Why are airplanes able to get hit by lighting without it affecting the electronics, passengers, or ability to fly?

Question

Why are airplanes able to get hit by lighting without it affecting the electronics, passengers, or ability to fly?

In: Physics

Answer 1

A lightning strike has an entry and an exit point on an airplane. They’re typically designed with special materials to help control those points. Think of it like a lightning rod.

We had a gear box for a propeller system become magnetized because the lightning entered the tail and exited through the propeller. This made the reduction gear box unusable at the cost of nearly 125k to replace.

So airplanes are affected.