The Glasair III LP is the first kit-built general aviation aircraft that is made of composite materials and has verified lightning protection.
Composites give aircraft designs higher strength while reducing weight.
Modern digital systems offer greater efficiency in flight displays and engine control. However, both technologies tend to make aircraft more susceptible to lightning damage. The Glasair III LP, shown being struck by a simulated lightning bolt during ground tests, was developed by Stoddard-Hamilton Aircraft, Inc. of Arlington, Wash., under NASA's Small Business Innovation Research program. NASA Information from NASA storm hazards research showed that lightning can hit almost any spot on an airplane's surface, not just the wings, propeller tips and other extremities as scientists earlier thought. That finding was important to aircraft designers using composite materials because they are less conductive and more vulnerable to lightning damage than the aluminum alloys they replace.