Electromagnetic measurements of lightning attachment to aircraft

A NOAA WC-130 aircraft instrumented with electromagnetic field sensors was flown in South Florida in close proximity to thunderstorms in the summer of 1981. Electromagnetic field measurements of two direct lightning attachments to the aircraft were recorded in a continuous analog recorder with a frequency response of 2 MHz on 17 July and 26 Aug. The 17 July flash lasted 295 msec and was characterized by about 200 individual pulses with a maximum pulse repetition rate of 1000 pulses/sec. The maximum uniform current of any of the isolated pulses was 650 Amperes. The rise-times of these pulses ranged from less than 350 nsec to about 12 mu-sec.