In this paper, discharge characteristics of air in the vertical arrangement of three rods(dome-shaped, cylinder-shaped, and needle-shaped rod) and plane gap having propane flame on the plane electrode are examined under the application of a.c. and d.c. high-voltages. As the result of the experiment, flashover voltages in the presence of the flame are substantially lowered than those in the absence of flame, and relative a.c. flashover voltages in the dome-shaped, cylinder-shaped, and needle-shaped rod gaps are found 32.5%, 32.1%, and 26.4% respectively. The polarity effects with the d.c. voltages are shown, and flashover voltages in negative polarity are much lowered than those in positive one. The negative flashover voltages in the dome-shaped and cylinder-shaped gaps are found 18.3% and 18.7% respectively, but the positive ones are found 53.5% and 43.2% respectively. In the needle-shaped rod gaps, meanwhile, the flame is extinguished by corona wind, and the quenching voltages are found 28.4% under the application of a.c. voltages. The ion winds of corona and the reduction of air density are the main factors of flashover reduction owing to the flame in the case of a.c. voltages, but the electrifications of the positive ion by thermal ionization besides the above factors are remarkably found in the case of d.c. voltages.