Pocket–Sized Aerials

Orion Skyblazer Red Aerial Signal Kit – USCG

The Skyblazer is the only USCG approved aerial flare tested that had a built in firing mechanism. It’s a flare that is compact, waterproof and floats—making it a good choice for small craft (we felt it would be great for PWC and Canoe/kayak operators) as well as the individual offshore boaters that might like the added safety of storing them in a lifejacket pocket or foul weather gear jacket.

Some of the trade-offs of the Skyblazer were that testers felt that the directions were very small and not descriptive enough to feel confident that they were firing the flare properly. This was magnified because of the units’ small size—which also gave the impression of having more apparent recoil than the bulkier SOLAS models. Proper hand placement on the device is imperative—holding it improperly can lead to excessive recoil and potential injury.

Orion issued a safety notice about their Skyblazer product on 9/26/2008 indicating a possible risk of minor injury when using this product. Revised instructions were subsequently issued to prevent such injury and the product design has been modified. Click here for more information.

Orion Pocket Rocket Red Aerial Flares

Like the Skyblazer, this compact flare is just the right size for a personal watercraft and light craft users. The kit, which includes a waterproof container, holds 3 red aerial shells/cartridges along with a pen style launcher. While we were impressed with the value of the kit, we did find the mechanics of the product challenging to use. The spring-loaded trigger on the launcher was difficult to pull down and cock. Likewise, the tension on the firing mechanism made it difficult to release the trigger to actually fire the device. Eye protection and ear protection were a must for our testers. Lacking a launching barrel, this flare sprayed our tester with small shell fragments when fired and was incredibly loud.

Looking up from the boat made it somewhat easier to see the aerial flares.

The Pocket Rocket was simple to assemble but difficult to launch.