Originally Posted by ICT_SLB
BTW the electrical potentials on aircraft are kept as low as possible above ambient by means of the static wicks that are designed to leak away charge and thus reduce the possibility of lightning strikes.
Yes static wicks are designed to leak away static buildup in the airframe but they do not reduce the possibility of lightning strikes. Their main purpose is to reduce interference to Nav and Com equipment. The associated discharges take place at frequencies of 10KHz to 350MHz range, well within the range of all the avionics equipment used in the aircraft.The wicks should be checked on a walkaround as they are very susceptible to damage from lightning strikes. If you notice that any are missing, you would be strongly advised to get your engineers to conduct a post lightning strike inspection in case other damage has been sustained.