Static Electricity and St Elmo's Fire in an Airliner Cockpit

Air Force regulation cautioned pilots not to fly within 20 nautical miles of thunderstorms because of the potentially hazardous effects it would have on the plane. One phenomenon of being close to thunderstorms is the incredible amount of static electricity which built up around the airplane. The forward windscreen was always the place to see it dance. It’s called St Elmo’s Fire. This is one of the greatest videos capturing this phenomenon I’ve every seen. The fingers of static electricity dance all over the windscreens. I had someone reach up and touch it. It knocked them back into their seat! But it’s really cool to watch! #aviation #avgeek #military #airforce #army #navy #usmc #pilot #pilotlife #flight #flying #fly #aircraft #airplane #plane #jet #airport #photo #photography #video #videoviral #viralvideos #lessonsfromthecockpit #podcast #show