Lightning Strike Safety

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May 27, 2015 | 04:22 PM

#11

cosmomiller

Joined: Aug 2012

Posts: 7,910

Likes: 3,437

From: Foothills East of Sacramento

Quote:

Originally Posted by iridedumped

Quote:

Originally Posted by Super Nintendo Chalmers' timestamp='1432522779' post='23623743

Just hang a grounding strap off the back bumper and call it a day

Srs, when I was living in Okinawa back in the 80's most cars had these.

this was also a fad a few years ago.

That is why many toll/ticket booths have grounding wires sticking up in the lane; it grounds static electricity built up in a car so the ticket taker does not get shocked.

May 27, 2015 | 04:28 PM

#12

cosmomiller

Joined: Aug 2012

Posts: 7,910

Likes: 3,437

From: Foothills East of Sacramento

Quote:

Originally Posted by HUNTERANGEL121

Quote:

Originally Posted by cosmomiller

Metal airplanes do the same but there are lots of instances of a bolt making a nice hole on entry and exit. The newer composite aircraft pose new challenges dealing with strikes. Often electricity can form inside the center of the fuselage, a type of ball lightning, and it can move around fore and aft. Its about the size of a basketball and discharges with a loud bang. The passengers can be somewhat concerned (understatement) and tend to think we (the pilots) are lying when we say it is harmless (it is) and it is a really cool natural phenomenon they just experienced.

There is a very, very strong type of bolt known as a Sprite emanating from supercells that exceeds the aircraft design strength by AT LEAST 7 times. Translation: the aircraft is toast. Most of those discharges occur above clouds. Very interesting field of study, way beyond this thread.

Now I have a totally irrational fear... June 10th I'll be put in a Pringles can and put into the air at 30,000ft...

No worries. St Elmo's Fire is a very cool phenomenon. Sailors would sometimes see in the rigging the glowing discharge during storms. (St Elmo was associated with Sailors: St. Erasmus of Formia (also called St. Elmo, one of the two Italian names for St. Erasmus, the other being St. Erasmo), the patron saint of sailors. ) Pilots see it often climbing and descending through rain, its especially visible during low light (duh). You can put your hand to the windows and watch the coronal discharge gravitate to your fingers just like those static generator balls you see in stores. Often the charge builds up in front of the airplanes, the plasma pulsating with a bright glow, it often heralds a lightning strike. During snow, it is way cool.

I would worry much more about the "Pringles Can" you take to and from the airport.