A new toy to add to your chase gear - literally

[Tim Vasquez]

This morning I was awakened by the sound of (1) thunder and (2) a toy airplane revving up over and over. It turned out that every single lightning strike within a mile set this toy plane off, causing it to play the digital recording of it spooling up its engines.

Based on this field test in an Oklahoma storm I can definitely recommend the Keenway Holiday Flight Jet Plane as a trustworthy lightning detector. I would not be surprised to see it on the dashboards of Alan Moller and Tim Marshall in 2009.

Artist's conception of lightning detector in NSSL #2

Then again it's possible we just got a fluke. Once I moved it up from the floor to the bed, it ceased this behavior.

Tim

 

[Cris Schroeder]

That's pretty neat. It could be worse, though. I've had lightning trip the IR remote sensor on a stereo before. My brother had been listening full-blast during the day, and lightning tripped it on at something like 2am. It scared the bejeebers out of me. I like the airplane better.

 

[Andrew Pritchard]

When I was younger I had a toy ambulance that had buttons you could press to make lights and sirens go off. Close lightning strikes would do the same, and set it off. Me and my friend actually did a pretty cool experiment by somehow creating static electricity around it and were able to set it off as well. It's a shame that I can't actually remember what we did in detail.

 

[Danny Neal]

I have a lightning detector I found cheap on EBAY last year. I set it from 0-5 miles away. It was weird, it would be beep about 3 seconds before the bolt hit. I guess it picks up the build up of energy? It still does, whenever I am around here in a thunderstorm every-time I hear the beep I know something close is about to be picked off lol

 

[Gerard Jebaily]

My personal lightning detector is nothing but a CB radio. All i have to do is find a relatively clear channel, turn the squelch down just before it opens. And anytime lightning strikes within about 50 miles (estimated), the squelch opens temporarily and lets out a static like sound during the duration of the lightning discharge.

The best part about this detector is that it has a volume control and even a range control. If your interested in lightning closer than 50 miles, just turn the squelch up a smidge.

 

[Jeff Miller]

One of the best "personal lightning detectors" ever for me is the AM radio on the 540 band.

I can remember as a child before internet and all of the things we have today always turning on the trusty AM radio and listening to all the static. Close lightning had a sharper, crisper static then the cascade of statics behind it.

You could tell an isolated storm from a squall line from scattered storms just the way the static sounded. Great memories.

 

[Danny Neal]

One of the best "personal lightning detectors" ever for me is the AM radio on the 540 band.

I can remember as a child before internet and all of the things we have today always turning on the trusty AM radio and listening to all the static. Close lightning had a sharper, crisper static then the cascade of statics behind it.

You could tell an isolated storm from a squall line from scattered storms just the way the static sounded. Great memories.

So true! Whenever I am out on a chase, coming home usually when the storms congeal into a line (or if you are chasing here in IL they are always in lines) I just love hear CRASH(static)CRASH etc and it is continuous! Or even late at night at my house I fall asleep to 670 the Score (sports radio) and can always tell when a storm is coming just hearing the static getting closer and closer.