Bearhawk Aircraft Bearhawk Tailwheels LLC Eric Newton's Builder Manuals Bearhawk Plans Bearhawk Store

Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Static Discharge Wicks?

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Static Discharge Wicks?

    Are these needed in fabric covered planes? I suppose these could be helpful for the wings. Is anyone using them and if yes, what is the optimum spacing?

  • #2
    I found some very old references to people using static wicks on the tailwheel spring attach point, with the wick itself long enough to brush against the ground when landing / taxiing. Supposedly this was on airplanes that were used for aerial application of "dust-type" pesticides, and was considered of questionable value even then... My thought would be to fly the plane and see if you get noise in the radio that could be static discharge, and if so, consider the possibility that they might be needed (once you're ruled out faulty grounds, etc.).
    Jim Parker
    Farmersville, TX (NE of Dallas)
    RANS S-6ES (E-LSA) with Rotax 912ULS (100 HP)

    Comment


    • #3
      I have thought about this as well. I think your mission might have a little bit of input on this. If you plan to only fly day VFR, then I would say no way, not needed. If you live in the South and plan to fly from April to September in the afternoon and possibly close to convective activity, it might not be a bad idea to add a few. You do not have to be directly hit to get quite a static surge from nearby lightning. I have been static surged (is that even a word) once and hit once in a GA airplane. 2 others in an airliners (both in winter). Therefore, since I apparently am a lightening magnet, I do plan to install some type of static wick to my aircraft.

      Comment


      • #4
        I'm no expert on the subject - just spend some time researching on the Internet, and it appears that the issue the wicks were originally designed to address is more about static buildup on the surface of the wing, caused by airflow over the wing creating an electrical charge that cannot be easily dissipated. It can be exacerbated by flying in rain, or extremely dusty conditions (like NM or W TX during the dust-storm season in the spring). So it isn't just proximity to lightning that can cause the build-up of static electricity - it's literally "in the air"...

        But looking at all of the other "certified" and "experimental" tube-and-fabric type airplanes, I'm not seeing pictures of any of them that have noticable static wicks. Makes me wonder if maybe the fabric covered planes are less susceptible than metal? And whether our metal wings might make us more susceptible than an "all-fabric" airplane?

        Maybe Chris can let us know if his Maule has them?

        As for me, I think I'll cross that bridge if/when I come to it...
        Jim Parker
        Farmersville, TX (NE of Dallas)
        RANS S-6ES (E-LSA) with Rotax 912ULS (100 HP)

        Comment


        • #5
          My Maule does not, but my Cutlass does. And there aren't that many of them. Two on the elevator (which is electrically bonded to the horizontal stab), one on each aileron (which is bonded to the wing), and I think one on the rudder (which is bonded to the vertical stab).

          But the Maule isn't outfitted for heavy IFR, that I can tell, even though it does have COM/LOC/GS. No ADF or other long-range comms.

          I think I'd make accommodations for it (bond the ailerons to the wing) and add the wicks as needed. With the metal-on-metal of the tube empennage, I wonder if you'd want to bond those parts?
          Christopher Owens
          Bearhawk 4-Place Scratch Built, Plans 991
          Bearhawk Patrol Scratch Built, Plans P313
          Germantown, Wisconsin, USA

          Comment

          Working...
          X