True Stories

While supervising a job in the oilfields overseas, things started going wrong with the cement mixer. I climbed on top to help, when one of the hoses busted, knocking the tank light off. So I pulled out my SureFire A2 Aviator® to illuminate the mixer while we worked on the problem.

After we fixed the problem with the mixer, one of the employees asked to see my flashlight so he could keep an eye on the level of slurry in the tank. When I handed him my light, he dropped it into the slurry. I had to laugh because I knew the slurry was being pumped into the oil well, and all I could think about was how dark it is 11,000 feet underground and how my Aviator would be lighting up the bottom of the well. The next day, an operator came in, holding my flashlight - it was scratched to hell and dinged up, with bits of hard cement still on it. The operator told me that when they flushed the lines he saw it on the edge of the pit. I turned it on, but it didn't work, so I changed the batteries and, sure enough, it fired right up!

That was two years ago. That same flashlight is still working and goes with me on every job - I just don't let anyone borrow it anymore.

Shannon S.
Duncan, OK

From an artistic standpoint, I use my A2 Aviator® while I'm photographing the city late at night. I use long exposures to get some great shots of the city. With my A2 hanging from my neck on the lanyard, I keep the red LED's constantly on. They don't blow away my night-adapted vision, and I can see what I need to see to get my shots. And the 50 lumens are always, thankfully, on standby.

My experiences may not be tactical, but they're very practical—in helping me to get my photography projects done. Thanks, SureFire.

Peter M.
Burbank, CA

I work at a local hospital as a respiratory therapist in a cardio-vascular intensive care area. During a very intense thunderstorm one night, we lost power temporarily. Most of our ventilators have a battery backup, but some don't, so I had 10 patients who were unable to breathe when the hospital went dark.

We needed to ambu-bag all of these patients, but in the dark we couldn't see to grab oxygen tanks from the supply area. I had my A2 Aviator® on a lanyard around my neck, so I grabbed it and immediately lit up the unit. I was able to get the tanks to all the bedsides in time to start bagging while we waited for the backup generator to kick in.

That night could have been disastrous had it not been for my sweet A2!

Mike S.
Macon, GA

Until last fall, I would never have paid $185 for a flashlight, even though I'm an elk-hunting guide and spend a lot of time in the mountains at night. I got your A2 Aviator last September as part of a tip from a successful client. It came in the mail the day before I killed a bull with another hunter.

By the time I packed the elk on horses, it was get-lost dark with no moon. While I knew the area, a large forest fire had recently wiped out all trails. I turned on your high beam and could see for what seemed like acres. I easily oriented myself and led the horses and hunter out quickly and safely.

If I ever lose that light, I will gladly buy a new one, no matter what the price. (That second hunter since purchased his own SureFire flashlight.)

Chris K.
Emigrant, MT

I wanted to write and tell you what a great product the SureFire A2 Aviator® is. I am an American medical student at a university in England that specializes in preparing physicians for practice in underserved areas; as such I undertake as much as 25 percent of my rotations in areas such as Africa, Mexico, South America and the Australian Outback, where both the living and medical facilities leave much to be desired. We are frequently without power, and I have on more than one occasion delivered babies, sutured lacerations, set fractures, and even performed minor surgeries by the light of my A2. Not a day goes by that I do not turn to my SureFire for the best illumination possible in some of the worst situations imaginable!

In addition to this, my wife is a commercially-rated pilot who engages in humanitarian work in many of the areas we visit. She states that her A2, with its ability to provide illumination both close up and far away via the unique combination of LED and incandescent lamps, is the best aviation flashlight she has ever seen, bar none. Just as in my medical work, she receives frequent requests from other pilots as to where we found such an incredible flashlight; one that offers such bright illumination and flexibility of roles in such a small size. Given the variety of equipment she sometimes flies, she states that it is good to know there is always one piece of equipment she can count on — her A2!

We have two children under five years of age that travel with us, and we have never felt more secure than when we have our SureFire A2 Aviators with us to light up the darkest night or most difficult situation. Thanks, SureFire!

Brian & Tami M.
England, Uganda, Mexico, Ecuador, and the Australian Outback

I went out boating with my roommate and several of his friends on a 30-foot powerboat. When we arrived at the docks it was dusk, and the boat owner saw that I had a flashlight, my SureFire A2 Aviator®, so he sent me inside to turn on the boat's power. I still hadn’t located the circuit panel after about fifteen seconds (it was hidden behind a corner), so I decided to use the incandescent beam to light up the entire cabin. The boat owner saw the cabin light up from above and thought I had turned on the lights below deck without giving power to the rest of the boat!

About two hours later, when returning to the docks, we found that the spotlight on the boat did not work properly, and the owner asked me if I could shine my "super bright" flashlight in front of the boat to see if we could spot any channel markers. Not only could we clearly see the channel markers reflecting from about 200 feet away, we could also see the next TWO sets of markers beyond them! The boat owner commented, "Thats one helluva light!" and I was assigned spotlight duty to guide the boat in. As we neared land, the A2 was used to spot numerous piles of debris and mangroves so we could maneuver around them.

Afterwards, my roommate said, “I promise to never again make fun of you for spending the extra money on a SureFire!"

Bryan F
Key West, FL

The A2 Aviator® hybrid flashlight is one piece of gear I never hunt without. The white LEDs were crucial when my father and I went hunting in South Carolina.

On the first night out in the deer stand, it was important to use the low-powered white LEDs so we would not spook any nearby dear and to inspect my father's rifle, which had a bore obstruction. A day later, I had to walk through a swamp to get to a ground blind, and the A2 showed it's great versatility when its batteries' power level dropped too far for the incandescent element to work anymore. Instead of fumbling the rest of the way in the dark, the LEDs worked like a charm and provided more than enough light to get around the snakes and find the ground blind.

A year later, with the same A2 Aviator but fresh batteries, we were hunting in South Carolina again, when my father shot and wounded a deer. It was dark, and finding a blood trail was made a whole lot easier, and safer, using the A2 Aviator flashlight. I will never go into the woods again without the A2 Aviator.

Eugene C.
Mundelein, IL