Jim, one of the 'features' of my sites is the askSam full text search of all 
FidoNet echomail that hits them.  The Unpublished PVT node at 117/3000 has 
one on it that came up in response to a search engine request for lightning! 
 
 Been in any good thunderstorms, 
 
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 > RW:  > A static electricity buildup can cause nasty things to happen 
 > RW:  > around petrochemicals. Nobody should doubt this. 
 > RW: 
 > RW: I doubt this..... 
 
 in an airplane lately? 
 
It's unusual for an airborn strike to invert into a fuel tank, but lab work  
and aircraft losses appear to indicate some of them have been lost that way.  
From experience, my airborn half dozen or so strikes on our Baron's convince  
me that the RF characteristics of a lightning strike DO stay outside over  
the skin MOSTLY, but enough energy gets inside the cabin to do strange  
things to the avionics etc, etc.... 
 
Technically, on thread here, my car has been hit once with me in it.  Top  of 
a hill on now George Bush Drive in Aggieland.  My hood had this bright  flash 
flare all over it and it hopped from the left front rim to the  pavement.  
Nice burned arc line in the left front tire where the partial  petrochemical 
object expended it's last breath of air...  Incidentally,  there wasn't any 
inital BOOM, just this MASSIVE buzz sound.  The thunder  came back at me from 
every available vertical surface near by as a curious  short stacatto series 
of BOOM-BOOM-BOOM and as the wave front expanded  outward away from me.  The 
window was open on both sides of the 50 Chevy  coupe with my nice 61 Chevy 
Corvette in it roaring over the top of the hill  at the time.... 
 
You should also have seen what happened to an oil reclamation tank battery  
at one of these salt water stripper sites just west of Easterwood Field a  
couple years back when one of their tanks got hit... 
 
     pooomm..... 
 
Further, as the weather gets colder, while gasoline vapor explosion  
potential may go down somewhat, I believe jet fuel vapor explosion  
potentials go way up.  The father of one of my mother's nursing home LVN's  
is a military cold fueling environment specialist in the USAF.  He notes  the 
man's whole career in the service has been spent in making darned sure  that 
someone doesn't mistakenly believe that simple static electricy CAN'T  do you 
in big time around the big iron fueling operations as the  temperature goeth 
downward....  it can... 
 
Lets see, per one other usegroup I counted my "static" electricity hits... 
 
 18  At least 3 per year at WTAW for years as Chief Engineer there 
     for about 6 years. 
 
  1  Once direct to my car. 
 
  2  Twice on a sidewalk, once to a power line nearby and once to a light 
        pole in Houston when I was running to get inside a building 
        as the sizzle started around me.. 
 
  6  Six times direct to the ship that I know of when I was awake 
        as the Marine Radio Op and Electronics guy aboard A&M's 
        research vessel Hidalgo - KHCI... 
 
  6  Five for darned sure flying IFR in two different Beech Baron's 
     over six years there and one I count but am not quite sure about. 
 
  5  Five direct hits at 117/3000 that I know of over the last 12 
        years there while I have been on premises.  There have been 
        MANY more in and around the antennae towers. 
 
  That's a simple 38 direct hits *I* can cite to *SUGGEST* your 
     opinion may be possibly wrong.... 
 
         
 
  Electricy can do, so many, many things to you.... 
 
Mike @ 117/3001 
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