Electric Flight (Don't look, Kayt.)

Pretty cool!

Doubful there were any injuries or serious damage to the aircraft. Planes have these little things called "pitot static tubes" (PEET OH) that absorb electrical shock in the event of lightning strikes.

While in the AF, I was on a TDY...flying along happily. Reading a book on the 19 hour flight. Things started getting bumpy and the other crew chiefs and I heard the pilots call out from the cockpit "Hey, chiefs, we're going through a storm, y'all should get your belts on".

So, the guys and I get our set seatbelts on. I look out the window, cause thunderstorms fascinate me.

I hear this extremely loud crack pop noise and then see the lightning 'bounce' off the wing of the plane.If this had happened prior to me joining the AF, I would have been that person screaming "There's a man on the wing!" /faints -- Ok, maybe I wouldn't have fainted, but yanno.

But, Erin is right, the pst's act as electric conductors, and bounce the electricity from one to the next until it bounces off the plane.

Once we landed, it was our job to make sure the plane wasn't damaged and to fix it if it was. All that could be seen of the lightning strike was the black streak on the nose of the plane, that traveled to both left and right wing tips.

Regardless, that video is pretty cool. Not often does that kind of thing get caught on tape.

Purdy cool.

I knew because I went to Aviation Maintenance school for 2 years. Graduated, too! But then I got married and never really worked in the field.

Immy knew that, but some of the rest of you might not. :)