Which statement best describes Precipitation Static's effect?

Which statement best describes Precipitation Static's effect?

• A. The electrostatic fields cause interference
• B. It reduces the signal strength to zero
• C. It has no effect on ADF
• D. It only affects VOR

Answer: (A)

Precipitation static builds up electrical charges on the aircraft as it flies through rain, snow, or ice. Those charges create electrostatic fields that discharge and inject noise into the aircraft’s radio systems. That discharge interferes with the receivers, producing crackles, static, and garbling of the audio or navigation signals. The key point is that the static creates interference through these electrostatic effects, not that it simply wipes out the signal or only affects one system. It can affect multiple radios, including ADF and VOR, rather than being limited to VOR alone or to a single channel.

Precipitation static builds up electrical charges on the aircraft as it flies through rain, snow, or ice. Those charges create electrostatic fields that discharge and inject noise into the aircraft’s radio systems. That discharge interferes with the receivers, producing crackles, static, and garbling of the audio or navigation signals. The key point is that the static creates interference through these electrostatic effects, not that it simply wipes out the signal or only affects one system. It can affect multiple radios, including ADF and VOR, rather than being limited to VOR alone or to a single channel.