Static Discharger Aircraft - Toll Free: 877-477-7823 Customer Service: 800-861-3192 Fax: 800-329-3020
Aircraft flying in clouds or precipitation will accumulate electrical charges due to frictional contact with liquid or other solid particles in the atmosphere. These charges cause interference in radio communication and navigation, so we need to eliminate this.
Static Discharger Aircraft
When the charge on an aircraft reaches 100,000 to 200,000 volts, the electrical fields on the aircraft become concentrated on its extremities – wing tips, tail surfaces, etc. Air is ionized at the sharpest points on these surfaces and current discharges into the surrounding air, resulting in radio interference that causes a hissing noise in a radio receiver.
Reducing Radio Interference
Radio interference is reduced by preventing the uncontrolled discharge of static electricity from the aircraft to the surrounding air. The charge is blended into the air mass around the aircraft at a controlled rate by using a discharge device.
Arcing can create a brilliant luminous glow, similar to streamering, but it is usually limited to jumping point to point in distances of an inch or less. Often it is barely visible, but when observable it has the appearance of a curved line. Arc discharges are almost always the result of a part of the aircraft being electrically insulated from the main structure so that when a charge accumulates on the isolated part, it arcs to the main structure.
Each discharger has a carbon fiber tip at the end of a slender rod. The rod is a resistive (conducting) material and attaches to a metal base. The base attaches and bonds to the airplane surface.
A corona discharge is luminous and can be audible. Corona is created by an electrical discharge that causes ionization of the air in the presence of a strong electrical field. The corona discharge on nonmetallic composite radomes, winglets, windshields, and propellers, for example, is also known as St. Elmo’s fire.
Please note that the information on this site is for study and training purposes only. When working on an aircraft or aircraft component you should always refer to the relevant aircraft maintenance manual or component manufacturer's manual. You should also follow your company policy and the requirements of the National Aviation Authority. For health and safety at the workplace, you should follow the rules and guidelines specified by your company, equipment manufacturer, and the National Safety Authority.
Aircraft become highly charged with static electricity while in flight. If the metal parts of the aircraft are improperly bonded, there will be a difference in charge (voltage). Where different voltage potentials exist, arcing can occur between them due to vibration or control surface movement causing noise (crackling) in the radio receiver.
Arcing is usually caused by the failure of some device installed to reduce precipitation static noise, such as broken bonding straps at control surface hinge points, gear doors, access panels, fuselage cargo, and entrance doors. Cracked radome lightning diverter straps and static discharger bases cause arcing. (Bonding straps at control surface hinge points are critical.
Streamering is an electrical discharge that may trail from the aircraft, including dielectric surfaces such as composite radomes and composite winglets, as well as glass and ceramics. The discharge may stream (jump) several inches from composite material to a metal airframe or into the air. Or a charge can build up on a painted surface before it streams to a nearby unpainted screw or rivet head. Streamering can be reduced by coating non-conductive areas with a high resistance paint that allows the charge to be bled to the airframe.
During the flight, the aircraft becomes charged with static electricity. If the discharge of the static electricity is not controlled, it causes interference in the communications and navigation systems. To decrease the effect of this interference, static dischargers are installed.
DG has been manufacturing Electrostatic Protection products longer than any other company and is recognized as the primary supplier of quality Static Dischargers. DG's Dischargers range from the original 1940s DG patented "wicks" used on such vintage aircraft as the DC-3, to the Null Field Ortho-Decoupled Discharger to the Supersonic Discharger. DG also designs and manufactures: • Micropoint Dischargers • Carbonpoint Dischargers • The newly developed Composite Dischargers
Bonding also helps to provide the low resistance return path for single-wire electrical systems. All avionic equipment is bonded to the airframe to provide a low impedance path for both static voltage and induced voltages to be discharged to the ground, thereby reducing radio interference.
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