Did you know lightning can be triggered?

Here is a website with a movie proving it:
http://skydiary.com/gallery/chase2002/2002lightmovie.html

All you need is an Estes rocket and a spool of wire connected to it to trigger a lightning strike. Maybe someone is out to get Senator Kennedy.

I just thought I might rattle a few conspiracy theorists.

PB

The greatest danger is the pilot getting blinded and losing control. Not likely in a Citation.

But try aiming it.

Electricity follows the path of least resistance to the ground, and therefore would follow the wire to the ground, being more conductive than the air. Not that I think someone triggered this, but think of this as like a very tall lightening rod.

in cloud cover. For the life of me, I don't know how that could be done.

Granted, for a rocket about the size of a Estes rocket, putting a guidance system on it is an idea grounded in folly(there is a pun there somewhere :)). It would add too much weight that the much needed larger engines would most likely just blow it apart, not to mention that even the BEST laser guided missiles we can build hit STATIONARY targets only about half the time. Like I said, I don't take the idea of hitting a PLANE in the air seriously, but I will tell you how to make some cool looking glass.

Get an Estes rocket, a good, high altitude one, and long spool of wire, take one end of the wire and ground it in a small pile of sand, during a bad lightening storm, shoot the rocket off, and RUN!

for me to get on board with this.....

The tin foil manufacturers could always use a little help. :rofl:

...through the handle of a model airplane's control lines. As I flew the plane higher, the current increased--lower, it went down. The day was heavily overcast with high winds moving the clouds about, but little or no wind on the ground. As soon as I figured out what was happening, I landed the plane and cleared out. This happened many years ago, back when I was sane. Nevertheless, I don't think the possibility of triggering a lightning discharge is tin foil hat stuff.

As to lightning striking airplanes, I don't know how common it its, but I'd guess that the effects would be highly variable. I had an uncle who was a B17 pilot in WW2, and he reported a couple of instances of St. Elmo's fire during bombing runs. IIRC, in-air lightning strikes were sometimes blamed for destroying bomb-laden aircraft.

Any group that would rig the prez elections would strike a plane with lightening.

Welcome to DU!! :toast: