A device used to bleed an accumulated static electrical charge off an aircraft control surface and discharge it into the air. The wick is made of graphite-impregnated cotton fibers, enclosed in a plastic tube. One end of the wick is electrically connected to the trailing edge of a control surface, and the other end of the fibers are spread out of the end of the tube so the hundreds of fiber ends stick out into the air.

As the airplane flies through the air, static electricity builds up on the control surfaces, travels through the static wicks, and discharges into the air from the tips of the cotton fibers.