Does aircrafts release potential energy when landing?

Question

I heard it from someone but am not sure if its true or not. So I want to get it confirmed. They say some potential energy are stored up in the outside surface of the aircraft and they are released when the airplane lands on the runway. How these potential energy are formed and why do they get released?

Thanks,
~Jayanth

Answer 1

i dont understand your question completely but:

the potencial ELECTRIC energy, or static electricity collected during flight is radiated using special *sparklers* at the trailing edge, and the rest is grounded as soon as a conductive part of the plane touches the surface. usually it is a grounding device placed on the undercarriage.

our helicopters release static electricity in humid conditions through the cable of our hoist... poor rescuemen down there.

I dont know how this electrostatic potential is formed, but most likely it is combination of induction and charge sharing with the surounding clouds. -- like a tiny thunerstorm.

the POTENTIAL ENERGY of the plane, equaled to the mass*g-constant*differential of the two levels /or height/ is something completely different. anyway it is not released when the aircraft reaches ground, but this potential energy is turned into the kinetic energy of flight. most of this energy is then turned into the air vortices behind the plane.

Answer 2

There is static electricity that is discharged on landing. In fact before you fuel up an aircraft you have to ground the airframe to make sure the fuel nozzle doesn't spark going into the tank. This static charge is built up by friction in the air as the aircraft flies. Since it is not grounded, this charge has nowhere to go. There are special leads to bleed this charge back into the air, the little wires trailing the wings and tail. Eventually these need to be replaced because the static arcs actually burn them off bit by bit.

Answer 3

I recall my days in the Navy on aircraft carriers with S-3B Vikings. The vertical windscreens would accumulate so much potential (static) energy that they had to use a grounded glove swept over the windscreen to discharge the static.

One thing that was always interesting to observe from the "finger" of the flight deck was the arc of static electricity discharging when the tailhook of aircraft touched the flight deck. You could clearly see a blue arc as the tailhook got within a few inches of the flight deck.

Answer 4

The same energy happens to eighteen wheelers it static electricity, toll booths in the north were getting there employees knocked down when money was exchanged from the driver to the toll person, they devised a way around it now but the trucks still collect electricity,,, just as planes do slithering through the air... Seem like way back when i flew as a load master we would have to run a chord to the ground so the plane could fuel without blowing up,,, (been a while back)

Answer 5

Are you talking about potential energy or static charges. If it is potential energy, the weight of the plane is being pulled down as potential energy. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potential_energy

If you are talking about static charges, the friction between the plane surface with the air molekul build up certain charges.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Static_charge