Video: Laser pointer goof tracked from PD copter. That fun didn't last.

[mikea]

Yo, Main. How they gonna know it was me?

Dude wasn't even smart enough to duck into his own house.

You think he wet his pants when he realized the copter was starting to hover over him?

 

[steingar]

I'm so relieved that there are police helicopters out there fully prepared to catch those miscreants shining lasers at, er, police helicopters.

 

[mikea]

I'm so relieved that there are police helicopters out there fully prepared to catch those miscreants shining lasers at, er, police helicopters.

Yeahbut the goof only chose the police helicopter because there were no nearby passenger jets.

Besides, the police helicopter also can track....um......

 

[Skylane81E]

Hey in Ohio the no lasers at airplanes is under the arson laws...

 

[steingar]

My airplane partner actually got zapped with one. They never caught the guy either. Non event, though it did get him onto TV.

 

[AggieMike88]

Interesting to see the sophistication of the camera equipment. Didn't know before this that they were able to get such accuracy for the long/lat of where the "target" was.

Thanks for sharing the vid.

 

[sba55]

Haha. Excellent!!

 

[Steve]

Fox 1

 

[mikea]

24 years old.

http://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2011/september/laser_092611/laser_092611

 

[Unbeliever]

Interesting to see the sophistication of the camera equipment. Didn't know before this that they were able to get such accuracy for the long/lat of where the "target" was.

Simple trigonometry combined with azimuth/elevation encoders on the gimbal. If you know the platform's position and AGL, you can work out the position of the center of the Field of view.

Think right-triangles. (Tangent theta = opposite/adjacent) Tangent of the gimbal elevation times AGL gets the distance from the aim point to the nadir, and add that with the azimuth angle and the aircraft position to get position of the target on the ground.

I'm working on a system that goes the other way. 2-D lidar on a gimbal pointing at a known target and working the other way to determine platform position to navigate around that target.

--Carlos "nadir == directly underneath" V.

 

[RyanShort1]

Very good! One of our police units here in town got hit by one of those as well...

Ryan

 

[rpadula]

Lame. I was waiting for the "boom" and puff of smoke at the crosshairs.

 

[EdFred]

Simple trigonometry combined with azimuth/elevation encoders on the gimbal. If you know the platform's position and AGL, you can work out the position of the center of the Field of view.

Think right-triangles. (Tangent theta = opposite/adjacent) Tangent of the gimbal elevation times AGL gets the distance from the aim point to the nadir, and add that with the azimuth angle and the aircraft position to get position of the target on the ground.

I'm working on a system that goes the other way. 2-D lidar on a gimbal pointing at a known target and working the other way to determine platform position to navigate around that target.

--Carlos "nadir == directly underneath" V.

Or the cops just know the names of the streets.

 

[poadeleted20]

Interesting to note that the video was posted by the FBI. Message there?

 

[mikea]

Interesting to note that the video was posted by the FBI. Message there?

Yeah. The FBI is saying they investigate the reports, which may be true once in a while.

From what I've heard they don't put a lot of effort into such like claims of tampering with aircraft.

The FBI has no problem taking credit for a bust the FBI didn't make.

 

[Unbeliever]

Or the cops just know the names of the streets.

Sure, but he was referring to this:

Green box is the aircraft's position, altitude, and heading. Red box is the target's computed position, range, and azimuth.

--Carlos V.