Why is it that an air plane can be struck by lightning while in the air?

Question

Is there no protection against it?

Answer 1

Gausses law.

Electricity charge on a metal container, the charge stays on the outside of the container. That's why you're also safe in your car (and should stay in it) during lightning storm as well.

Airplanes then also have dissipators for the charge to be released back into the air.

Answer 2

Aircraft get struck by lightning because when they fly though the air, they pick up static electricity. The difference in potential (positive charge or negative charge) attracts lightning from storm clouds (that also have a positive or negative charge).
For protection, aircraft have static discharge wicks (they look like little wires sticking out the rear edge of the wings/tail etc) to get rid of the charge. Also all components in an aircraft are bonded together, no lightning can't fry you, or a flight control computer. The only damage typically is some pin holes in fibreglass parts and burnt paint.

I've seen aircraft with hundreds of strikes and no substantial damage.

Answer 3

It happens all the time. Aircraft today are designed to absorb the lightning and then release it again almost instantaneously. It's kinda like if you hold hands with some one and then tough an electrical fence, you (the one touching the fence) won't feel much of a shock whereas the other person will. The protection against it is to let it happen. If at all possible though, aircraft will avoid areas where storms are likely. Lightning is the least of a pilot's worries when going through a storm. Wind and turbulence can be much more dangerous.

Answer 4

No. there is no protection against it. However, it cannot kill you as there is no path for current flow.

A little tip in how to keep from being killed if struck by lightning while on the ground.

Your warning just before being struck by lightning would be your hair on your head and your arms will stand straight up.

The moment you feel this sensation, immediately drop to a hands and knees position on the ground. The reason movement will save your life is because what kills you when struck by lightning, the tremendous voltage and current pass thru arms and legs while standing, and when the lightning passes thru your heart, the tremendous force will paralyze your heart muscle and you are done for.

When you drop to hands/knees position, the lightning will travel thru your arms and legs and out, bypassing your heart. You will suffer severe burns at entry and exit points, but you will live to tell about it.

Darryl S.

Answer 5

certain. i have had to help restore plane submit lightning strike. you could tell even as it has because it can have 2 small burn marks/holes on the airframe, an get admission to and go out element. even as it lands, the avionics, electric powered structures and the flying controls could be totally checked for faults. Fuses could be checked and the panels that took the brunt of the strike could be repaired/replaced. plane (exceptionally airliners) are danger-free from the strikes because the lightning has a tendency to flow around the exterior airframe of the plane, so passengers received't observe the right result. this is not risky for the persons on board, even with the undeniable fact that the avionics would have issues till it really is investigated and repaired. The plane usually would not fly for a million-2 weeks after the incident even as groundcrew fix it. do not worry about it even with the undeniable fact that. this is not as undesirable because it type of feels. extra modern-day plane are completely shielded from the outcomes, so no damage is taken. Oh, and the guy who stated that the plane has not something magnetic in it became talking complete crap. once you bypass an electric powered present day through a cord, you produce a magnetic field. even as the equipment power is on, magnetic fields are latest.

Answer 6

Most aircraft skins are made primarily of aluminum, which is a very good conductor of electricity. By making sure that there are no gaps in this conductive path, the engineer can assure that most of the lightning current will remain on the exterior skin of the aircraft. Some modern aircraft are made of advanced composite materials, which by themselves are significantly less conductive than aluminum. In this case, the composites are made with an embedded layer of conductive fibers or screens designed to carry lightning currents. These designs are thoroughly tested before they are incorporated in an aircraft.

Modern passenger jets have miles of wires and dozens of computers and other instruments that control everything from the engines to the passengers' music headsets. These computers, like all computers, are sometimes susceptible to upset from power surges. So, in addition to the design of the exterior of the aircraft, the lightning protection engineer must assure that no damaging surges or transients can be induced into the sensitive equipment inside of the aircraft. Lightning traveling on the exterior skin of an aircraft has the potential to induce transients into wires or equipment beneath the skin. These transients are called lightning indirect effects. Problems caused by indirect effects in cables and equipment are averted by careful shielding, grounding and the application of surge suppression devices when necessary. Every circuit and piece of equipment that is critical or essential to the safe flight and landing of an aircraft must be verified by the manufacturers to be protected against lightning in accordance with regulations of the FAA or a similar authority in the country of the aircraft's origin.

The other main area of concern is the fuel system, where even a tiny spark could be disastrous. Therefore, extreme precautions are taken to assure that lightning currents cannot cause sparks in any portion of an aircraft's fuel system. The aircraft skin around the fuel tanks must be thick enough to withstand a burn through. All the structural joints and fasteners must be tightly designed to prevent sparks as lightning current passes from one section to another. Access doors, fuel filler caps and any vents must be designed and tested to withstand lightning. All the pipes and fuel lines that carry fuel to the engines, and the engines themselves, must be verified to be protected against lightning. In addition, new fuels that produce less explosive vapors are now widely used.

Radomes are the nose cones of aircraft that contain radar and other flight instruments. The radome is an area of special concern for lightning protection engineers. In order to function, radar cannot be contained within a conductive enclosure. Protection is afforded by the application of lightning diverter strips along the outer surface of the radome. These strips can be solid metal bars or a series of closely spaced buttons of conductive material affixed to a plastic strip that is bonded adhesively to the radome. These strips are sized and spaced carefully according to simulated lightning attachment tests, while at the same time not significantly interfering with the radar. In many ways, diverter strips function like a lightning rod on a building.

Answer 7

there is none. the passengers inside will be protected from the lightning strike, but the computers will be fried, causing a crash. its a multi ton metal object up there where lightning forms. theres not much you can do.

Answer 8

When flying in a bad storm, I think the prayer is the best protection. I know it works for me..

Answer 9

it happens quite often. no danger, the airplane is not grounded(no pun intended). the electricity passes around the body of the aircraft and continues onto the ground.

there is a scientific name for it, the ______ effect. cant remember, but no one inside will be electrocuted.

Answer 10

It happens because of the airplane being the highest point it can cause damge or not depending on where it gets hit