Lightning Strikes
I have been flying in the tropics for years and have wondered about the effects of a lightning strike on a helicopter. (Usually this comes to mind when it is pissing down with rain in the middle of a storm and you are battling to stay VFR trying to find a field crew you dropped off earlier in the middle of nowhere!!) I know with fixed wing a lightning strike generally does little or no damage if all the components are properly bonded but what about helicopters?
Asking around other pilots and engineers has'nt produced any satisfactory answers. I have heard that lightning can cause static pitting of bearings if all the components are not bonded properly.
Of course the sensible thing is not to be flying around in such weather but in the tropics during the wet season such weather is normal and not flying near storms is generally not always an option.