During the NASA Langley Research Center Storm Hazards Program, thunderstorm penetrations have been made during, four summers by an extensively instrumented F-106B research airplane in order to record direct lightning strike data and the associated flight conditions. The penetrations were made in Oklahoma and Virginia in conjunction with ground-based weather radar measurements by the NOAA-National Severe Storms laboratory and NASA Wallops Flight Facility, respectively. In 1980 and 1981, the airplane received 10 direct lightning strikes each year, with most thunderstorm penetrations occuring near the freezing level (4.5 km (15000 ft) altitude). In 1982 and 1983, over 560 penetrations were made in Virginia during which 370 direct lightning strikes occured. Most of the penetrations in the latter 2 years were made at altitudes above 6 km (20000 ft) corresponding to ambient temperatures colder than -20 Cel. Following each flight, the airplane was thoroughly inspected for evidence of lightning attachment, and the individual lightning attachment spots were plotted on isometric projections of the airplane to identify lightning entry and exit points ans swept flash patterns. Photographs of lightning attachments with onboard cameras have been used to corroborate these findings.
Lightning attachment patterns and flight conditions ecpreienced by the NASA F-106B airplane from 1980 to 1983
Blitzoszillogramme und Flugbedingungen des Nasa Flugzeuges F-106B von 1980-1983
1984
11 Seiten, 10 Bilder, 1 Tabelle, 28 Quellen
Conference paper
English
NTRS | 1983
|NTIS | 1983
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