STATIC WICKS ( STATIC DISCHARGER )

All the time i travel with an aircraft, i always wondered what the little sticks 

attached on the edges of wings looks like little antennas attached on winglets, 

ailerons, flap tracks and also on rudder and elevator


The static wicks on winglet and aileron.



The static wicks on rudder



The static wicks on elevator and horizontal stabilizer.





















The static wicks on flap tracks




Let's have a closer look this little sticks and what it is used for.







This little sticks are used to discharge the static electrictiy caused by the 

friction of air flowing through the surface of aircraft in dry environment, rain , 

snow , ice or dust particules.When the aircraft charge is great enough, it 

discharge into the surrounding air. It controls the interference that static 

charge causes for radio communications and navigation. Therefore it allows 

the continous satisfactory operation onboard navigation and radio 

communication.


What is static electricty ? ( To whom want to be informed )

Static Wicks Demonstration

When the air flows through the fuselage of the aircraft, the friction of air ionizes the fuselage with positive charge so that the electrons on the parts of aircraft would release itself from aircraft through the exteremist points of the parts of fuselase such as winglets, flap tracks, ailerons, vertical stabilizer, horizontal stabilizer. These static wicks discharge this electrons from aircraft and it defuses. If there would not be any static discharger wick, the electrons would be accumulating itself on the sharp points of fuselage such as radio and navigations equipments. That's the point where interfere occurs with the signals transmitted through these equipments. It might also cause communication to be lost which would be a bad thing.

This is a very good video to see what the static electricity on wings

This is my video about the static discharger explanation.