mega lightning, channel 5?

[ukwannabe]

So, did anyne see this program; but more importantly has anyone seen any of these 'sprites'. Makes me think twice about flying above some of those cb's.

How can you justify a meteorological phenomenon as being a non air transport issue? After having seen one of our Airbuses trounced by a cb, and lucky to get away with it coonsidering the damage to it. I would have thought that maybe this is an issue. Just my penny\'s worth thats all.

[Capt H Peacock]

I've seen it once over the Med and it was awe inspiring. Never be afraid of 'experts' telling you something is impossible. We don't even understand the most routine of lightning phenomenon, let alone the complexities of non-linear electrodynamics.

I love it when mother nature reminds us that we're just rookies.:bored:

[Mariner]

Not sure if we're talking about the same thing, cause I haven't seen that program.

But if it is what I think you are talking about; I've seen it once in 18 years of flying.

Over the Pacific, offshore Panama on a flight from MEX to UIO. Early morning, just getting light.
Big CB to our left, tops way up there, in the low forties I guess. A bolt of lightning came out of the top, and went up, not down. It came out as one bolt and then spread out into the stratosphere, sort of like the roots of a tree.

Awesome!

[Dan Winterland]

I've seen sprites more than once over India and the Bay of Bengal in Monsoon season, and over the South China Sea. But I wouldn't worry too much about them hitting aircraft as they come out of the top of CBs, and the size of CBs that produce them, no aircraft can fly over now Concorde is grounded. Besides, I tend to steer well clear of CBs that size.

[BOAC]

ukw- in answer to your question I can only guess that the mod who moved it here was aware of the already significant coverage on pprune of lightning and decided it should come here?

Rest assured, I am watching, and if this thread gets to the point where it becomes appropriate I will move it to either Tech Log or R&N.

There you go - PFM!

[chikenscanfly]

Ive seen one too, over the med...suspect it wasnt a sprite but rather a blue jet...

The subject of lightning appears to be cleaverly avoided in meteorology classes...the basics of negative lightning formation are covered and thats it...

I did however find this program to be very informative about the very zoological makeup of our atmosphere...

for instance, ever known that there is negative lightning AND positive lightning? Positive lightning lasts 10 times longer and is 6 times more powerful than negative on average...its been known to down some of our late colleagues in the past (wait? Death by lightning strike? you bet!)

Sprites appear harmless, but seem to be directly related to postive lightning...perhaps an electric discharge from the earths magnetic field through a storm cloud?

There is obviously a lack of knowledge and research into this field, and seeing that there are occasions when the tropopause WILL allow us to overfly such cells, maybe we should be getting a bit more aware of these dangers!

[Loose rivets]

I made this comment in 2003 (search crude laser)

“I wondered years ago if the entire CB might be LASEing. The core would be a very crude laser, but with the surfeit of power available and a tube of plasma/gasses who knows.”

I would be surprised to hear that one had been seen from an aircraft, as I was under the impression that they were undiscovered prior to satellite photography—but I’m not sure.

Following the BBC program, I phoned the physicist on call, and suggested this idea. He was dismissive at first, but after some argument was not so sure. I remain intrigued