Reply #41: It's easier than you'd think

[14thColony]

Which is why laser blinding has seen an increase since the mid90s. The angles are the only serious problem, but if you position yourself relatively close to the axis of the runway being used that takes care of angle, which is why quite a few of these incidents have been on approach; also the most dangerous phase of flight.

And because laser beams expand in diameter with distance, you don't really have to aim at the cockpit; just aim at the plane and beam spread will take care of finding the cockpit. Once the beam hits the cockpit, the plexiglass can work against the aircrew since it tends to conduct the beam's energy all around, in some cases making the whole cockpit canopy glow at nearly the same intensity everywhere (depending on angle). So power levels can be relatively low because the light saturation level of the human eye is also very low - it doesn't take much to make you look away. And if that happens too late in the landing phase, it can be very bad.

Still, I doubt we're talking laser pointers here. But it doesn't have to be a Dr. Evil laser either. Something in the range of a surveyor's laser would do the trick.