Static wicks

I purchased my tail kit from a previous builder. The Rudder/VS were done. He put a static wick on the top of the rudder. I am wondering if this is necessary. I'm to the point of construction on the elevators that I either need to install static wicks on them or I will fill the holes on the rudder and just not have wicks at all.

To my knowledge, nobody has put them on any finished -10's yet, right??? If somebody has that I have overlooked, how many did you use? Is one on each control surface enough (ie. one on rudder, one on each elevator, ailerons, etc...)???

Does anybody have any remarks/comments on why I should use/not use the static wicks.

From previous conversations, and from listening to people talk about todays technology in shielded cables and built in circuitry protection from static electricity, I think I may just fill the holes on the rudder and not have the wicks at all.

Bill Britton

Doesn't hurt anything. If the holes are there, I'd just go ahead and install them.

My -6 has had static wicks for about 12.5 years. When I built the airplane I installed a LORAN. Once I changed to GPS the static wicks are no longer necessary. The static wicks are to bleed off percipitation static which interferes with the LORAN signal (100 Khz). Percipitation static doesn't bother GPS a the higher frequencies.
Mel...DAR

Mel said:

My -6 has had static wicks for about 12.5 years. When I built the airplane I installed a LORAN. Once I changed to GPS the static wicks are no longer necessary. The static wicks are to bleed off percipitation static which interferes with the LORAN signal (100 Khz). Percipitation static doesn't bother GPS a the higher frequencies.
Mel...DAR

Click to expand...

Mel at a recent EAA meeting we had the good fortune to have CJ Stevens the former chief pilot for the CAFE foundation speak. He flys a Glasair III with a full IFR setup. He showed me leading edge damage (mostly cosmetic but very real) that was caused by static buildup. If you plan to fly in bad weather at all I'd still put the wicks in.
Bill Jepson
RotaryRV-10

I hadn't heard of this. I don't think you will get that much percipitation static on an aluminum airplane. I guess it's possible. I don't intend to fly in that kind of weather. But I haven't removed mine. It's easier to just leave them on.
Mel...DAR

I saw a 3' cone of St Elmo's fire ahead of the drop tank on an OV-1 in V.N..
It scared the @#$7* out of me the first time I saw it. (OV-1 "Widowmaker" is all aluminum).

Derell