One for the Physicists

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Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2007 3:01 am

I saw this on another website and everyone is commenting with the predictable "Oh my God, oh my God I'm never flying again". It's spectacular for sure but was it actually dangerous? I have some vague recollection of Farraday and his cage but physics was never my forte. Over to you Professor.

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

Baiting Guru Joined: 31 Jan 2007 Posts: 12237

I spy, with my little eye, that being an avatar here on the eater within 24 hours. Wink

http://www.physlink.com/Education/AskExperts/ae568.cfm

Now the bad news...

http://www.lightningsafety.com/nlsi_lls/avaition_losses.html

But as long as you don't give out your aircrafts IP address, you are safe.

Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2007 10:04 am

It's a damn sight safer being in a plane during a storm than it is on the ground.
There's planes being hit by lightning every day, with no detrimental effect.

It's about 20 years since a plane was brought down as a result of a lightning strike.

Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2007 12:16 pm

Thank you. I knew the hysteria was baseless but you know what nervous flyers are like Rolling Eyes

I am NOT a nervous flyer BTW - except helicopters - they aren't natural and I won't go in one. The only time I ever knew I was flying through a thunderstorm was a couple of years ago somewhere over Indonesia when we hit an air pocket and the plane 'dropped' in an interesting fashion. My first and last experience of negative G. It was also interesting to see the 747 wings going 'boing, boing, boing' afterwards. We could easily have been hit by lightning but if so we were never aware of it. Isn't physics brilliant!?

Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2007 12:20 pm

Metal is a conductor, which means electricity can pass through it. Air isn't. Electricity is - like lads - lazy by nature. Given the choice of going through the air on the inside of the plane or taking the easy route and just going around the outside of it, it's going to go around it. That's why it's safe to be inside the plane when the electricity hits it. And there ends our physics lesson.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faraday_cage for more onfo on a Faraday cage.

Baiting Guru Joined: 31 Jan 2007 Posts: 12237

This explains it all. And a damn cool video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tzga6qAaBA