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We are used to having a range of different forms of communication at out fingertips 24 hours a day: mobile phones, email, instant messaging… But imagine a situation in which you are alone in the wilderness, hoping to be rescued, with no way of calling for help. Would you know how to communicate with your potential rescuers? Take a few minutes to learn the codes – they might just save your life!
A SMOKE SIGNALS
During the hours of darkness, fires are the most effective method of signalling. Three fires in a triangle are an international distress signal which pilots and rescue workers everywhere will understand. If you are in a jungle or forest, try to find a clearing, otherwise the fires will not be visible from the air. A burning tree is another way of attracting attention. Always select an isolated tree so that you do not start a forest fire! During the day, fires are also a good way of signalling, provided that they are producing a lot of smoke. The international distress signal is three columns of smoke. Think about what colour the smoke should be in order to stand out against the background. Adding green vegetation to the fire produces white smoke; adding rubber (for example, an old trye) or clothing soaked in oil produces black smoke.
B MIRROR SIGNALS
On a bright, sunny day m the most effective method if signalling is a mirror, In fact, pilots have reported seeing mirror flashes up at 160 kilometres away, If you do not have a mirror , any shiny metal surface may work. Aim the mirror by holding up one finger of your other hand in line with the aircraft. If you can hear an aircraft but can’t see it because of cloud, shine the mirror in the direction of the noise. Two words of caution, however. Firstly, do no shine the mirror at the aircraft’s cockpit for more than a few seconds, as it might temporarily blind the pilot, which is not what you want. If you are hoping to be spotted. And secondly, if you are in a war zone, do nor flash the mirror rapidly towards the aircraft or the pilot may mistake the signal for gunfire and avoid the area – or worse, return fire!
C LONG RAGE GROUND TO-AIR SIGNALS
Once you ( have been seen, had been seeing, have saw ) by an aircraft, it may be necessary to exchange vital information without the use of a radio. For this reason, internationally understood signals exist for ground-to-air and air-to-ground. The person on the ground can create the symbols by any means possible – leaves, branches, gaps in the snow, patterns on the sand – provided they are large enough to be seen from the air. This usually means at least three metres long and a metre wide. A single line means “serious injury, doctor required” while two capital Ls mean “all is well”. If you have a ´piece of ( cloth big enough,, big enough cloth, cloth enough big ) such as a sail or life-raft cover, you can fold it into various patterns to give information. Folding one corner means “we need fuel, but our plane is flyable. Folding two corners means “we need warm clothing”
D BODY SIGNALS AND PILOT’S REPLIES
When the aircraft is sufficiently low for the pilot to see you clearly, use body movements to convey a message. Raising both hands above your head means “pick us up” if you keep them still, or “do not attempt to land here” if you move your hands to the side in an arc. If the pilot has seen and understood your signal, he or she will make the aircraft rock from side to side so the wings go up and down. If, however, the message has been seen but not understood, he aircraft will fly in clockwise circle overhead. For obvious reasons, there is not signal which means “message not seen”!