how does a aeroplane escape from lighting strikes?

Question

aeroplane is flying high near to clouds

Answer 1

The metalic structure keeps the electrical charge on the skin, and the training edges of the airplane have static dischargers which dissipate electrical energy back to the air surounding the plane.

At most lightning will burn a small hole at the point of inital impact and if it was a composite structure will blow out some of the matrix and burn the resin but in all cases structural integrity is not affected.

Parts that move have low resistance bonding cables to act as a preferred path rather than through the bearings of the moving parts. If these cables are not there, Myth says that the moving part can be welded fixed by the arcing in the bearing.

Answer 2

Airplanes flying through thunderstorms are often struck by lightning. According to a government site dedicated to the Centennial of Flight, during the '80s a NASA F-106B jet was purposefully flown into 1,400 thunderstorms and was struck by lightning over 700 times.

Most commercial flights avoid the turbulent center of thunderstorms by flying over or around them. Perhaps more importantly, all commercial airplanes are outfitted with protective equipment. The shells of airplanes are generally made of either aluminum (an excellent conductor of electricity) or composite that contains conductive fibers so if the plane is struck, the lightning travels along the exterior of the plane then out into the open air. Sensitive electrical equipment is shielded with surge protectors and grounding devices. The FAA tests every crucial piece of flying and landing equipment against lightning.

According to this fascinating Lightning and Flight Quiz, on average every airplane in the United States is struck by lightning at least once a year. Lightning strikes have been implicated in only a handful of crashes worldwide. Lightning hasn't caused a U.S. airliner crash in about 40 years.

Finally, this excellent article from Scientific American notes that airplanes often trigger lightning strikes when flying through a heavily charged cloud. When this happens, the lightning actually originates at the airplane and extends away in opposite directions.

Answer 3

Naturally It gets hit by lightning almost all its flights in a storm. The plane's body can 'reflect' the lightning back into the sky. Just like a lighting rod, the plane has entry and exit points for a lightning to pass through ( actually the plane wasn't supposed to be there in the first place. The air traffic control or ATC is supposed to tell planes to avoid storms). But on some occasions, 'sprites' or high discharge lightning can severely damage a plane's wing. It is rumored that this was the kind of lightning that brought down the most techincally advanced piloted aircraft in history, the Space Shuttle Columbia.

Answer 4

A lightning strike occurs on an aircraft when it bridges the gap between two electrical potentials. Lightning can be labeled as "cloud to cloud" or "cloud to ground". Aircraft are equipped with static wicks to alleviate the static discharge. However, some static discharges are so great, that damage is done to the aircraft. This damage can be seen as small burn marks (like arc welding taps) usually appearing on the forward fuselage between the nose and forward bag bin area (entry of strike) and on empanage flight controls or structure (exit). Normally the crew fly the aircraft above or around storms except for take-off and landing. Sometimes St. Elmo's fire is visible around the windshields if static electricity is working its way through the aircraft.

Answer 5

Lightning strikes something with the least resistance in its path. Airplanes do get hit, but they typically have conductors and dischargers are relatively harmless locations on the body. The dischargers 'grounds' the airplane by letting off excess cvharge to surrounding static particles in the air.

That said, during a lightning, the clouds are low, and airplanes are typically flying above them.

Answer 6

Usually by flying over the clouds. Mostly by luck. Do you know the odds of lightning hitting a airplane. The numerous static elimitinators hanging from the wings help but it again comes down to luck.

Answer 7

Citation X has the best answer. As a mechanic for one of the airlines, I see aircraft once in a while with lightning damage. Most is already repaird with a patch over the area. And there are inspections we have to do after reported or suspected lightning strike.

Answer 8

airplanes are hit by lighting quite frequently, however the skin of the aircraft is designed to channel the electrical current outward and dissipates it into the air behind the plane. the little antenna-looking things on the back of the wing are called "static wicks" and serve to help that process happen.

Answer 9

Go read Citation X's answer. He is absolutely correct.
Aerospace Engineering is one of the most interesting fields because we have to consider so many factors when design a/c such as lightning strikes.

Answer 10

aircraft that fly into bad weather have static wicks...these wicks are about two to three inches long and are located on the trailing edge (back) of the wings elevators and rudder. they can be made of many materials and when the aircraft is struck by lighting the lighting is realeased through these small static wicks