Lasers and aviation Safety

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Lasers and aviation Safety

• Patrick Murphy
• Executive Director, International Laser Display
  Association
• SAE G-10T Committee Member

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Lasers and Aviation Safety

• Laser pointer threat
• Laser uses in airspace
• Laser hazards in airspace
• Hazard factors
• Hazard reduction
• Regulation and control

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Laser pointer threat

• Steady rise in incidents
• Due to
• Lower cost
• Higher powers(100-300 mW)
• Green (more visible)
• Internet (easy to obtain)

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Laser 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

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Laser 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

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Why not ban laser beams from airspace?
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Laser use in airspace

• Guide star lasers used in astronomy
• Satellite communications and ranging
• Atmospheric remote sensing

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Laser 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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Laser 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

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Not 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

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How are laser beams hazardous to aviation?
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Primary 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

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Visual interference

• Distraction
• Distracting, but can see past the light
• 0.05 µW/cm2
• 5 mW laser pointer at 3,700 feet (1130m)

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Visual interference

• Glare
• Interferes with vision
• 5.0 µW/cm2
• 5 mW laser pointer at 1,200 feet (365m)

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Visual interference

• Temporary flashblindness
• Blocks vision during and after exposure
• 100 µW/cm2
• 5 mW laser pointer at 350 feet (107m)

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Visual 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

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Laser exposure in police helicopters
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Potential 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

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Lasers 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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Lasers 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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Hazards summary
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A plea for properly proportioned diagrams!
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6 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)

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What are the factors affecting the hazard level?
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Factors 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)

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Factors 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)

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Factors 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

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Factors 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

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Single most effective way to reduce the hazard?
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Pilot 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

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Other important ways to reduce the hazard
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Laser 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

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www.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

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Regulatory 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

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Aircraft 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.

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ILDAs Aviation Safety Label proposal

• Label required on
• Lasers with visible beams
• Class 3 and Class 4
• Longest dimension is 15 inches or
  lesshandheld

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ILDAs Aviation Safety Label proposal (2)

• Required text varies, depending on space
  available for label

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ILDAs 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

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ILDAs 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)

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ILDAs Aviation Safety Label proposal (5)

• How to require?
• Easiest for CDRH to suggest voluntary guidance
• ILDA prefers mandated regulation

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What regulations must be followed in the U.S.?
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U.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

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U.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.

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FAA 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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What 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

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How to report U.S. laser operations

• FAA Form 7140-1 (part of Advisory Circular 70-1)

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Current status
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Standards 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

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Current 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

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Resources for background, general public

• This paper and its references
• www.LaserPointerSafety.com
• Links page

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Questions
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(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.)
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Hazard 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

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Hazard 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

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Hazard 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

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Hazard factors Aircrew

• Flight phase
• Takeoff, approach, landing, emergency maneuvers
• Pilot awareness
• Prior exposure to laser illumination concepts
• Pilot response
• Overreaction vs. fly the plane

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Hazard 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