Lightning bolts and ice: testing planes to
withstand wild weather
updated 8:20 AM EST, Tue February 19, 2013
Cassi
Creek: I’ve flown in all sorts of bad
weather. I’ve ridden helicopters in
monsoonal rains, landed in commuter planes on icy runways. I’ve been in planes that were struck by
lightning. Every time I’ve been a
passenger in bad weather, I’ve had the good sense to be more or less concerned
for the safety of the aircraft and the crew and passengers aboard.
I’ve always been willing to accept
that the various aircraft have been designed and built with sufficient
resiliency and redundancy to survive lightning strikes and with sufficient durability
to survive being battered by winds, rain, and ice without falling immediately
from the sky. So far, I’ve been
fortunate, and have experienced none of the worst weather conditions that have
been implicated in accidents that make the evening news.
The testing processes for such
inclement conditions and dangerous events are well worth reading about. This does provide a bit more information than
the average passenger may currently possess.
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