[BC] Transmitter Safety

[RichardBJohnson at comcast.net]

On a cool dry day at high altitudes like Denver and Colorado
Springs, you can often see large blue sparks coming off the
landing gear as an airplane touches town. This is from the
charge that the "airplane capacitor" has accumulated. Prior
to fueling airplanes, a grounding clip is attached between the
fuel truck and the airplane to discharge the electricity that may
be transported by the fuel. Moving an insulator such as jet fuel
or aviation gasoline through a hose will transport electrical
charges just like the moving belt of a Van de Graaff generator.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_de_Graaff_generator

During high winds in dry snow, you can often hear guy-line
insulators snap, crackle, and pop, as the insulated sections
accumulate electrical charges and then discharge over
the insulators.

"Static" electricity is everywhere. We only notice it when we
get in its way! Even lightning storms are "static" electricity
generators as hundred of millions of volts are accumulated
by the rising air currents forcing charges to be isolated until
they eventually form a breakdown path.


--
Cheers,
Richard B. Johnson
Read about my book
http://www.LymanSchool.org


  -------------- Original message ----------------------
From: "Ron Nott" <ron at nottltd.com>
 > Kinetic energy of an airplane travelling through the air can charge
 > the surface of the metal to 300 kV or more.  This results in corona
 > from the trailing edges of wings, rudder and elevators to discharge
 > corona which causes radio noise.  To decrease this effect, most