ARP5293A Safety Considerations for Lasers Projected in the Navigable Airspace

On March 26, 1999, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) submitted a written request to the SAE for assistance in developing standards and regulations concerning outdoor laser operations. In December 1999, Aerospace Standard (AS) AS4970 was published by the SAE and forwarded to the FAA. AS4970 provides guidance on assessing the potential hazards of a particular laser beam. In August 2000, the ANSI Z136.6 standard was first published. Additionally, Aerospace Recommended Practices (ARP) ARP5535 and ARP5572 have been published by the SAE in support of this request.

This document provides guidance for operations of a laser system outdoors in the navigable airspace. It also includes training considerations for the outdoor use of lasers.