Topband: Lightning Protection

[Mike]

The pointed static dischargers mentioned in this discussion are used on almost 
every commercial and military aircraft in the world (take a look next time
you go to an air show). The explanation that was given to me when I worked
for a company that sold them was that tips were pointed to encourage charge
bleed off at lower potential so as to prevent high level discharges that
disrupt communication equipment and other sensitive avionics(constant low
level noise versus occasional high level events). The dischargers that our 
company sold were carbon loaded so as to be dissipative. 

For case of direct lightning strikes, we sold diverter strips to protect
non-conductiveradomes from damage. The company owner, wrote some papers on
the subject of dischargers complete with charging model equations.
Unfortunately I don't have copies anymore. 

Mike, W4EF............