OUCH!!!!

[Yuppie01]

So this is why pilots hate lighting!!!!  Check out this video!!!!

http://www.coasttocoastam.com/gen/page2173.html?theme=light

 

[Frank N. O.]

  and all were unhurt?

Frank

[FlyboyGil]

Wow ELECTRIFYING!!!! Lightning does seem to make flying a bit reVOLTing at times. I hope no BOLTS and such on the aircraft were damaged by the strike. Did it activate the flux Capacitor? Oh Gil stop, before you get kicked out!

[AirScorp]

Sorry, I can't resist telling a story:

When I was young we were going camping (great ol' days). Once we hit the occassional summer thunderstorm. Mom freaked out on the thunders so dad suggested sitting in the car. That puzzled me because the car was made of metal. What if the car got struck?

Then I was explained a couple things about electrons: They like the most easy and quick way possible out of dodge, and they hate each others guts.

So, when a lightning strikes something like a car or an airplane, that's made of metal, the electricity refuses to touch anything else unless it has to to get to the ground.

Also, because electrons hate each other (in physics because they have the same.... [oh my god  do I know this word in english?] Anyway because they are all negative and they.... [I think I need to get some sugar, brain functions not right , what's the opposite of attract?] Oh hell I give up on the physics rant, they just hate each other  ) they try to stay as far from another as possible. So they stay on the surface, or skin of the car or airplane and never go to bother anything on the inside, like our little sorry bodies.


Of course there are other things to consider in a plane. Antennas might get struck, frying everything electrical, engine stopping (hey I'm gliding, good I don't have any electric actuators on the controls), or fuel igniting 
But I think these are slim chances. What would you be doing in a thunderstorm anyway? The least of your troubles would be the lightning.







I just realized... I had a great time writing down those silly things at 5 in the morning. Hope you enjoy!

[Rooster Cruiser]

Nick, the English word that is opposite of attract is repel.  Very well done.  I certainly couldn't have explained it in Greek.  Hehe.

[gibbo_335]

WOW!!!!!! That's kewl!! WOT FOOTAGE!!!    Glad I wasn't in it

Gilly you're a funny guy 

[Rooster Cruiser]

Fortuneately aluminum is a very good conductor of electricity, so most lightning strikes pass through the airframe without causing major structural damage other than burning off the paint at the entry and exit points.  However, all those stray electrons have been known to wreck sensitive avionics packages and overload major electrical systems.  Not the kind of emergency you want to have when staring straight into the face of a severe thunderstorm.

I remember way back in 1969 that during the launch of Apollo 12 (the second manned mission to land on the moon) the Saturn 5 rocket was struck by lightning just after it cleared the launch pad.  Amazing to consider how many thousands of tons of liquid oxygen, liquid hydrogen, and kerosene fuel were contained within the stages of the rocket and none of it was ignited!  Had that happened, there could have been an explosion that would have equaled the yield of a small thermonuclear weapon.  The astronaut crew had to do an emergency power-up of many systems during the launch since so many of them had tripped their circuit breakers, yet they managed to get into orbit without too much difficulty and they completed their mission successfully.

[gibbo_335]

I remember way back in 1969 that during the launch of Apollo 12 (the second manned mission to land on the moon) the Saturn 5 rocket was struck by lightning just after it cleared the launch pad.  Amazing to consider how many thousands of tons of liquid oxygen, liquid hydrogen, and kerosene fuel were contained within the stages of the rocket and none of it was ignited!  Had that happened, there could have been an explosion that would have equaled the yield of a small thermonuclear weapon.  The astronaut crew had to do an emergency power-up of many systems during the launch since so many of them had tripped their circuit breakers, yet they managed to get into orbit without too much difficulty and they completed their mission successfully.

WOW!!! I never knew that about Apollo 12 R/C that's awesome!!! THose guys were really made of the right stuff 

[AirScorp]

Nick, the English word that is opposite of attract is repel.  Very well done.  I certainly couldn't have explained it in Greek.  Hehe.

  The whole idea of "hate each other" was to sound like a father explaining a six-year old about complex things. 
I can actually understand pretty complex stuff in English (being a mech engineer student helps too) and take pride in it, but since I never really had the need to use it in everyday life, all the right words slip out of my mind everytime I try to use them (like trying to say "electrons repel each other electromagnetically because they have the same negative charge resulting into the faraday cage effect" in 5 in the morning)

Fortuneately aluminum is a very good conductor of electricity, so most lightning strikes pass through the airframe without causing major structural damage other than burning off the paint at the entry and exit points.  However, all those stray electrons have been known to wreck sensitive avionics packages and overload major electrical systems.  Not the kind of emergency you want to have when staring straight into the face of a severe thunderstorm.

  Very nicely put!

And a video for you http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ve6XGKZxYxA

[TheSoccerMom]

Got hit once and it took off a chunk of fiberglass on the radar cone, went through the right wing and engine, and exited out the right flap trailing edge, melting a small area there.  Nothing was hurt, and they even did a full inspection, but we sure as H*** couldn't see anything but a negative image for some very long seconds after we got struck.......  I had always been told it would hurt avionics but all was fine...  the melted area was a big draw for all the mechanics, etc., though. 

It also gave us the perfect reason to head for the bar, too.   

 

[gibbo_335]

  OMG you have been struck MOM!!!!! Betcha had a few  nerve settlers after that one...WOW!!!!! 

[Baradium]

We had a plane get struck last year and two so far this year.   The one last year they were chasing down avionics problems for weeks!   Quirks they are getting now might still be related to it.   The other two have been fine and just required some static wicks.


My dad told me once of a flight where the copilot was on the PA making an address of some sort when the nose got struck.  So there's a loud boom, the lights flicker, the plane shudders a little... and the poor F/O is screaming with his finger still on the button!

[cj5_pilot]

Got hit once and it took off a chunk of fiberglass on the radar cone, went through the right wing and engine, and exited out the right flap trailing edge, melting a small area there.  Nothing was hurt, and they even did a full inspection, but we sure as H*** couldn't see anything but a negative image for some very long seconds after we got struck.......  I had always been told it would hurt avionics but all was fine...  the melted area was a big draw for all the mechanics, etc., though. 

It also gave us the perfect reason to head for the bar, too.   

 

You need a REASON???

I mean after all it's no smoking 8 hours before a flight and no drinking within 50' of the airplane right

[G-man]

It also gave us the perfect reason to head for the bar, too.   
 

I mean after all it's no smoking 8 hours before a flight and no drinking within 50' of the airplane right

I met some of mom's "boys" in the bar here in Pokie, and they informed me that they switch mom to "cans" at midnight because of the 8 hr BOTTLE to throttle rule.........

Funny thing though...we had to help one of her boys to his room after a guest called the front desk complaining about a half naked man knocking on her door....he could barely walk, and could not even put the key in the door let alone find his room.....   

Not that I have ever been that way myself...        

[TheSoccerMom]

BWAAAAAA HAAAAAAAAAAAAA, Ach, my secret is OUT!!!                   

Yeah, the jumper who came up with that one-liner has a zillion of them!  He goes through an entire stand-up routine when we run into each other in the summer.  He was well into his routine once in front of some strangers, some years back, who just HAPPENED to turn out to be some roaming Government Aviation Safety Inspection Team....  sigh.  I'm sure they're still impressed.....   

And as for one of my boys getting a bit silly....  welll..... ..... ......  THASSA' MY BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!   

 

P.S.  I do have to add, it's a rare woman who would COMPLAIN about finding one of my "children" by her door, HALF-NAKED.....  maybe she didn't have her glasses on.....