Due to a rather chilly north wind, I left our north-facing hangar door
closed during a recent early morning preflight of our C172. I had my
flashlight turned off at the time I placed the key in the baggage door lock.
I was VERY surprised at the size of the arc that I drew to the key, and was
glad that the source of the grounding was not the lip of a container of
fuel! The air here in New Mexico is normally very (VERY) dry, and static
charges are something that we are most familiar with. Like most of you, I
have been schooled (and warned) over and over again about the "threat"
static electricity represents during aircraft fueling operations. However, I
shall never again approach an aircraft for fueling without recalling what I
perceived as the relative "strength" of the aforementioned discharge. The
next time you enter a relatively dark hanger, try this little
"key-in-the-baggage-door-lock" experiment...absent any fuel source in your
immediate proximity. You will never see that little "spark" while standing
next to your aircraft during a daylight refueling, but you WILL notice the
resulting flames while they are in the process of consuming your pride and
joy. My son is a Fire Marshall and would be very proud of me for providing a
"testimonial" on this issue. :-) I WAS surprised at the strength of the
charge. Please, take no chances and properly ground your aircraft and the
"source" from which your fuel is to be delivered. To quote a very famous New
Mexico bear, "Only you can prevent aircraft fires resulting from your own
lack of attention to every detail"...or something like that. Best wishes. -ED-
(P.S. Do I owe some of my non-US friends an explanation re: the "very famous
New Mexico bear.."?)
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