It has been seen in America that signal fires can be damn destructive. So what's a lost hiker to do? Survival manuals advise you to hold up a mirror and shine it at air planes. Not complicated enough, and somewhat breakable. And it only works during the daytime.

The kite pistol fits in your pocket easily. Whip it out, pull the trigger, and let springs (thank you, oh lord Physics) deploy a huge mylar kite type thing that will reflect a bright dot of bright light at all the planes passing by. It isn't as long as a regular kite (to avoid entanglement in trees). At night, flip the "light on" switch, and the battery-powered (hopefully you've thought of this ahead of time) LED's on the shell of the kite will light up upon deployment. Can also be used as human repellant, for those times when you might need to get rid of a pesky person. Watch out, though, it could poke your eye out.
-- polartomato, Jul 20 2002

Skystreme http://www.skystrem...kystreme.nsf/Rescue
A rescue kit, splint and body warmer. [Aristotle, Jul 24 2002, last modified Oct 05 2004]

"Is that a deployed kite pistol in your pocket or are you just glad to see me," Red out Riding in the Hood.
-- FarmerJohn, Jul 20 2002


My what a big pistol you have! Er, that's not a pistol...

Phallic connotations aside, I would hope that Red would have her own when travellin' in da hood, so she 'n Wolfman Jack could have a kite duel.
-- polartomato, Jul 20 2002


Very nice. Whether as an Emergency Kite Pistol or as an Emergency Kite, this could/should be labelled "To be used in the event of an Emergency." Could be used by anyone in distress, not just a hiker. Someone in a slightly remote area whose car has broken down or someone who is in a rural, suburb or urban environment where they are being abused. Somebody calls the cops...
-- thumbwax, Jul 20 2002


maybe it will only let you fire when it's pointing upwards?
-- sadie, Jul 23 2002


(If you can carry a Kite Pistol with working batteries, why not carry a shortwave radio or SAR beacon with working batteries?)

Actually, if you like to hike in remote areas, a Kite Pistol might be handy for lofting an antenna even in non-emergency situations, so you can listen to the BBC or whatever as you make camp.
-- wiml, Jul 24 2002


Rescue kites already exist [see link] however replacing flare guns with kite guns seems a worthy enough idea to me.
-- Aristotle, Jul 24 2002


Love it. It reminds me of those TV commercials in which somebody says, "This party is dying! Better bring out the [insert consumer product here, e.g. Jenga]!" Croissant. I know it's a rescue thing, but I'm more drawn to the party-revival aspect.
-- earl, Jul 24 2002


Great. A true halfbaked idea of a genus which has become all too rare over the last month or two: simple, useful, and unlikely.

To further halfbake, consider adding: solar power to boost battery power during the day; different LED messages depending on the situation (Calls for police, search and rescue, ambulance, etc); antenna connections for emergency radio (doffs hat to wiml - perhaps the radio with preset automated distress beacons could be included in hiker's watches); mini and duluxe versions, coming in a ickle widdly pistol and a fuck off great big bazooka respectively...

The list goes on..
-- yamahito, Jul 24 2002



random, halfbakery