One of my buddies on IRC had this to say:
Quote:
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from a utility protection engineer: "Actually, what you see can be quite common. It's the reason why High Voltage air switches have no published opening or closing ratings. 40-80 foot arcs are not uncommon. It's all a function of the transient recovery voltage across the contacts, the elevation, position, the moisture in the air and the wind speed and direction."
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Aparently he knows a utility protection engineer.
So, this is almost certianly real.