Static "Wicks"

[earl1937]

  Most all military aircraft have or had "static" wicks! What are they and where are they usually located on the aircraft and for what purpose?

[Schen]

Used on most all aircraft to discharge electricity back into the atmosphere to maintain clean sound on radio equipment, ussually located on a trailing edge of a wing or on the tail.

If I remember correctly from ground school year's ago lol

[earl1937]

Used on most all aircraft to discharge electricity back into the atmosphere to maintain clean sound on radio equipment, ussually located on a trailing edge of a wing or on the tail.

If I remember correctly from ground school year's ago lol

That is correct! Now name the four things which are most common to cause static electricity?

[kvuo75]

That is correct! Now name the four things which are most common to cause static electricity?

I guess any type of precipitation.. for one

dust, smoke, ash?


(lets just say any type of particulate matter floating about)

[earl1937]

I guess any type of precipitation.. for one

dust, smoke, ash?


(lets just say any type of particulate matter floating about)

Good answer! Almost anything suspended in the air would create static electricity on the aircraft. I have seen it so bad, you could wipe it off your arms, be all over instrument panel and etc. Interesting thing about it was, if you got close enough to a thunderstorm cel, sometimes you would have a "static discharge", which a lot of people thought was a lightening strike, but was in essence just a ground for the static to jump off on as the lightening bolt struck the ground. Had one, one night on the way to Porta Rica, in a DC-6B! Tail cone, where it all exited the aircraft, had what looked like a 1,000 little holes in it and it had to be replaced. Lightening does not struck aircraft, unless it happens to be in the way as the lightening bolt goes to ground. Its almost always a static discharge from the airframe!