What pattern for casual planes should a castaway create on a desert island?
This answer has inspired me to a question: say you are a castaway on a desert island. There might be a plane flying casualy but you can miss it. So you want to create some pattern (e.g. put some branches in the sand near the beach) which will signalize S.O.S. to the pilot.
Are there any simple, international, emergency patterns for this purpose?
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The international distress signal is a triangle of fires.
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SOS is pretty recognizable and clear. Just make it BIG. Rocks with holes around them (to create contrast) seem to be the easiest and best way.
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The trick is, high contrast, right angles, and unnatural colors. A ratio of 6:1 for the lines. Letter X or V are best.
So, if you find two 6 foot long, one foot wide branches, place them in an X. Scale as you can to get it as large as possible.
Source: Wilderness First Aid Field Guide.
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There is actually an international standard for this: The Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation, and in there Annex 12 – Search and Rescue, appendix 2 "Ground-air visual signal code". Quoting it:
2.1. Ground-air visual signal code for use by survivors
[…]
2.3. Symbols shall be at least 2.5 metres (8 feet) long and shall be made as conspicuous as possible.
Note 1.— Symbols may be formed by any means such as: strips of fabric, parachute material, pieces of wood, stones or such like material; marking the surface by ramping, or staining with oil.
Note 2.— Attention to the above signals may be attracted by other means such as radio, flares, smoke and reflected light.
So it would be the "V" for the case of the castaway, or "X" as the more urgent distress signal if there is indeed a need for medical assistance. And if (s)he sees the aircraft rocking its wings (or at night, flashing its landing lights twice), that's a good sign … it means the pilot saw and understood. (Specified in the same Annex 12 document as linked above.)
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