If a person is in free-fall or in a parachute, could he be struck by lightning? Lightning would not be attracted to him because he is not touching the ground, right?
What about going through him? Would/could lightning go through him to get to the ground? Wouldn’t the air be less resistant so the lightning would avoid him?
If the lightning did go through him, would it have the same effect on him as if he were on the ground?
What are other dangers associatted with parachutists and lightnigng? For instance, if lightning passed near him, would the rapidly expanding air caused by the heat of the bolt have much impact on the jumper?
Yes, a parchutist could easily be struck by lightning. I don’t know the exact risk percentages, but I’d call a 'chutist jumping with storm in the area foolish.
If they were, I don’t think that they would be seriously injured. Just my WAG, but I understand that the potential difference between them and the ground would remain constant and therefore neutral. I don’t know. I’m sure that someone will be along shortly to tell me I’m a moron.
They’d be just as roasted as a person standing on the ground. The reason planes don’t suffer much damage, usually, is because the metal skin of the fuselage conducts the lightning around and out the bottom, leaving the interior untouched. The skydiver, on the other hand, is a big bag of water and electrolytes and conducts electricity through it even better than around it, via the skin. The potential diference between the point the lightning hits and the closest point to the ground is going to be enormous, and a great deal of current will pass through him.
Is the lightning more attracted to the parachutist (because he is so high, maybe) or is it less attracted to him than someone on the ground?
Is the lightning actually seeking out the parachutist the way it would a tall building or lightning rod? Or is it just by chance passing through him to get to it’s target? Like the guy just happend to be in the way or something.
Does a parachutist send up one of those little streamer things (whatever they are called) like ground targets do?
Hope no one minds me bumping this just once. I am still curious about this and it seems there are people who know about this stuff (QED). Just hoping someone can answer the last questions to clear up everything.
It’s been stated that IF a person were struck, he would be fried! But I am still wondering on how attractive to lightning is a parachutist?
More than someone on the ground?
More than a tall metal tower? etc…
I’m inclined to think a skydiver is no more likely to have lightning pass through him than any other point in space beneath a storm cell. If the parachutist gets struck it’s because he is simply “in the way” of the bolt, and doesn’t send out streamers which attract the stepped leader, like grounded targets do. I haven’t found any reports of skydivers actually being struck, but i suspect that’s because so few, if any, have been willing to tempt fate ad jump during a storm, but i’d guess they would have a slightly elevated risk of being hit compared to people on the ground.
IANAS (I am not a skydiver) but I’d think that the problem is more a theoretical one because the severe gusts associated with a thunderstorm and the updraft within the storm cloud probably keep people from jumping in the vicinity of a thunderstorm.