note Slides after this point are leftovers
which did not fit into the main presentation, or
which had material included in other slides. They
are left for future versions which may find the
leftover slides useful.)
64Hazard factors Laser
- Laser power
- Beam divergence
- Visible vs. non-visible (infrared and
ultraviolet) - Color
- Green can be 2-10 times more visible than equal
power red or blue lasers - Pulsed vs. continuous
65Hazard factors Operational
- Beam movement
- Stationary Smaller chance of flying through
beam easier to protect via spotters or automated
methods - Moving (laser show) Greater chance of exposure
- Location relative to airports and airlanes
- Projector and laser stability
66Hazard factors Situational
- Day vs. night
- Only dusk/night/dawn a problem for visible lasers
- More visible lasers operate at night
- Motion and speed of the aircraft
- Helicopters are at greatest risk due to hovering
- Distance to the aircraft
- Low-flying planes and helicopters at greatest
risk
67Hazard factors Aircrew
- Flight phase
- Takeoff, approach, landing, emergency maneuvers
- Pilot awareness
- Prior exposure to laser illumination concepts
- Pilot response
- Overreaction vs. fly the plane
68Hazard factors Laser pointers
- Intent
- Deliberate targeting
- Longer exposure
- May be coordinated with others (Sydney, 2008)
- Easier to catch (though still not easy)
- May recur, hit multiple planes and/or multiple
nights - Accidental targeting
- One-time-only accident