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A few years ago, a simplified model has been proposed for the determination of lightning initial attachment zones via electric field modeling. This model is based on a simple space-charge criterion for the streamer-leader transition that allows to determine the critical electric field strength for discharge initiation for a given ambient field direction and to derive the extension of the initial attachment zone. Within the framework of the EC-supported research program FULMEN this model was tested on a generic helicopter and aircraft geometry and the dependence of the zone extensions on the different parameters of the model was investigated. The results of this work indicate that the simplified model can serve as a means to roughly estimate the extension of the initial attachment zones.

One of the major goals of the EC-supported research programme FULMEN was to obtain a deeper understanding of the interaction of lightning with airborne objects. The improved knowledge of lightning attachment and sweeping processes has helped to derive scientifically founded guidelines and methodologies for the zoning of aircraft and helicopters to support and amend current and proposed regulations on lightning protection in aviation. For this purpose all the information relevant for zoning was collected in a database and analysed extensively. Theoretical models that describe various phases of the attachment of lightning to aircraft were developed, refined and validated against model experiments. While the complexity of lightning attachment still prohibits a complete analytical assessment of the process as a whole, significant advances have been made within FULMEN to present a coherent view of the interaction of lightning with aircraft.