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This force would be several tons!) is much less in practice. It seems probable that the air-stream would lose some of its viscous properties over the surface of the sphere (i.e. the presence of the plasma, it is suggested, would reduce drag). This has been shown to be the case in experimental observations. Frequent reports in Russia suggest that plasmas/charged bodies start to respond to the presence of an aircraft at a range of about 10km. N. I. Gaidukov and others have published papers on this phenomenon. Frequently, large aircraft crews have found (and indeed the Russian Aviation authorities now advise them) that if the plasma appears ahead of the aircraft, while it is impossible to lose the attracted entity by acceleration, it is nevertheless possible to carry out manoeuvres to make the mass fall astern, where it will remain until it dissipates, with no further danger to the aircraft. The Russians have reportedly lost aircraft to ball lightning (it is not clear whether these are the same claims as the four fatalities they have had chasing “UFOs”), hence their particular interest in the phenomenon, and the large number of published papers.
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19-6
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