Thunder Struck

 For this weeks post I will be talking about the effects that lightning strikes have in the aviation world. Since aircrafts fly so high in our atmosphere they are prone to all kinds of atmospheric anomalies, including lightning. "In aviation, lightning strikes are actually very common. In the US, it’s estimated that each commercial plane is hit by lightning at least once every year. Lightning is most common near the equator, whereas the least lightning activity occurs over the oceans and polar areas (Boeing)." (Rekosuo 2020) Most strikes happen during the planes ascend and descent phases. the plane needs to be between 5k and 15k ft for this strike to happen. Also, in order for lightning strikes to occur, the temperature has to be near zero and rain needs to be present. 

I picked this specific phenomenon becuase of how often it happens. "In the United States, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has a system in place to track lightning strikes on commercial aircraft. The reported statistical results indicate that lightning strike frequency is such that every commercial aircraft gets one and a half strikes per year and commercial pilots experience this phenomenon once every 3,000 flight hours."(Pros 2007)

Planes are generally designed to "catch" lightning on one end and "release" it from the other. Because the fuselage, or the body, of the plane is one solid surface it conducts lightning well. So say the lightning hit the nose of the plane, it will travel the body of the plane and then be released from the tail. Same if it was to hit one of the wings, it would travel across the plane to the other side and off the other wing. 

Pros, A. (2007, April 16). Lightning strikes - home | aviation pros. Aviation Pros. Retrieved March 7, 2022, from https://www.aviationpros.com/home/article/10381836/lightning-strikes

Rekosuo, T. (2020, October 15). Aviation safety: Lightning protection and other lessons from the forerunner in safety. Pro. Retrieved March 7, 2022, from https://www.pro-sapien.com/blog/aviation-safety-lightning-protection-safety-lessons/