"The width of a lightning bolt is roughly 2-3 cm while the average length is about 2-3 miles."
"A bolt of lightning can reach 54,000 degrees Fahrenheit. For some perspective, the surface of the sun is 10,340 degrees Fahrenheit!"
"Lightning moves 30,000 times faster than a bullet."
"The average lightning flash could power a 100-watt light bulb for 90 days."
"Divide the number of seconds between a lightning flash and the sound of thunder by five to figure out how many miles away the storm is. You can do the same with kilometers by dividing by three."
"You are most likely to get struck by lightning just before or just after it rains. "
"In the US, lightning kills an average of 93 people a year. Over 300 injuries are a result of lightning."
"If you hear thunder, you’re close enough to be struck by lightning. "
"Seek shelter immediately if the hair on your head or body stands on end during a thunderstorm."
"Florida is The lightning capital of the US is Florida. The southern state averages 70-100 thunderstorms per year."
"Until the late 18th century it was believed that ringing church bells repelled lightning."
"Several church bells have “fulgura frango” inscribed on them; which means “I chase lightning.”"
"In France, the custom was banned after 103 bell-ringers were struck by lightning between 1753 and 1786."
"Helicopters can cause lightning to strike. A helicopter needs a negative charge to fly. Flying near positively charged areas such as a hail storm or a positively charged cumulonimbus cloud, a helicopter can trigger a lightning strike. "
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the most common is actually cloud to cloud, but yeah ground to cloud is the least common
Janice, it can however *create* a negative charge (although it has nothing to do with it's ability to fly):
skybrary.aero/articles/helicopter-triggered-lightning-strikes