Static wicks... recommendations

Hello,

We don't have any static wicks on our plane. With the -20C dry dry
weather we've been having, the radios have some static and the VOR has
been a bit wonky as of late. A couple things I've read are affected
by static.

I have a Twin Comanche. Can anyone suggest a good static wick and
how many one should have on a plane?

Thanks,

Dico

I did an article in Kitplanes on diy static wicks for a nickel apiece. You
could try them and see if that is the cure and then buy the expensive ones
if you wish.

Get a crimp terminal or solder lug that will pass the head of the screw
where you want to put the wick. Typically this will be near the trailing
(sharp) edge of a metal surface. On the 182 heavy, I've got them top and
bottom of both wingtips and on the tailcone.

Get yourself a 100k-1M small (quarter or eighth watt) resistor. Crimp or
solder one of the leads into the terminal with the body of the resistor as
close to the terminal crimp/solder point as you can get it. Cut off the
lead before you solder/crimp it so that it doesn't have a sharp edge
exposed. Cut the other lead to as sharp a point as you can get or solder a
hairfine very short wire to the lead. The idea is to get the static
electricity to dissipate itself in the body of the resistor so that very
little energy is left to exit the airframe at the sharp point at the end of
the resistor.

Cover the whole assembly (except for the hole for the screw and the sharp
point at the output) with shrink sleeving.

Jim




"Dico" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hello,

We don't have any static wicks on our plane. With the -20C dry dry
weather we've been having, the radios have some static and the VOR has
been a bit wonky as of late. A couple things I've read are affected
by static.

I have a Twin Comanche. Can anyone suggest a good static wick and
how many one should have on a plane?

Thanks,

Dico

And before you do that, make sure the elevators, ailerons and flaps are
bonded to the airframe.

Karl



"RST Engineering" wrote in message
...
I did an article in Kitplanes on diy static wicks for a nickel apiece. You
could try them and see if that is the cure and then buy the expensive ones
if you wish.

Get a crimp terminal or solder lug that will pass the head of the screw
where you want to put the wick. Typically this will be near the trailing
(sharp) edge of a metal surface. On the 182 heavy, I've got them top and
bottom of both wingtips and on the tailcone.

Get yourself a 100k-1M small (quarter or eighth watt) resistor. Crimp or
solder one of the leads into the terminal with the body of the resistor as
close to the terminal crimp/solder point as you can get it. Cut off the
lead before you solder/crimp it so that it doesn't have a sharp edge
exposed. Cut the other lead to as sharp a point as you can get or solder
a hairfine very short wire to the lead. The idea is to get the static
electricity to dissipate itself in the body of the resistor so that very
little energy is left to exit the airframe at the sharp point at the end
of the resistor.

Cover the whole assembly (except for the hole for the screw and the sharp
point at the output) with shrink sleeving.

Jim




"Dico" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hello,

We don't have any static wicks on our plane. With the -20C dry dry
weather we've been having, the radios have some static and the VOR has
been a bit wonky as of late. A couple things I've read are affected
by static.

I have a Twin Comanche. Can anyone suggest a good static wick and
how many one should have on a plane?

Thanks,

Dico