How to Use Flares to Signal an Aircraft
You are part of a small group of trekkers--and you have been lost for two days. Now, as night approaches, you hunker down for the night with the rest of your traveling companions, praying that tomorrow help will finally appear. Abruptly, a sound--somehow mechanical--pierces the air, beginning faintly but slowly, steadily increasing in volume. It takes you only a few seconds to recognize the familiar hum of a small aircraft. Rescuers? Luckily, your party possesses three small, hand-held flares. You've got to time this just right; if you don't, you may miss your only opportunity at rescue. Here's how it's done. Read on to learn how to use flares to signal an aircraft.
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Instructions
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Wait for the aircraft to get close. Chances are, you have a very limited supply of flares on you--so using them only when it counts is obviously paramount.
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Look for green flares. A rescue plane searching at night will typically fire green flares every seven or eight minutes. When a green flare is fired, wait for a few seconds so that the glare from the green flare isn't impeding the pilot's vision when you fire your own.
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3
Fire a red flare (or any other color, if a red flare isn't available). A standard hand-held flare typically has a pull-string poking out of one side; to fire, pull the string, pointing the flare straight up, away from yourself and others. Wait for 20 seconds, then fire a second red flare. Ideally, the search plane will see the first flare, alter its course, then use the second flare to more precisely locate your position on the ground. Having chosen the proper course using your red flares as its guide, the plane should proceed to fire a succession of green flares until it is directly over your head.
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4
When the plane is directly overhead, fire a third red flare. This will clearly mark your position, and rescue will be on the way shortly.
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Tips & Warnings
Technically, a white flare is a warning signal or an acknowledgement of something, while a red flare is a clear distress signal, a call for help. In a survival situation, however, color doesn't really matter--just that you are found!Be prepared for the recoil that will occur after you've pulled the string to fire the flare--these things are powerful!
Don't panic if you've fired the first two flares and the plane appears to be going off course anyway. Use the third flare to signal to the plane that it is going in the wrong direction. If you have others, you may use one of them when the plane is directly overhead (see Step 4).Flares are dangerous, and should be handled accordingly. Don't hold them against your body, and never point them at anyone.Don't drop a hot flare on anything that might melt (like a life raft) or catch fire (like kindling in a forest).
Resources
- Photo Credit Photo by Ovidiu Marian.
