The problem is that the Europa is made of Tupperware so there is no
metal
skin for the electricity to flow through, hence it is possible for it to
flow though the aileron push rods or the elevator push rod and possibly
vapourise them in the process. Some glass aeroplanes have a metal or
carbon
mesh built into the structure to conduct the lightning around the
outside.
There was a glider over Dunstable a couple of years ago that had a wing
literally blown apart by the effect of a lightning strike.
Regards
Pete
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-europa-list-server@matronics.com
[mailto:owner-europa-list-server@matronics.com] On Behalf Of William
Daniell
Sent: 10 June 2008 17:45
Subject: RE: Europa-List: Lightning bonding
Displaying my ignorance yet again could somebody explain the principle
involved?
I am assuming that the lightning needs a conductive path to travel into,
through and out the other side of the aircraft. Is this correct? Any
gaps
will acts as a giant spark plug gap and cause structural damage??
From: owner-europa-list-server@matronics.com
[mailto:owner-europa-list-server@matronics.com] On Behalf Of
TELEDYNMCS@aol.com
Sent: Tuesday, June 10, 2008 06:44
Subject: Europa-List: Lightning bonding
In a message dated 6/10/2008 3:00:42 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
europa-list@matronics.com writes:
Before I head off to Asia, I plan to put aluminium mesh right along
the aileron and flap close outs joining to the rear lift pin to allow
wing
tip to wing tip lightning travel
Hi David,
FWIW, my wife and I had lightning strike very near us while flying our
Ximango last summer on a 500K attempt. We were deep in a drought here
and it
hadn't rained in 4 months. The lift was fantastic for this area during
this
time, i.e, greater than 10 knots to going to 10,000'+ agl every day. I
had
been flying long cross country flights every day for about 3 weeks,
including several successful 500k attempts. There had not been even a
hint
of weather overdevelopment during that time. We were about 300K into the
attempt and were approaching a nearby gliderport that was our last
turnpoint
for the final home run leg to complete the 500K. There was a fairly
large
storm about 20 miles away, but we were in clear air between puffy,
friendly
cumulus clouds at about 9000'. We were gliding along engine off at about
80
knots between thermals when a lightning bolt struck right out in front
of us
out of clear blue sky. I'd always heard that this could happen, but I'd
never witnessed it first hand. We saw where it hit the ground and where
that
was in relation to our turn point. According to the GPS and our
observation,
the lightning was no more than 1/4th of a mile or so in front of us. The
flash and the resulting boom were almost simultaneous. Needless to say
it
got our attention. I immediately aborted the course in an abrupt 90
degree
wingover and proceeded to put as much distance between us and that storm
as
possible. The rest of the flight was uneventful. Whether or not we
triggered
the strike is unknown. It didn't hit us and there was no damage to the
aircraft. I probably hyper-extended my sphincter muscle, though.
After we returned to my strip I began to wonder if the Ximango was
bonded.
So, I started inspecting. Turns out that Aeromot did bond virtually
every
metal surface in the aircraft together. They used fairly heavy gauge
braided
jumpers made from tinned copper to tie everything metal together to
prevent
arcing. I'm considering doing the same to my Europa.
I certainly give thunderboomers a much wider berth these days.
Regards,
John Lawton
Whitwell, TN (TN89)
N245E - Flying
Checked by AVG.
08-Jun-08 17:32
Checked by AVG.
08-Jun-08 17:32
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