I was discussing local crashes with some pilots in my area (Vancouver, BC) the other day. It turns out one downed pilot was found last month only because he used the flash on his camera to alert an RCAF SAR Buffalo aircraft which was directly overhead but could not see him. This happened at the tailing edge of dusk. It was the last search run SAR was doing for the evening when they caught the flash of his camera through the trees. In my area, it is not uncommon for aircraft to totally disappear when they crash into the trees on a mountain side.

I always carry multiple signal mirrors, but they are not very effective through a canopy of trees, especially late in the day on the shadow side of a mountain. This incident has got me thinking that I need to add a strobe to my survival kit. Does anybody have any experience in this area or have any suggestions?