Gary A. Shaw
Box 33094, Pensacola FL 32508-3094
Safety Comes First
Lightning Safety Tips
I remember standing in a Florida clubhouse waiting for a thunderstorm to pass when a bolt of blue nailed the side of the building—the boom was deafening as sparks shot from screens covering the windows! Thank goodness no one was hurt.
Although most modelers in the U.S. deal with the threat of lightning throughout most of the year, I've noticed that few understand when to take shelter, and many ignore the danger altogether.
I witnessed a Pattern competitor flying a routine during a thunderstorm while another modeler held an umbrella over his head; or how about a few years ago when the U.S. Pattern team flew during a thunderstorm in the Austrian foothills? I'm not picking on Pattern fliers; I was a little more active in the hobby then, so I had multiple opportunities for observation.
There are some things that all modelers should know to help reduce or eliminate the risk of becoming the next lightning casualty. Unless you're a descendant of Benjamin Franklin, perhaps reviewing some tips from The National Lightning Safety Institute might be in order:
- "Flash-to-Bang" measurement of lightning distance. This is the time from seeing the stroke to hearing the thunder. For each 5-second count, lightning is 1 mile away. So, 25 seconds = 5 miles away; 20 seconds = 4 miles away; at a count of 15 seconds (3 miles), take immediate defensive actions.
- If outdoors:
- Avoid water.
- Avoid metal objects such as electric wires, radio transmitters, fences, golf clubs, machinery, motors, power tools, railroad tracks, etc.
- Unsafe places include tents, golf carts, small open-sided rain shelters (flightline pit areas), or underneath isolated trees. Avoid hilltops and open spaces.
- Where possible, find shelter in a building or in a fully enclosed metal vehicle such as a car, truck, or van with the windows shut.
- If lightning is striking nearby, you should:
- A. Avoid direct contact with other people.
- B. Remove all metal objects.
- C. Crouch down, with feet together and hands on knees.
- If indoors:
- Avoid water.
- Stay away from open doors and windows.
- Hang up the telephone and take off headsets. Lightning may strike electric and phone lines and induce shocks.
- Turn off and stay away from appliances, computers, power tools, television sets, etc.
- Remain inside until the storm has passed.
- If a nearby person is injured by lightning, give first aid if you are qualified to do so. An injured person does not carry an electrical charge and can be handled safely. Call 911 or send for help immediately.
If you're wondering why I'm still on the topic of lightning, I'll just say that it electrifies me. Did you ever wonder how powerful a bolt of lightning can be and what destructive power it can have? Remember the following facts the next time you are in the field and a storm approaches:
- The average flash of lightning will light a 100-watt lightbulb for three months.
- Lightning's heat exceeds 500,000°F — three times hotter than the surface of the sun.
- Lightning travels 90,000 miles per second (100 million feet per second).
- Average thickness of a bolt is 1–2 inches.
- It's wrong to say lightning can be stopped or prevented — it's unpredictable.
- Lightning is associated with thunder, the shock wave created by superheated air in the lightning channel.
- Nine out of ten people struck by lightning survive; nearly 25% of people suffer long-term psychological and physiological trauma.
- The best defense against lightning is preparedness.
- The average lightning strike contains 20,000 amps. An arc welder uses 250–400 amps to weld steel; a house probably uses 200 amps.
- Currents exceeding 20 milliamperes can cause chest muscles to contract, thus stopping breathing.
The worst lightning incident in the U.S. occurred in New Jersey on July 10, 1926, when a Navy ammunition arsenal was hit, killing 19 people and destroying property valued at $17 million (1986 dollar value).
Single disasters caused by lightning are usually less dramatic than hurricanes, floods, or tornadoes, but the victim's experience is nevertheless dramatic.
- It is wrong to say that lightning never strikes twice. It hits the Empire State Building an average of 21–25 times per year. Ray Sullivan, a U.S. Park Service ranger, was struck by lightning seven times between 1942 and 1976, and he survived them all.
Fun with Lightning
No, I didn't get hit. According to The National Lightning Safety Institute, lightning isn't all doom and gloom. Benjamin Franklin, the father of modern experiments, became intrigued with static-electricity parlor tricks early in life, and you can do them too. The theory of electrification lies within static charge, and the junior version of lightning is static.
- Make an electric lemon. Lemons contain citric acid. Put two wires of different metals (one steel, such as a nail, and one copper) into a lemon and attach them to a meter. Electrochemical action forces electrons to flow from one metal to the other.
- Create electricity. Scuff your leather-soled shoes across the carpet and sneak up on someone's ear with a "static buzz" on your finger.
- "Magnetize" a balloon. Inflate an ordinary balloon and rub it briskly on your wool sweater. Now watch it "stick" to a wall. Atomic theory says that when you pull electrons off of an object (rubbing the plastic), that object will attach to any uncharged (neutral) substance, such as the wall.
- "Mouth lightning." Get your eyes accustomed to the darkness and pop Wint-O-Green or Pep-O-Mint Life Savers into your mouth. Break them up, opening your mouth while doing so. The bluish flashes of light are nitrogen in the air, activated by the fracturing of (electric charges on) sugars in the candy.
Drink Plenty of Fluid
So that you and your buddies don't become heat casualties this summer (while you're flying between all those thunderstorms), be sure to bring along plenty of fluids to replace what you lose while sweating.
There is nothing worse than having to pack up and head home because you suddenly feel fatigued or sick to your stomach, or you develop a headache when you least expect one (signs of fluid loss and heat illness).
Take a tip from those who have been there and done that, forwarded to me from The Fly Paper: Bill Haywood, Editor, 4 Robin Circle, Foley, AL 36535:
- Try taking a plastic squirt bottle from an empty Gatorade or bottled-water drink, and clean it out. Once it's clean, fill it with water, or your favorite drink, about 80% full. Then stick it in the freezer overnight. The liquid inside will expand, but not explode if you have not filled it too much and have remembered to leave the cap off when freezing. The next day at the field, set the bottle out in the sun, and as the day progresses, the liquid will slowly melt and provide you with hours of ice-cold refreshment!
Date Your Battery Packs
There are probably 1,000 opinions on how long you should keep and use battery packs before they become unsafe or unreliable. From what I know, usefulness is determined by age, the number of charges, cycling, care of connectors, etc. I change my battery packs every 2–3 years, regardless of how well I maintain them; it's just insurance.
So that you can always know how long a pack has been in use, write the date that you install it in permanent marker on the shrink wrap. The rest is up to you.
Tip to Remember
Preflight, preflight, preflight!
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
