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Originally Posted by FLEXjs
Exactly how it was explained to me but I still can't get my head around it.
My thoughts are that in order for the electricity to determine there is no ground/path it still has to flow through you. So why wouldn't you feel it or get electrocuted?
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It only takes a very small amount of charge to accumulate for the potential of the line to match the potential of the helicopter/occupants. And this charge will always distribute on its most happy resting place which is the outside of a metal shell. You'll get about the same amount of charge on your body that you'd get by rubbing a balloon on your hair. And indeed, your hair would probably be sorta frizzed out as the like-charged particles (electrons in this case) that are on each hair repel one another. Like when you see people who touch Tesla coils. The potential is very high, the charge/current is very very low.
Would you feel anything in the helicopter? I'm sure you would, but it wouldn't be unpleasant, just perhaps a bit unnerving to n00bs. If you were actually inside the helicopter, you wouldn't feel anything because you are essentially inside of a Faraday cage. The net charge inside a Faraday cage is zero. All the charge is on the outside.