Lightning Strikes Airliner (Video)

[Carole and Johnny]

Or does airliner cause lightning strike??
you be the judge....

Lightning

And for a giggle in the reading department...................

Eenie Meenie Minie Mo; Where, Oh, Where Does the Duct Tape Go?

Here’s one recent example of a frivolous lawsuit which will clog at least one court. Last week, two litigants in Kansas City filed suit against Southwest Airlines. Southwest is known for the good-time attitude conveyed by their employees, but it backfired with these two passengers. The Wall Street Journal’s Cohn Levey reports that the two black women, sisters Grace Fuller and Louise Sawyer, claim they were “emotionally assaulted” by an announcement by the flight attendant, “Eenie meenie minie mo; pick a seat, we gotta go.” The sisters thought the rhyme was patently racist and was “troublesome not because of what the stewardess said but what she didn’t say” The complaint also maintained that they felt discriminated against because people thought they were too dumb to find a seat. Eenie meenie miney mo; find a lawyer and to court we go.



Post Edited (02-25-03 13:13)

[Seahunks]

Duct tape? Carole and Johnny are you sick freaks, too, like me? That was one of the few things I missed during my cruise. I even missed the Valentines Day show. It was hilarious last year.

Thanks for the lighting picture. It is spectacular, especially in slow motion. If you look at it all the way through, you can see the plasma trail that indicates the path of the stroke. I have seen that many times during storms. Cooling along the path is sometimes uneven, causing it to appear like a string of individual glowing beads after the streak itself is gone. The effect can sometimes last as long as a couple of seconds. Watch for it the next time there's a thunderstorm in your area, if you can do so safely. By no means should you be outside during an intense storm.

Steve

Most excellent footage, it looks like the plane was speared by a pitchfork.
Last year I saw a documentary on what causes lightning. Toward the
end of it they talked and showed footage about how airplanes get struck
by lightning all the time, it was very interesting. Here's an interesting fact
that they also talked about; lightning originates from the ground, something
to do with the positive & negative charge in the earth and atmosphere.

[Thomas]

That is a correct fact, sort of. Lightning does not strike from the clouds to the ground. When the charge density is great enough to initiate excitation in the air molecules lightning occurs from the ground and clouds simultaneously.

I work very close to a NASA lightning test facility, one of two in the country. The north central part of Florida and an area in New Mexico (or is it Arizona) have the most lightning strikes in the country. The facilities wait until all the meters and instruments indicate the potential for a lightning strike and then shoot rockets into the air which are tethered with cable to ground instruments in order to try to cause a lightning strike which they then can measure and study. They have a lot more misses than hits, but I have to tell you when they do get a hit on one of these rockets it is a sight. There is a green glow along the cable for about 3 seconds. It's amazing to see at night.

It is almost as fascinating as the sparks that flew when I first met Mrs. Thomas. <wink>

Regards,
Thomas

Carole and Johnny,

You come up with the best stuff! Tips or anything.

I can't wait for my Dh to see this! He's an electrician and works for DTW or Detroit Metro Airport. ("Gotta keep all those pretty little lights workin on the ground.") I'm sure he will copy this and put it on his work room wall.

Thanks again


Kat

[Carole and Johnny]

Thanks Kat!
I get quiet for a while, then I get smart (uh, maybe that wasn't a good choice of words).
I start thinking and post something interesting or witty.

[Sandy]

Taxing for take from LAX bound for Auckland, New Zealand, a few years ago, our plane was struck by lightening on the runway. It wasn't a pleasant experience, to say the least! The streak of light seemed to charge through the plane, lighting up the whole cabin for an instant. Some people screamed, most sat in stunned silence. The pilot came on the loud speaker and told us the plane had been struck by lightening (duh) but all the instruments were working properly so we were taking off. The next several minutes, until we were up and flying, I crossed my fingers and prayed. I don't think I was alone.