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Heat Lightning

Pilotallen From United States of America, joined Nov 1999, 656 posts, RR: 4
Posted (11 years 8 months 2 hours ago) and read 597 times:

Hey,
I was recently doing a night x-c with my instructor and we got caught up in some heat lightning, can anyone tellm e if its dangerous? at the time i didnt ask my insturcot because we were too busy getting out of its way, but has anyone been through it? in a small plane or jetliner? what or how did you react the first time maybe?

Thats not flying, thats falling with style -Woody

7 replies: All unread, jump to last

JETPILOT From United States of America, joined May 1999, 3130 posts, RR: 32
Reply 1, posted (11 years 8 months 2 hours ago) and read 574 times:

Heat lightning is simply distant lightning.

Someone felt like giving it a different name making people believe it was an entirely different entitiy.

JET

SWA TPA From United States of America, joined Aug 2001, 1559 posts, RR: 44
Reply 2, posted (11 years 8 months 2 hours ago) and read 558 times:

Gotta agree with Jet. I was told it is nothing more than lightning so far away you cant hear the thunder from it.

I believe I can fly.....

JetBlue26 From United States of America, joined Jun 2000, 82 posts, RR: 2
Reply 3, posted (11 years 8 months 1 hour ago) and read 545 times:

Heat lightning are lightning flashes that are too far away from a person to hear the thunder. It is similar to sheet lightning but is in t-storms more than 10 miles away. Trees, buildings and noise can cut this distance to less than five miles. Its called heat lightning because its often seen on summer nights when the sky is clear overhead. Air molecules and dust in the refract the light coming from distant lightning which makes the flashes an orange color. Lighting is only dangerous when you fly too close too it. It can really damage an aircraft and can cause temporary blindness for a pilot.
-jB26

Pilotallen From United States of America, joined Nov 1999, 656 posts, RR: 4
Reply 4, posted (11 years 7 months 4 weeks 1 day 8 hours ago) and read 508 times:

You said it was formed on clear nights and what not? I didnt know that because when i saw it, it seemed to be a cloud that lit up a tremendous amount. maybe it was just normal lightning on a cloudy day lol.

Thats not flying, thats falling with style -Woody

SWA TPA From United States of America, joined Aug 2001, 1559 posts, RR: 44
Reply 5, posted (11 years 7 months 4 weeks 1 day 8 hours ago) and read 500 times:

It might be a clear night over you but wherever you see that lightning its not a clear night for whoever is under that storm! Smile

I believe I can fly.....

Capt.Picard From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR:
Reply 6, posted (11 years 7 months 4 weeks 1 day 7 hours ago) and read 495 times:

It's very surreal when you experience it for the first time; it happened to me this Summer, when I was walking along a road at night-very clear sky, stars shining brightly, and then suddenly I just caught sight of a flash of light around me-it lasted about a split second. I was stunned at first, but it was later explained to me.

Incredible what nature can do.

Regards

767ALLTHEWAY From United States of America, joined Nov 1999, 659 posts, RR: 0
Reply 7, posted (11 years 7 months 4 weeks 1 day 1 hour ago) and read 481 times:

There is no such thing as heat lightning.

"Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear"

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