To: Nick Lappos
Nick, in several previous posts I indicated that I had witnessed a static discharge from helicopter rotor blades in Iran to which you in part uttered the following;
I quote,"You are off the wall and basically a crackpot, with ideas and interpretations that are just short of bizarre".
Just because you say it is not so does not make it not so. To me, you sit in your lofty spot and pontificate as to what is right and, what is wrong and that only your point of view is correct. Well, I don't accept that premise and as a result I contacted Dayton-Granger the largest manufacturer of static discharge wicks among other systems.
Here is my message to them:
Dear Mr. Kelley,
I have several questions regarding your static discharge product line.
1) Do you manufacture static discharge wicks for helicopter rotor blades?
2) If you do, what function do they perform?
A) Are they installed to eliminate the corona discharge from the blade tips?
B) Are they installed to decrease the night time visibility of the helicopter due to corona discharge thus compromising
nigh time covert operations?
C) If installed do they dissipate the static charge before the static charge can build up and result in visible discharge from the wicks?
Can you provide any technical literature on your product line especially if you produce them for helicopters.
Any help in this matter will be appreciated.
With warm regards,
S L Zuckerman, President
Here is their response:
Thank you very much for your interest in our static dischargers.
Dayton-Granger manufacturers a variety of dischargers for helicopters.
1. Dischargers for helicopter blades perform the same function as standard dischargers. The dischargers greatly reduce corona discharges from the aircraft antennas, as well as helicopter rotor blades.
2. The dischargers are designed to bleed off the current at a voltage below the corona threshold without interference. Static dischargers promote the discharge of relatively large currents at moderate voltages. Static dischargers have a lower corona threshold than the blade structure and therefore go into corona before the blade structure goes into corona. The corona current is bled through a high resistance (6-200) megohms, and thus the corona spark is de-coupled from the aircraft by approximately 50 dB.
Nick, the last time I checked my Websters Universal College Dictionary it references a corona as visible light. Based on what Dayton-Granger stated the discharger goes into corona before the blade does and there is a possibility that this corona is also visible.
Now, I ask the following question. Should I and the others take your word or that of the company that makes the equipment?
[ 16 November 2001: Message edited by: Lu Zuckerman ]