Can airplanes trigger lightning?

Aircraft often trigger lightning when flying through a heavily charged region of a cloud. In these instances, the lightning flash originates at the airplane and extends away in opposite directions. The Federal Aviation Administration estimates that commercial jet airliners in the US are struck by lightning once every 1,000 flight hours, or once each year, on average. Planes can even trigger lightning themselves by flying through ionized clouds

The good news is that modern-day airplanes are designed to minimize the impact of suck strikes, protecting both the aircraft and its passengers. When a bolt of lightning strikes the exterior of an airplane, the electricity travels into the aluminum shell and out through another point on the aluminum. For safety reasons, planes hit by lightning mid-flight undergo inspection after landing but in most cases, the aircraft is either unharmed or sustains only minor damage. Lightning typically strikes a relatively sharp edge of a plane, like a wingtip or nose, and the current exits via the tail.

Lightning doesn't pose any serious danger to flights, you would have heard more about it by now. Much like you're safe in a car that gets hit by a bolt, provided you're not touching its metal frame, airline passengers are safe from in-flight lightning strikes.

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