Lasers and Planes

All,
I have read at least twice now in the past month about Lasers and the possibility that they can bring a plane down by blinding pilots. To me this flies in the face of common sense. A laser is thin, narrow, and unless it is high-powered, it doesn't go that far. Additionally, the only way for the laser to get into the cockpit is if it comes through the cockpit window. When the plane is in the air, the cockpit is not visible at all from the ground. So there is no way that I can think of to aim it at a plane from the ground. Additionally, I can't understand how it could be possible to accurately track the target. I think it would be difficult to keep the beam on the plane itself, to say nothing of a pilot's eye. These stories seem like BS to me, but perhaps I am completely missing something. Can someone be so kind as to explain?

www.cnn.com...

-P

I agree, When I heard that story on cnn a while ago, I didn't understand how the pilot got hit with a tiny laser beam.

and know for some reason (I think its the Air Force) are spending millions to develop a contact lense that pilots could wear and it would not hurt there eye. I guess it would be cool though to be able to stare at a laser or the sun and have no eye problems.

(just for the record: When I was younger I never believed the whole "dont stare into the laser thing" so every now and then I pointed it at my eyes then took it away and had no problems, I had 20/20 vision but now I have contacts, so now i believe them.)