Aviation & Lightning

[bertusgeert 1]

Who is smart enough to answer my question ---

A paraglider is flying in the vicinity of a developing stormcloud when lightning strikes in the distance. Is he/she in danger, not being close to the ground and simply a suspended object in the sky?

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As jy dom is moet jy bloei!

[JohnMitchell 14]

I'm not a scientist, but I'm saying "yes", that zap can go right thru the guy, frying him to bits. Maybe the aluminum frame will carry the current right past, maybe not.

Not to mention the burning the coverings off the wing, melting the throw out reserve, who knows what else?

[jakee 1,254]

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A paraglider is flying in the vicinity of a developing stormcloud when lightning strikes in the distance. Is he/she in danger, not being close to the ground and simply a suspended object in the sky?

Absolutely.

Do you want to have an ideagasm?

[quade 3]

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Who is smart enough to answer my question ---

A paraglider is flying in the vicinity of a developing stormcloud when lightning strikes in the distance. Is he/she in danger, not being close to the ground and simply a suspended object in the sky?

Yes. Absolutely yes.

It is foolish for anyone to be in the air and within five miles of a thunderstorm. Yes, aircraft occasionally do this, it's still not a good idea if at all avoidable.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[PiLFy 0]

I once asked a pilot what all the little springy wires were trailing off the edges of the Caravan. I was told they are for helping to dissipate the atmospheric electrical charge near storm cells...

I'm no meteorologist, but wouldn't you be more at risk from all the funky winds surrounding the storm cell? Whether by wind shear or electrical charge, it doesn't seem like a good idea.

[quade 3]

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I once asked a pilot what all the little springy wires were trailing off the edges of the Caravan. I was told they are for helping to dissipate the atmospheric electrical charge near storm cells...

Actually, aircraft build up a static electric charge just flying through air itself; no thunderstorm required. The static electric wicks help dissipate that all the time, not just during bad weather.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[PiLFy 0]

Oh. Maybe I assuuumed he meant near storm cells. I take it it's a much more pronounced phenomena when near storm activity? He had said it helped protect the plane's electrical components from atmospheric electrical charges.

[bertusgeert 1]

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Who is smart enough to answer my question ---

A paraglider is flying in the vicinity of a developing stormcloud when lightning strikes in the distance. Is he/she in danger, not being close to the ground and simply a suspended object in the sky?

Yes. Absolutely yes.

It is foolish for anyone to be in the air and within five miles of a thunderstorm. Yes, aircraft occasionally do this, it's still not a good idea if at all avoidable.

Let me refine my question ---

I am not talking about anything else besides lightning. I understand the dynamics & dangers of thunderstorms.

As far as I understand, a human in an open, flat field is more likely to get struck than any point in the field around him. This is because he presents the path of least resistance for the electrical charge.

Now - my question as I intended but was not clear enough to state - is a human & fabric floating around in the air any more likely to get struck than any of the surrounding air? If so, why?

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As jy dom is moet jy bloei!

[quade 3]

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Now - my question as I intended but was not clear enough to state - is a human & fabric floating around in the air any more likely to get struck than any of the surrounding air? If so, why?

Yes. Because the human body conducts electricity better than air. The body would become, for those few feet, the path of least resistance.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[wayneflorida 0]

Ben Franklin

[billvon 2,391]

>He had said it helped protect the plane's electrical components from atmospheric
>electrical charges.

Sort of. Static wicks dissipate charge slowly. If you didn't have static wicks, charge would build up until you got coronal discharges from the sharp edges of the airplane, and some instruments (like the ADF) would go nuts and others would see varying levels of interference. Since "sharp edges" often include antennas, radios are affected dramatically.

[billvon 2,391]

>is a human & fabric floating around in the air any more likely to get struck than any of
>the surrounding air?

Slightly, yes, for three reasons:

1) People are big bags of salty water and they conduct electricity well. If an E-field starts to build due to incipient lightning activity, that conductivity will distort it and cause a greater gradient in the areas nearest the person.

2) Paragliders are normally good insulators, but when they get wet they become conductive, increasing this effect.

3) Flying builds up static charge, and that charge will also distort the E-field near a person, increasing the odds of a strike.

I used the word "slightly" above because even if you are a veritable lightning rod, the odds of being struck are still very, very remote. The sky is big and even a paraglider is, relatively, small.

[piisfish 135]

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I'm not a scientist, but I'm saying "yes", that zap can go right thru the guy, frying him to bits. Maybe the aluminum frame will carry the current right past, maybe not.

Not to mention the burning the coverings off the wing, melting the throw out reserve, who knows what else?

you are thinking Hangglider, not paraglider

scissors beat paper, paper beat rock, rock beat wingsuit - KarlM

[JohnMitchell 14]

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Not to mention the burning the coverings off the wing, melting the throw out reserve, who knows what else?

you are thinking Hangglider, not paraglider

Damn, I am.

[theplummeter 14]

Lightning itself is a thunderstorm, even when the air producing it lacks precipitation. Thunderstorms are a hazard to airplanes for three main reasons:

1. Tubulence. If the air is being tossed upward and downward in the same vicinity at a speed that rips electrons off of the passing atoms (lightning) then raining or not it's violent air movement

2. Hail.

3. Reduced or no visibility in heavy to extreme precipitation.

Lightning might be a greater risk factor under a canopy than in an airplane, but if you're getting close enough for that to be a problem you'll probably already have your hands full.

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Who is smart enough to answer my question ---

A paraglider is flying in the vicinity of a developing stormcloud when lightning strikes in the distance. Is he/she in danger, not being close to the ground and simply a suspended object in the sky?

Yes. Absolutely yes.

It is foolish for anyone to be in the air and within five miles of a thunderstorm. Yes, aircraft occasionally do this, it's still not a good idea if at all avoidable.

Let me refine my question ---

I am not talking about anything else besides lightning. I understand the dynamics & dangers of thunderstorms.

As far as I understand, a human in an open, flat field is more likely to get struck than any point in the field around him. This is because he presents the path of least resistance for the electrical charge.

Now - my question as I intended but was not clear enough to state - is a human & fabric floating around in the air any more likely to get struck than any of the surrounding air? If so, why?

[PiLFy 0]

Ooh, that sounds pretty

[bertusgeert 1]

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>is a human & fabric floating around in the air any more likely to get struck than any of
>the surrounding air?

Slightly, yes, for three reasons:

1) People are big bags of salty water and they conduct electricity well. If an E-field starts to build due to incipient lightning activity, that conductivity will distort it and cause a greater gradient in the areas nearest the person.

2) Paragliders are normally good insulators, but when they get wet they become conductive, increasing this effect.

3) Flying builds up static charge, and that charge will also distort the E-field near a person, increasing the odds of a strike.

I used the word "slightly" above because even if you are a veritable lightning rod, the odds of being struck are still very, very remote. The sky is big and even a paraglider is, relatively, small.

This makes a lot of sense. Understanding something is the key to making wiser decisions.

I will now stop flying through thunderstorms.

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As jy dom is moet jy bloei!

[bertusgeert 1]

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Lightning itself is a thunderstorm, even when the air producing it lacks precipitation. Thunderstorms are a hazard to airplanes for three main reasons:

1. Tubulence. If the air is being tossed upward and downward in the same vicinity at a speed that rips electrons off of the passing atoms (lightning) then raining or not it's violent air movement

2. Hail.

3. Reduced or no visibility in heavy to extreme precipitation.

Lightning might be a greater risk factor under a canopy than in an airplane, but if you're getting close enough for that to be a problem you'll probably already have your hands full.

Quote

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Who is smart enough to answer my question ---

A paraglider is flying in the vicinity of a developing stormcloud when lightning strikes in the distance. Is he/she in danger, not being close to the ground and simply a suspended object in the sky?

Yes. Absolutely yes.

It is foolish for anyone to be in the air and within five miles of a thunderstorm. Yes, aircraft occasionally do this, it's still not a good idea if at all avoidable.

Let me refine my question ---

I am not talking about anything else besides lightning. I understand the dynamics & dangers of thunderstorms.

As far as I understand, a human in an open, flat field is more likely to get struck than any point in the field around him. This is because he presents the path of least resistance for the electrical charge.

Now - my question as I intended but was not clear enough to state - is a human & fabric floating around in the air any more likely to get struck than any of the surrounding air? If so, why?

Lightning is not a thunderstorm. Thunderstorms aren't rain/precip. These are all different elements of a bigger system.

Like you said - probably. Less often than you may think. I argue that as you approach an isolated thundercloud or it approaches you - lightning is the first thing you need to consider - its range is far wider than the wind/rain. Although the probability of specific occurrence and resulting consequences from lightning is lower, the range is far greater than the rain and wind.

Regardless, get the hell out of the air. That was never up for debate

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As jy dom is moet jy bloei!

[skiskyrock 0]

I never thought about this before, but if I have the math right, the voltage gradient in a lightning stroke is around 200 volts per meter. Assuming that you are 2m tall you will have voltage drop of 400v (at huge amperage) across your body, regardless if you are in mid-air or on the 18th hole wearing metal cleats. On the ground you may attract a strike, in mid-air you just get in the way of one. Either way the results are the same