As for experience, there was no personal element to my post
Eh? But you just asked me if I was on the same course as the pilot involved, or if I was his instructor! Seeing as he just rolled it completely into a ball, I took it as fairly personal.
Obviously crossed purposes here, Sid? I dunno.
USLs in my experience were earthed by an earthing "crook" kept by the ground handler himself, for use as he saw fit. All metal loads on steel strops generally earth themselves as they touch the ground, which was the point of my initial response. I can't, for the life of me, understand why the ground handler in this incident did what he did there, though!