[Dan Evans]

You can also do blind departures(wearing a special hood that only lets you see the panel) and actually depart/takeoff and fly the published or assigned SID, and as you are on takeoff roll and departure, you never deviate a few feet from the runway centerline.

Maybe we should just paint the cockpit windows black until we figure out this laser thing.

Pilots do have to watch for traffic though, don't they? I mean when weather gets bad an airport schedule is screwed up. I assume that's because the FAA increases minimum spacing requirements in bad visibility.

[blackdog]

Bad weather usually brings five mile separation. Two mile is customary on clear days, nights. Depending on the STAR's and SID's, the departures are usually less than two miles. Some very large wake turbulance planes call for a five mile separation also. 757's tend to really cause some wicked wake turbulance, with one wing vortex parking itself and not dispersing. 757's enjoy a five mile at all times.

[Elsie]

Paint 'em Black?


I've got an electronic welding helmet that darkness the glass in milliseconds. Would this kind of technology work to avoid this laser problem?