Definition
A small device, usually a slender fiber or wire bundle, attached to the trailing edges of an aircraft's wings, stabilizers, and other control surfaces, designed to bleed off the static electrical charge that builds up on the airframe during flight. By providing a sharp, high-resistance discharge point, it releases the charge into the surrounding air gradually rather than allowing it to accumulate and discharge through the radio antennas as electrical noise.
Plain English
A small spike or wick fitted to the back edges of an airplane's wings and tail that lets static electricity bleed off into the air, so it doesn't build up and interfere with the radios.
Context Anchor
Seen during preflight inspection on the trailing edges of aircraft surfaces and in discussions of radio interference caused by static electricity.
Derivation
Static' comes from the Latin staticus, meaning 'standing' or 'at rest' -- here describing electrical charge that sits on the airframe rather than flowing as current. 'Wick' is from Old English weoce, the absorbent strand in a candle or lamp. The name reflects how the device 'wicks' the standing charge off the aircraft into the air.
Why Pilots Care
Prevents radio static, navigation errors, and potential damage from uncontrolled discharge during flight.
Analogy
A static wick is like a small drain for electrical charge. Instead of letting the charge build up on the aircraft, it gives it a controlled way to leak away.
Intuition Check
A static wick is not a candle wick and it does not produce a flame. Here, “wick” means a small part that draws or carries something away—in this case, electrical charge.
Example Sentence 1
During the walkaround, she counted each static wick on the trailing edges and noted that two were missing from the right aileron.
Example Sentence 2
After passing through a thunderstorm, the static wicks quietly discharged the electricity that had built up on the airframe.