Ball of lightning?

electric69

I dont fly fixed-winged so ive never seen it before, but ive been told that mainly in the 727 and 757 that static electricity can build up just at the base of the window outside the cockpit and can form a ball of lightning!? has this ever happened to any of the fixed-winged guys here?or has anyone ever seen it before?

PhoenixRising

Google St. Elmo's Fire.

electric69

PhoenixRising wrote:

Google St. Elmo's Fire.

Ball lightning is often erroneously identified as St. Elmo's Fire. They are separate and distinct meteorological phenomena[1].

:rolleyes:

FlutterinBantam

As Phoenix said, the experience you described would be St Elmo's Fire.

Ball lightning is a different baby altogether.

Include B737 in that line up.

electric69

they guy who i was talking to was an airline pilot for 42years.he said that they get a lot of static going across the north Atlantic.The time it happened to him, the ball of lightening actually formed inside the cockpit at the window,then it moved down the controls and slowly floated the whole way down the plane, got to the end of the plane and made a very loud bang when it passed through the back of the plane. there was a hole the size of a tennis ball and it was surrounded by about a 1 ft area of black from where it passed through.

PhoenixRising

electric69 wrote:

they guy who i was talking to was an airline pilot for 42years.he said that they get a lot of static going across the north Atlantic.The time it happened to him, the ball of lightening actually formed inside the cockpit at the window,then it moved down the controls and slowly floated the whole way down the plane, got to the end of the plane and made a very loud bang when it passed through the back of the plane. there was a hole the size of a tennis ball and it was surrounded by about a 1 ft area of black from where it passed through.

:rolleyes: yourself.

What you are referring to is St. Elmo's Fire.

Oh, and that story is rubbish. Google Faraday Cage.

This is what it looks like.

electric69

no it was an actual ball of lightning. well he was the captain and the co-pilot, engineer, and all the twinks all saw it. you dont have to believe it if you dont want to.

PhoenixRising

electric69 wrote:

no it was an actual ball of lightning. well he was the captain and the co-pilot, engineer, and all the twinks all saw it. you dont have to believe it if you dont want to.

Ok thanks, but I'm going to trust the Laws of Physics on this one.

electric69

you do that

Anyone else who has actually flown a 727 or a 757 over the north atlantic and actually knows what i am talking about care to share their experiences of this phenomenon?

electric69

PhoenixRising wrote: »

Ok thanks, but I'm going to trust the Laws of Physics on this one.

just watching a programme on national geographic about the ball of lightning. Looks like your "laws of physics" are complete bs. Which law were you refering too because there are quite a few of these incidences recorded and confirmed exactly as I explained it above. I'm sure you werent just talking through your back side now?!?:rolleyes:

Owen

Keep the personal insults off the thread guys, and please keep it to the facts. If you have hookey cookey theories about 'phenomeon', take it to the lunatics over at the conspiracy theories forum.

FlutterinBantam

Well said Ned.

PhoenixRising

electric69 wrote: »

just watching a programme on national geographic about the ball of lightning. Looks like your "laws of physics" are complete bs. Which law were you refering too because there are quite a few of these incidences recorded and confirmed exactly as I explained it above. I'm sure you werent just talking through your back side now?!?:rolleyes:

Wow, you really don't want to let this one go do you? This thread is 4 months old.

Firstly, I have absolutely no idea what you are ranting on about. Your post makes no sense. Maybe try explaining what you are talking about and point us to the incident highlighted in the programme you watched.

Reading back over my own posts on this topic, I and many others have answered your original question on what this phenomenon is and I provided links explaining how it's caused. You seemed to take offence to this somehow.

I mentioned Faraday's Cage, are you now going to debunk Mr. Faraday's work?

wittymoniker

16 months old... i'm in the game and never experienced it or heard of it among my peers, i'm with faraday on this one.

Danbo!

electric69 wrote: »

well he was the captain and the co-pilot, engineer

Must be good at multi-tasking

PhoenixRising

wittymoniker wrote: »

16 months old...

Well spotted, I just looked at the month. Jeez, where does the time go?..

Reoil

Steady on now boys, he's from Florida... go easy! :P