Laser Pointer as Signal Device?

Jay Beckman wrote:
Keep a couple of blank CDs handy.

They're extremely reflective and the hole works really well for aiming.

Actually, Civil Air Patrol and the local search and rescue group
tested this, and they really are not effective for signaling.
If it is all you have, use it.

Much better: USAF 4"x6" or 5"x7" glass signal mirror, with sighting
hole.


Best regards,

LtCol Jer/ Eberhard, Colorado Wing Checkpilot (airplanes and gliders),
Assistant Glider Program Manager, Colorado Wing, CAP

--
LtCol Jer/ Eberhard, CO-Wing, Thompson Valley CS., Ft Collins, CO
CELL/VM: 970 231-6325, CELL Message: 9702316325'at'mmode.com
EMAIL: jer'at'frii.com WEB: WEB http://users.frii.com/jer/
C-206 N9513G, CFII Airplane&Glider, FAA-DEN Aviation Safety Counselor
CAP-CO Mission&Aircraft CheckPilot, BM218 HAM N0FZD, 233 Young Eagles!

wrote in message ...
Actually, Civil Air Patrol and the local search and rescue group
tested this, and they really are not effective for signaling.
If it is all you have, use it.

Much better: USAF 4"x6" or 5"x7" glass signal mirror, with sighting
hole.

Did you compare them to stainless steel mirrors?

I would expect the big problem with CDs is that they don't actually have a
very smooth surface. The light is reflected very unevenly. But I wonder if
one is comaparing them to the commonly found 2"x3" stainless steel mirrors
if the CD's don't come out to perform roughly the same or better (the extra
area compensating for uneven reflections).

Where does one find a 5"x7" glass signal mirror? The only ones I've seen
are the smaller 2"x3" ones. My quick Google search turned up plenty of
side-view mirrors for SUVs, some survival equipment that includes 5x7 tarps
or blankets, but no glass 5"x7" signal mirrors.

Pete

Peter Duniho wrote:
wrote in message ...
Actually, Civil Air Patrol and the local search and rescue group
tested this, and they really are not effective for signaling.
If it is all you have, use it.

Much better: USAF 4"x6" or 5"x7" glass signal mirror, with sighting
hole.

Did you compare them to stainless steel mirrors?

Yes, both stainless steel and plastic mirrors. The glass was FAR superior.
We could see the glass mirrors when we could not see the others...
We had a line of people standing 100' apart signaling the airplane.
THe air crews stated universally "the glass mirror 'blew us out of
the cockpit it was so bright'".

I would expect the big problem with CDs is that they don't actually have a
very smooth surface. The light is reflected very unevenly. But I wonder if
one is comaparing them to the commonly found 2"x3" stainless steel mirrors
if the CD's don't come out to perform roughly the same or better (the extra
area compensating for uneven reflections).

Unfortuantely, neither the stainless nor CDs worked well.

Where does one find a 5"x7" glass signal mirror? The only ones I've seen
are the smaller 2"x3" ones. My quick Google search turned up plenty of
side-view mirrors for SUVs, some survival equipment that includes 5x7 tarps
or blankets, but no glass 5"x7" signal mirrors.

Well, you're correct... what I am seeing is 3x5 as the largest.

Google "Wilderness Institude of Survival Education" (WISE) they have
tested this stuff in the field and sell what works. WISE teaches the
survival course the Colorado Wing of Civil Air Patrol. I've taken the
course 3 times and done the winter campout once. I dramatically
changed the contents of my survival kit after that information and
experience. :-)

Best regards,

Jer/ "Flight instruction and mountain flying are my vocation!" Eberhard

--
Jer/ (Slash) Eberhard, Mountain Flying Aviation, LTD, Ft Collins, CO
CELL 970 231-6325 EMAIL jer'at'frii.com WEB http://users.frii.com/jer/
C-206 N9513G, CFII Airplane&Glider, FAA-DEN Aviation Safety Counselor
CAP-CO Mission&Aircraft CheckPilot, BM218 HAM N0FZD, 234 Young Eagles!

Jer,

Could you share your survival kit contents list with us?

Roger @ MD43 C150E
=========================================
wrote in message ...
Peter Duniho wrote:
wrote in message
...
Actually, Civil Air Patrol and the local search and rescue group
tested this, and they really are not effective for signaling.
If it is all you have, use it.

Much better: USAF 4"x6" or 5"x7" glass signal mirror, with sighting
hole.

Did you compare them to stainless steel mirrors?

Yes, both stainless steel and plastic mirrors. The glass was FAR
superior.
We could see the glass mirrors when we could not see the others...
We had a line of people standing 100' apart signaling the airplane.
THe air crews stated universally "the glass mirror 'blew us out of
the cockpit it was so bright'".

I would expect the big problem with CDs is that they don't actually have
a
very smooth surface. The light is reflected very unevenly. But I wonder
if
one is comaparing them to the commonly found 2"x3" stainless steel
mirrors
if the CD's don't come out to perform roughly the same or better (the
extra
area compensating for uneven reflections).

Unfortuantely, neither the stainless nor CDs worked well.

Where does one find a 5"x7" glass signal mirror? The only ones I've seen
are the smaller 2"x3" ones. My quick Google search turned up plenty of
side-view mirrors for SUVs, some survival equipment that includes 5x7
tarps
or blankets, but no glass 5"x7" signal mirrors.

Well, you're correct... what I am seeing is 3x5 as the largest.

Google "Wilderness Institude of Survival Education" (WISE) they have
tested this stuff in the field and sell what works. WISE teaches the
survival course the Colorado Wing of Civil Air Patrol. I've taken the
course 3 times and done the winter campout once. I dramatically
changed the contents of my survival kit after that information and
experience. :-)

Best regards,

Jer/ "Flight instruction and mountain flying are my vocation!" Eberhard

--
Jer/ (Slash) Eberhard, Mountain Flying Aviation, LTD, Ft Collins, CO
CELL 970 231-6325 EMAIL jer'at'frii.com WEB http://users.frii.com/jer/
C-206 N9513G, CFII Airplane&Glider, FAA-DEN Aviation Safety Counselor
CAP-CO Mission&Aircraft CheckPilot, BM218 HAM N0FZD, 234 Young Eagles!

Where does one find a 5"x7" glass signal mirror?

More to the point, Where does one find a 5"x7" glass signal mirror that
will survive an airplane crash?

Jose
--
Money: what you need when you run out of brains.
for Email, make the obvious change in the address.

"Jose" wrote in message
.. .
Where does one find a 5"x7" glass signal mirror?

More to the point, Where does one find a 5"x7" glass signal mirror that
will survive an airplane crash?

Inside of a sturdy metal case?

Ba-dum-dum g
--
Jim in NC

"Jose" wrote in message
.. .
Where does one find a 5"x7" glass signal mirror?

More to the point, Where does one find a 5"x7" glass signal mirror that
will survive an airplane crash?

I expect that if a person in the airplane survives well enough to use a
5"x7" mirror, that the 5"x7" could be stowed in the airplane in a
sufficiently well-protected spot for it too to survive the crash. Probably
just keeping it away from the sides of the fuselage, and not packed against
hard objects, would be sufficient.

However, sure enough at the web site of the company Jer/ mentions --
http://www.wisesurvival.com/wisesupplies.shtml -- there is only a 3"x5"
mirror. I'm still wondering where one might find any 5"x7" signal mirror,
crashworthy or otherwise.

Pete

Peter Duniho wrote:

I'm still wondering where one might find any 5"x7" signal mirror,
crashworthy or otherwise.

Survival Tech's ST-1450 kit contains a 5x7" "signal mirror", but AVWeb didn't
think much of it. They said it was a mis-labeled camping mirror.

The OP could have simply misread an ad somewhere. The 3x5" mirrors are
advertised in many places as being 5x7cm.

The largest signal mirror I found in my search was 4" x 5".

George Patterson
Drink is the curse of the land. It makes you quarrel with your neighbor.
It makes you shoot at your landlord. And it makes you miss him.

"Jose" wrote in message
.. .
Where does one find a 5"x7" glass signal mirror?

More to the point, Where does one find a 5"x7" glass signal mirror that
will survive an airplane crash?

The one my father-in-law gave us from his old aerial search and rescue kit
(Oregon ANG) is highly-polished metal, like the shaving mirror I had in the
Marine Corps.

Jose wrote:
Where does one find a 5"x7" glass signal mirror?


More to the point, Where does one find a 5"x7" glass signal mirror that
will survive an airplane crash?

It will survive if you do.

The thing is very thick tempered glass.


Jack