That unfortunate Canadian couple whose "SOS" was overlooked last month got me to thinking: is stamping out an "SOS" a choice method for ground to air communication? It seems to be a common tactic in films and TV, yet I was taught that a large "X" or triangle was best, as these are quicker and easier to make.

I think it depends who you expect to see your signal.

Everybody knows what SOS means, and what to do about it (with the exception of a small number of people working near a certain resort in BC, but I digress).

But if Joe Average is out skiing and he sees a big X in the snow on the slope opposite, is he likely to do anything about it?

If you left a trip plan, and you're overdue, then you know that SAR is likely to come looking for you. If your buddy broke his leg, and you're stranded, and you're not overdue ... you may be relying on Joe Average to interpret what your signal means.

I agree with the above. Yes, X marks the spot, but actually I think it means like "medical help required" or something more specific than "help!"

SOS SHOULD mean something. Unless you're Canadian (eh!) employed to actually pay attention to those things. Kind of like the paramedics with that actress up in Quebec (but I digress, and as I understand things, she turned them away).

I think if you have time and resources, an SOS would probably be more useful than an X.

I wonder how many people are actually trained to recognize the one-letter ground-to-air communication signals?

This is interesting question. I thought about this too. I would probably try to make the "SOS" because (like Andrew S has mentioned) it would be clear to more people as opposed to "V" or "X".
I would make the "V" symbol if I knew SAR people are looking for me or if I had no time or energy for making the "SOS" symbol.

Similar question arises: what would you use for acoustical signaling (whistle) or light signaling (flashlight)?

..._ _ _... (SOS) or _ _ _ (3x sound/flash) ?

If you were in Alpine area would you use the Alpine distress signal(6 signals in one minute, then one minute pause, then repeat) or rather something else?

If I heard and audible SOS or three of something with a pause in between, or three fires or smokes (esp in a triangle), or saw SOS in the snow, I would report it. An X could be a marking for a helicopter to land to pick up some rich hunters.

And if I saw/heard any of those in Canada, I would report DIRECTLY to the RCMP.

Sue

Good post Izzy, but isn´t the diagram about ground to air symbols rather for military? I think something like this would be more universal.

I think the reality is that searchers won't expect the lost party to know ground-to-air signals. Anything that makes your position visible from the air will get checked out, whether it means "require doctor" or "serious injuries, require medevac" or "require assistance," or even "all is well, send pizza" for that matter.

(That last one is a circle, divided into eight segments. Remember that, it could save your life one day.)

This is one of those cases where information from military survival manuals isn't really relevant to the civvie side. Those signals are really for military communication sans radio, rather than universal distress signals. You don't need correct signals if you've been reported lost; if not, you need something that anyone will recognize as a distress signal.

Michael Green, a British humour writer, discusses distress signals in his book The Art of Coarse Cruising, complete with photo illustrations of "correct" and "incorrect" signals.

The "incorrect" photo shows a boat flying its flag upside down, ball hoisted over signal flag, etc., while the crew calmly await rescue. The "correct" photo shows a boat displaying no signals whatsoever, but with the crew in various comic poses of panic.

It's funny, but it's true.

A friend with two female passengers took his boat a little too far offshore when their engine quit. They had no radio. They waved various objects and flashed lights at the many small aircraft that flew nearby. A CG helicopter kept flying nearby but it refused to slow down or take notice.

Thing changed when the two ladies removed their tops. The helicopter slowed down and got closer. Once they were close enough my friend held up a sign made of his tee shirt with "HELP" written on it in engine grease The pilot asked over the speaker what the problem was. They indicated engine problems and signed that they were otherwise safe but had no radio.

The pilot indicated that help would be there soon. About ten minutes later a small CG boat pulled up and gave them a tow. On the way back the ladies flashed, waved and generally flirted with the CG crew. The CG was nice enough to pull them right up to their launch site and announce the help was free. There may have been an exchange of phone numbers.

Lesson: If your going to get into trouble have a couple of nice looking ladies close by. Your average male rescue worker might miss a 10' square distress flag that's close enough to touch. But can spot a well formed rack at a kilometer through fog.

Like fishing, you have to use the right bait.

Very insightful input on this.

I'm now thinking that perhaps an "SOS" or "HELP" would be warranted after all, as not everyone who might see it would have an aviation, military, scout or SAR background. That said, if one is injured, an "X" or triangle would perhaps still be a useful backup option.


EDIT: Seriously, Art? (Just read your post)

Much info from RAT
http://jungletraining.com/resources.htm

But that's not always going to be practical.

You're much better off carrying a small bag containing a wig, lipstick, and a set of falsies. After all, the only person you can really rely on is yourself.

LOL Art and Andrew,

Now I have to revise my EDC again. But how in the world am I going to explain carrying falsies to my wife...

You have a duty of care for yourself and others that you go on a trip with, it is externally important to inform someone of every trip you make. Doing this you have started you rescue process before you have even left on your trip, if you have not reported your return at a prearranged time the authorities can be informed that you have not returned and have some idea of the area you are in.

The fact is any S&R assets used in locating you will investigate anything that is unnatural or unusual that stands out from the environment.

The major problem for air to ground search operations is for the air asset to see the casualty. Many people think that it is easy to see someone on the ground from the air but this is not the case, even with a casualty in an orange survival bag and the air asset can find it very hard to spot the target even if they have grid coordinates for the casualty.

Any ground to air markers need to be large and stand out from there environment, these are V, X, N, Y and arrow. There is an international legal requirement that every seaman and airman know these signals and that they have a copy of these signals in their on-board manuals. The problem is that some people that see these signals but are not aware of an incident do not make a mental connection that it is a distress signal and often just think that’s unusual” and think nothing more of it. This is a problem with many written regulation, people know them but don’t recognise them in real life unless they have had prior experience or been told to look out for them.

I have experienced this whilst walking in the mountains, I heard a whistle being blown whilst walking on a well used footpath, other walkers on the path must have heard the whistle but I was the only person to respond until I mentioned to a group following me that someone was blowing a whistle. I have also read and I think it was on here, of someone lighting three fires as a signal which was ignored until a passenger plane reported to ATC.

If you plan to use passive ground to air signals its best practice to combine them with active signals too.

Thanks for the tip re having a young lady along with you, I often walk with a very attractive friend and I am a big fan of multi use survival items but I wont be telling her of her secondary use she will never have anything else to do with me!

I had a C 130 leak fuel in the hanger while on midwatch.

I never saw a helicopter refuse to slow down or take notice.

Bad Coast Guard helicopter, bad,bad.

I always thought a kite would be a darned good signaling aid. I have a parafoil type kit (no frame) that goes almost vertical so easily. I would imagine putting a strobe on the kite and sending it a thousand feet into the air might not be a bad way to signal at night, and using the same kite in the daytime might also be useful. That kite and the line all fit in a little nylon bag about the size of a sandwich sized ziploc. I also figured that during the day you could blow up a bag of balloons and tie one off on the line every 10 feet or so. That'd be hard to miss in open country. Not so good in heavy woods, but then you have plenty of fuel to make smoke and fire signals with.

There was an ETS thread discussion several years ago that discussed kites, IIRC it was was an inflatable type of kite that was sold in several sizes, radar reflective, primarily for boating use. I could see some value in it, but was leery of the inflatable getting punctured. I've seen several parasail type kites that would easily do what you suggested with the strobe.
Regards,
Comanche7

Yeah, once you get them up over a few hundred feet, they stay up almost perpetually during the day. We did that once on a 1000 yard spool, and it tooks us over two hours to retreive the kite. We were using 80 lb dacron line and I figured the string weight would eventually be a factor, but it just kept taking line, and would've continued had we let it. The kite was just a speck in the sky to us.

i just finished reading Sleeping Island by PG Downs.its about a 1936 canoe trip to a Hudson Bay tradeing post on the then unmapped Nueltin Lake ..even the bush planes had a very hard time finding it.in a nutshell Downs gets to the post which is out of everything and waiting for a long overdue re-supply by air.when the plane is finally spotted it's far to the west and going in big circles tryng to find the post--a fire is lit and brush tossed on,the pilot sees that and lands.. OK..the point of this post--Downs said that the thin ribbon of smoke against the dark background of trees had saved the day.the pilot made for the smudge and did not see the buildings untill he was over them..so maybe simple,easy and available is just as good if not better that "high tech"

There is the Sky-Alert Parafoil Rescue Kite

http://www.landfallnavigation.com/-skite.html

Yes Canoedogs, and B.C. Hydro still tells their linemen that if they are lost to light one big fire instead of three.

Not only is the one fire easier to look after, but you can make it big enough that the smoke punches through the thermal inversion layer and rises as a column instead of spreading out and looking like another fog bank.

They are actually told to find a lonely spruce. One that is isolated on an island is preferred. Then stuff the lower branches full of kindling and torch it.
They figure the forest service will locate that flare for them and send somebody to check it out.
The tree does not have to be dead to burn but the drier it is the better it will flare.

It is real good to have somebody looking for you though. A lot of people would never make the connection between a signal and somebody in trouble.
So have a travel plan like a flight path with a return time handed in before you take off intro the great unknown, right.

SCA--if it's good for the Hydro it's good enough for me..the part about how to set a tree on fire is a hair raiser.i had no idea they got into that much detail.when i head out in my canoe for a couple weeks i leave a trip plan and a photo of my tent,shelter and canoe with my wife and i have buddys i have talked the trip over with who could give any searchers a good idea of where to look for me..as in.."ya,he go's into that back bay up on McKenzie Lake"--the ranger at one of the stations in Quetico Park said the same thing..set a small island on fire..it will REALLY cost you but we will be there asap..and for you guys down South the Hydro is the power,not the water company..

I thought Hydro was a farming technique for growing vegetables, and some illicit plants.