Re: Aircraft and lightning

["Tesla list" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Original poster: Ed Phillips <evp@xxxxxxxxxxx>

"With the plane moving at say 560mph and the velocity of sound at 680mph
(sea
level lower at altitude), perhaps that stops or reduces the sound
amplitude
reaching the cabin. and distorts the
steep front in to a more gentle rise that would be less detectable with
the
cabin background noise."

	I've been in a 747 on the ground where there were lightning strikes on
the field within 1/2 mile (that, of course, is why we were still on the
ground) and the sound of the thunder was barely audible over the sound
of the A/C vents.  Remember that the engines themselves make a lot of
racket and there is a lot of acoustic insulation.  Thought occurs to me
as I type that it's not obvious that the sound is loudest at the end of
the lightning bolt.  Wonder if anyone has studied thunder that well - I
suspect a lot of people have cause it's been around for a while.  I'm
sure most of you have heard the quote (approximate) from Mark Twain:
"Thunder is good, thunder is great, but it's the lightning that does the
job."

Ed