DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE AA-16-01
Headquarters Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFMC) 04 MAR 2016
Engineering Directorate
Wright-Patterson AFB OH 45433-7101
DistributionStatementA–Approvedforpublicrelease;distributionunlimited
USAFCenterofExcellenceforAirworthiness
AIRWORTHINESS ADVISORY
Airworthiness Impacts of Lightning Protection
ATTACHMENTS:
(1) Glossary of Terms and Supporting Information
(2) News Letter, ASD/EN, 23 Jul 1976
PURPOSE
This Airworthiness Advisory (AA) provides Delegated Technical Authorities (DTAs), System
Program Managers, Directors of Engineering (DoE), Chief Engineers (CE), and MAJCOMs with
criteria and guidance to support formulation of the Lightning Protection Airworthiness (AW)
certification basis and associated compliance methodology. These criteria and methodology are
provided to ensure that new and modified air systems have undergone appropriate review to
understand airworthiness requirements, impacts to safety, methods of compliance and risks
associated with non-compliances.
SCOPE
This AA applies to all United States Air Force (USAF) air systems, including those operated by
the Air National Guard and USAF Reserve.
REFERENCED DOCUMENTS
[1] MIL-HDBK-516C, Department of Defense Handbook Airworthiness Certification
Criteria, 12 December 2014
[2] The Horizontal Extent of Lightning Based on Altitude and Atmospheric Temperature,
AFIT/GM/ENP/02M-10, 26 March 2002
[3] A Comparison of Horizontal Cloud-to-Cloud Lightning Flash Distance Using Weather
Surveillance Radar and the Distance Between Successive Flashes Method,
AFIT/GM/ENP/99M-03, March 1999
[4] NOAA Technical Memorandum ERL NSSL-105, “The Distance Between Successive
Lightning Flashes”, Raul E. Lopez, Roland L. Holle, September 1999
[5] Monthly Weather Review, “Lightning in the Anvils of Supercell Thunderstorms”,
Stephanie A. Weiss, Donald R. MacGorman, Kristin M. Calhoun, 2 February 2012
