Helicopter blades generate lightning bolts A collection of sublime images from embedded journalist Michael Yon of what happens when helicopters fly through dust storms. Lightning bolts arcing around the blades are thought to be created by static electricity arising from friction between two dissimilar materials - in this case the metal blades and the sand. Yon coined the term “Kopp-Etchells Effect”, named for two soldiers killed in Afghanistan.

Helicopter blades generate lightning bolts

A collection of sublime images from embedded journalist Michael Yon of what happens when helicopters fly through dust storms. Lightning bolts arcing around the blades are thought to be created by static electricity arising from friction between two dissimilar materials - in this case the metal blades and the sand. Yon coined the term “Kopp-Etchells Effect”, named for two soldiers killed in Afghanistan.

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