One of the most common and potentially dangerous afflictions for aircraft is lightning strikes. These lightning strikes can cause electrical surges within the avionic and electrical systems of an aircraft if improperly designed. Click On: http://www.nts.com/

1. Lightning Strikes Again
One of the most common and potentially dangerous afflictions for aircraft is lightning strikes.
These lightning strikes can cause electrical surges within the avionic and electrical systems of an
aircraft if improperly designed. In order to ensure this does not happen, engineers design
systems and aircraft designs that offer aircraft lightning protection. Current statistics show that
every airliner is struck by lightning while in flight at least once per year, yet passengers rarely
know of it, due to these protective systems and designs already in place.
Lightning Effects
The last airliner crash due to lightning in the United States was in 1963 due to measures that
were instituted to avoid the harmful effects of lightning. While in flight in a storm system, an
aircraft can act like a large lightning rod. The lightning attaches itself to the end points of the
design, including, nose, tail, wing tips and engine cowlings. Aircraft was traditionally made of
aluminum and therefore lightning could pass through from entry to exit without any issues.
However commercial airliners have been increasing their use of composite materials for
building such as carbon fiber noses and tails to reduce weight and increase strength. The nose
cone has been built with carbon because it is typically the radome for the radar electronics
which metal materials can interfere with. Conductive metal strips were placed on the outside of
the cone to act as lightning rods to avoid damage to the radome.
Aircraft Lightning Protection
The major design considerations for aviation is building the air craft with a thick enough metal
skin to prevent lightning burn through. Whereby the lightning is prevented from burning holes
in the plane by ensuring the thickness of the external plane points are made of metal thick
enough to withstand lightning. This thick metal skin is important, especially in the wings where
the fuel cells are stored. The lights on the wing tips are fastened using conductive material,
grounding them to the rest of the plane. Also all wing fasteners are secured tightly to ensure a
tight seal to prevent electrical arcing to the inner fuel. Another active aircraft lightning
protection system that is built into most planes is active dissipaters. These dissipating rods are
attached to the plane at the most likely entry and exit points for lightning, ensuring the course
of the lightning, should it attach to the plane, and keep it away from the important interior
wiring. Most internal wiring also includes wire bundle shields to protect them from electrical
surges. Ground straps are used to ensure a continuous pathway for lightning entry and exit.
Composite structures increasingly used in airplanes include various mechanisms to act as
conductors such as: expanded foils, wire mesh, aluminum flame spray coating, embedded

2. metallic wire, diverter strips, coated glass fabric and bonded aluminum foil. Depending on the
composite and where it is situated on the plane, any of those methods could be used to
dissipate a lightning strike to a composite constructed plane. The absolute number way to
ensure lightning protection is to follow weather patterns and avoid typical systems that would
include lightning activity by flying around or over the storm.
Aircraft lightning protection is plentiful and constantly upgrading or changing depending on the
most current trends in materials engineering sciences.