Leaving your mark

Submitted by Eric Daniel

The VS-17 aircraft panel is a reversible, 2-color strip of fabric which, when used with other panels, can be arrayed out on the ground in various patterns to communicate with aircraft.  While primarily still used for this purpose (and I still carry one with me when I go hiking above the treeline as they are rather brilliant visually) one other interesting use I’ve found for them is marking my luggage when traveling.  By cutting the panel into strips and putting a grommet in one end, you have an easily recognizable tag to your checked bags.  This is especially true if you’re flying mil air (i.e. deploying) where your duffle bag seems to look a lot like the other 300 duffle bags sitting there at the terminal.  The fabric is fairly sturdy and resists fraying, but to increase its strength you can fold it over and stitch the folds together before you insert the grommet.

VS-17 marker panel

Comments

[David Dougherty]

Ah, the venerable VS-17 panel. Let me count the ways for use.
1. of course as a method of daytime and limited light LZ/PZ locations for helicopters during my 9 years in the 101st Airborne (Air Assault) Division.
2. we used these to wretched excess in Iraq by tying them to the tops and sides of vehicles as friendly marking devices in sandstorms
3. i kept one in my ruck and two on every vehicle (starting to see a pattern developing with my PCI/PCC's) for signaling across dense urban areas while on rooftops in low threat conditions
4. tie them to the rear of vehicle during convoy ops in limited vis conditions
5. we used them at impromtu entry control points as warning devices
6. tie them and leave them to mark unexploded ordinance (uxo) and explosive danger areas, they don't cost me anything
7. we use them to mark the entry point after the engineers would clear a lane through obstacles (minefields) and at the exit point so that follow on units knew where to manuever (this is usually SOP for brigades and divisions)
I could probably go on but any trooper with ANY sense knows that VS-17 panels are and invaluable tool for warfighting

[PODO]

Great info, thanks a lot!!! I wish I will have such a writing skills.