N941WR

N941WR

Legacy Member
I recently took a hunter safety class and the DNR guy teaching the class stated, ?Pilots are trained to recognize three of anything as a distress signal.?

He went on to say that if you get lost, make three fires, three piles, whatever, as long as it was three of something.

I consider myself a pilot and have for a number of years but I have either never heard of this or have forgotten it.

Have any of you been told to keep your eye out for this type of distress signal?

(Truth is, unless I?m looking for something interesting on the ground, I?m not looking down.)
 
SOS in morse code

...---...

Three of all three letters. Hence the "three" distress concept.
 
as a pilot, then no I haven't heard that. but as a hunter education instructor, we too taught this same thing. Specifically 3 short spaced shots..after dark is a rescue signal. be careful when you use it

little story: 3 seasons ago, I was mule deer hunting the rugged Missouri Breaks with my son-in-law Dan & his cousin, Nathan. We were split up by 1/2 mile or so and I heard 3 shots come from the drainage I had just recently climbed out of. I went back to the rim and started glassing, ready for a big buck to possibly come my way or wondering what they got into. A short time later I spot one of them waving and thinking "**** it better be a monster buck, before I go back down there". Anyway I drop my gun and start down. Nathan is running towards me screaming. Dan had a severe dislocation of his ankle. Deep in the bottom, no way he was walking out. Anyway, 3 shots I ignored as distress signal...because it was daylight and we WERE hunting.

Here's 4 hrs later when we arrived at the hospital.
danankle.jpg
 
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Kind of.....But with a different slant!

I consider 3 "problems" similar to 3 "strikes".
Example:
Had a friend call and ask if I would ferry his Mooney to another airport for a prospective buyer to look at. Wanted it done NOW! The guy was in the early stages of Alzheimer, so I didn't dare decline or he would have tried to fly himself.
The airplane had been sitting for several months so the battery was down. (strike 1). We boosted it off and I taxied out. Got to end of runway and found 2 plugs fouled on run-up. (strike 2). Taxied back to hangar where his mechanic was waiting. Uncowled it and cleared the fouled plugs. He asked if I wanted to try it before closing it up. I said, "No, If it's OK, I'll go. If it's still bad, it goes back into the hangar. I don't do 3s."
It was fine and I ferried the airplane to the other airport.
That's where I look for 3s!
 
I Apologize!

Gee, I want to apologize to anyone distressed I flew over the past 40+ years without even a "by your leave.". Because I sure wasn't looking for you. I look for other airplanes & birds. Darn, news to me Bill. I don't recall John & Martha King mentioning it. Nor Richard Collins either.

Hmmmm.... I'll probably forget this in 3 days.

Cheers otherwise,
 
hydroguy2 said:
as a pilot, then no I haven't heard that. but as a hunter education instructor, we too taught this same thing. Specifically 3 short spaced shots..
Click to expand...
He mentioned the three shots but suggested we wait between them, no triple tap as everyone would think we were just shooting at a deer.

BTW, I found this doesn't work when bow hunting. ;)
 
The way I was schooled was watch for a large " X " or large tri-angles (of branches, logs, clothes, what have you).
 
flash of light...

My attention is grabbed immediately from a flash of light.... mostly these are from vehicle parts reflecting sunlight when moving around on logging roads but I always turn and explore the source. A pocket signal mirror might be the best thing to carry if you want to call in air support.
 
Three, (3) is a standard for International Distress.

3 shots, spaced apart. As mentioned, not rapid fire.

3 of anything you can arrange in a triangle. This will include, but not limited to, 3 fires, 3 piles of contrasting debris, 3 logs, 3 lines forming a triangle of any contrasting colored material, etc.

This distress issue of "3" is prudent because the arrangement of 3 is not something that occurs often naturally and stands out. Think about varied terrain such as: Beach, wilderness, desert, field, meadow, landing, ridge, valley, etc. If you happen to glance down and see three fires in a triangle, it should alert you as to a form of signaling distress. It is old school but still applies because search and rescue personel know this. Also mentioned is the other international distress sign of an, "X."

Three fires are very easy to see for a long distance in clear sky. You will stay warm 360 degrees in the middle of three fires. Other benefits to this option are three fires help keep a perimeter around you and keep bad creatures away from you. Also the upkeep to keep three fires will keep you active, busy and thinking. Three fires around your plane is ideal for rescue spotters looking for you as well as the ability to use your wonderful Van's RV for shelter and a sleeping area.
 
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Perhaps he meant SAR pilots are trained to recognize this signal. It certainly wasn't part of my private pilot training.

I have taken hunter safety though, and they do teach that signal. I've also seen/read it in various "survival" shows and books.
 
First one is for "What was that?"

Second one for "Where is it coming from?"

Third one for "Ah, there it is!"

:)
 
I train other CAP mission pilots and I always tell them to look for something of three in a triangle although unfortunately it is not in any of our training materials. Learned it from a survival course.
 
OUCH! (ankle photo)

I have not heard of looking for 3's in any pilot training that I can recall.
 
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Suppose you're flying an RV-3?

Dave

P.S. -

More seriously, I start monitoring myself as I head out to the airport and do the preflight and get ready to fly. If I forget or screw up three things, I figure I'm better off not flying that day.
 
hydroguy2 said:
as a pilot, then no I haven't heard that. but as a hunter education instructor, we too taught this same thing. Specifically 3 short spaced shots..after dark is a rescue signal. be careful when you use it

little story: 3 seasons ago, I was mule deer hunting the rugged Missouri Breaks with my son-in-law Dan & his cousin, Nathan. We were split up by 1/2 mile or so and I heard 3 shots come from the drainage I had just recently climbed out of. I went back to the rim and started glassing, ready for a big buck to possibly come my way or wondering what they got into. A short time later I spot one of them waving and thinking "**** it better be a monster buck, before I go back down there". Anyway I drop my gun and start down. Nathan is running towards me screaming. Dan had a severe dislocation of his ankle. Deep in the bottom, no way he was walking out. Anyway, 3 shots I ignored as distress signal...because it was daylight and we WERE hunting.

Here's 4 hrs later when we arrived at the hospital.
danankle.jpg
Click to expand...


Ummm...OUCH. I'll bet the real ouch was when they set that sucker:eek:.
 
NickAir said:
This distress issue of "3" is prudent because the arrangement of 3 is not something that occurs often naturally and stands out. Think about varied terrain such as: Beach, wilderness, dessert, field, meadow, landing, ridge, valley, etc.
Click to expand...

Three desserts is definitely a distress signal for my waistline!:D
 
The Rule of three applys to flying as well

As a former Cave Diver I learned that on any dive if three things went wrong it was time to call the dive. These did not have to be catrastophic in and of them:)selves but three minor issues increase work load and begin to cause too much concentration on the question of whats going on. This rule served me well over twenty plus years of caving and has served me well as a pilot.
Good Flying,
Larry
N13LF
 
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