Definition of Lightning Strike Zones on Aircraft and Helicopters - Results of the FULMEN Program

One of the major goals of the EC-supported research programme FULMEN was to obtain a deeper understanding of the interaction of lightning with airborne objects. The improved knowledge of lightning attachment and sweeping processes has helped to derive scientifically founded guidelines and methodologies for the zoning of aircraft and helicopters to support and amend current and proposed regulations on lightning protection in aviation.

For this purpose all the information relevant for zoning was collected in a database and analysed extensively. Theoretical models that describe various phases of the attachment of lightning to aircraft were developed, refined and validated against model experiments. While the complexity of lightning attachment still prohibits a complete analytical assessment of the process as a whole, significant advances have been made within FULMEN to present a coherent view of the interaction of lightning with aircraft.