The Climber/Power Beaming competition and the FAA…

In order to operate their Climber/Power Beaming entries, many of the contestants in this year’s contest must have permission from the FAA.

Bryan Laubscher is the Safety Officer for this event and has issued the following memorandum to all teams;

“1) Solar Teams – Do not have to file anything with the FAA

2) Spotlight Teams – Must file the form below. Richard (FAA advisor) does not anticipate any issues. However, my recommendation to assure passage are:

A) Have a team member designated to look for aircraft and be ready to shut off spotlights.
B) Make the point that the beams are terminated (by the climber). His concern is that distraction or dazzle to an aircraft.
C) Have all your power and divergence information in the form submitted and include the distance at which each beam’s irradiance (Watts / cm squared) drops below the sun’s irradiance.
D) Get this done ASAP.
E) Bring a copy of your form and your approval letter with you to the games as a part of your safety package.

3) Laser Teams – Must file the form below. My recommendation to assure passage are:

A) Have a team member designated to look for aircraft and be ready to shut off the lasers.
B) Explain your system for automatic beam shutoff if the beam strays.
C) Have a person designated at the power switch to shut off the lasers in the case of an unanticpated problems.
D) Make the point that the beams are terminated (by the climber). His concern is eye damage to people on an aircraft.
E) Have all your power and divergence information in the form submitted and include the distance at which each beam’s irradiance (Watts / cm squared) drops below Maximum Permissible Exposure.
F) Get this done ASAP.
E) Bring a copy of your form and your approval letter with you to the games as a part of your safety package.

On the FAA website search for:

Form 7140-1 and for information Advisory Circular AC70-1

This form needs to be filled out by the teams indicated above.”

And on a related note, LaserMotive has announced on their blog that they have already received permission from the FAA to operate their laser-powered climber.  You can read about here.  Congratulations LaserMotive!