Originally Posted by
norty303
...
Clearly, this is stretching a point to demonstrate a point. I thought the South Park reference would've made it a bit obvious what the intention was :-/
Dude, I TOTALLY missed the reference to South Park - my bad!!
As far as MPE, aircraft exposures, etc. - ~
My guess - and it's purely that - is that MPE calculations depend too much on a "controlled" environment to be truly 100% applicable.
I have seen WAY too many times over the course of my career where classroom and/or controlled-environment calculations, methods, and procedures didn't necessarily work out "as advertised" once they were put into practice in a field environment.
Truthfully, just about aviator, military or civilian (and most members here) would probably agree that ANY laser shining into the cockpit is bad.
Undoubtedly, the MPE that would apply to any given incident should define the degree of "bad" that applies, but medical evidence is starting to be made public that, unfortunately, might sometimes indicate otherwise.
FWIW - and this was some years ago, long before I ever even heard of "MPE" -
I was stationed with a Blackhawk crew that was sidelined indefinitely due to a laser incident, with a least one pilot sustaining some level of permanent eye damage.
We were briefed that the source of the laser was believed to be a laser RF/D in the power range of 1 watt, which at the time was considered to be quite powerful.
The laser source was an estimated 100m or so from the aircraft when the incident occurred.
(Our team wasn't exactly on speaking terms with the laser operators, so some of the details weren't available ).
The "unclassified" power of the laser systems I routinely worked with prior to retirement were also (generally) in the 1 watt range.
These were considered as weapons systems in and of themselves, and were treated accordingly.
Any "inadvertent lasing of personnel" resulted in immediate grounding (for aircrews on the receiving end) with a full medical/visual screening to determine if any damage had taken place. (BTW - The screening is a no-fun PITA, expecially when you consider that the results could determine whether you continue in your aviation career...)
Undoubtedly, these systems I am referring to had MUCH better optics (hopefully!) than those high-powered handhelds now on the streets, but unfortunately the power levels available now probably make up somewhat for the lack of refined optics.
Reliable inside sources tell me that handhelds are taken VERY seriously when used by the opposition in some of the hot zones where our teams are currently operating, and are being treated as offensive weapons used against our forces, with varying levels of "appropriate" response depending on the current ROE. (Translation - in many cases, the hand held laser goes away, along with anything/anyone in the immediate vicinity).
I don't think think we will ever have to worry about that level of response in our "more civilized" world (hopefully!), but it does tend to highlight the potential for some increasingly serious issues where handhelds are concerned. And when it's all said and done, I think the documented incidents and medical results are going to speak far louder than what MPE calculations say should, or shouldn't, happen.
That said, I still really like lasers, including all three of my projectors AND my 1 watt handheld!!
And I miss flying...
RR
Metrologic HeNe 3.3mw Modulated laser, 2 Radio Shack motors, and a broken mirror.
1979.
Sweet.....