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The rumors of my demise are exaggerated ;) Actually I haven't had much
relevant to say so I was keeping quiet.

On the topic of static wicks, I put 8 on my IV-P which resulted an order of
magnitude improvement over no wicks at all. I am sure 16 would be better as
they would have the effect of adding series resistors to ground.  In fact
adding 1000 wicks would be better still, with only a small effect on useful
load and a slightly larger effect on speed;) How much better is the big
question but 8 in my case is satisfactory.

As with most things, installation details will effect the performance of the
wicks and therefore the number required for a comparable result. I added a
couple of rolls of copper shielding tape to my airframe to be sure that all
wicks, carbon parts and antenna ground planes were grounded to aircraft
electrical ground. Using an ohm meter and long test leads I measured less
than 4 ohms from any conductive point on the airframe to electrical ground.

Think of an airplane in flight as one plate of a giant capacitor, the earth
being the other and the atmosphere between them the dielectric, an
electrical component of Tesla proportions. Rubbing the airplane on the
atmosphere strips off electrons that "charge" the airframe. The little
points on the tips of the static wicks provide spring boards that let the
electrons jump off the airframe and back into the atmosphere.

On an ES, the skin charges first and when there is enough charge, it starts
to leak into other parts of the airplane, the control linkages, the
electrical system and you. Some pilots have reported being shocked through
their headsets and control grips. Adding static wicks to the electrical
ground will let those pesky wild electrons drain off before they collect in
your hair and crash the civilized trained electron party going on in your
radio and other electrical devices. It is not as efficient as draining them
right off the skin but it is better than nothing.

There was an interesting discussion on static wicks several months ago.
Check the archives.

Regards
Brent Regan

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