Wiley Flare

The Hamilton Metalplane Model H-47 fuselage on display at the Alaska Air Museum is NC7791.

On May 11, 1932, Northwest Airways, Inc. filed a Weight and Balance with the Department of Commerce, Aeronautics Branch.

Under the itemized equipment, there was an entry for:

      Two Wiley flares, type three - 49 lbs

What are “Wiley flares”, and why do two of them weigh 49 pounds?

Wiley Flare

In 1939 S.D. Wiley was issued a patent for a parachute flare. There is a tube that contains the flare apparatus with a cap that is attached to the plane. When the flare is dropped out of the plane, the cap disconnects from the flare. On top of the flare there is a spring loaded drouge chute. That pulls the main parachute out of the flare. When the main parachute opens, it jerks on the cord attached to the flare. That jerk actuates an igniter, which sets the fuel on fire. The fuel burns with a brightness of three to four thousand candlepower for around three minutes.

If an emergency happens at night, you drop the first flare to find a landing area in the immediate vicinity. You drop the second flare to give you light to land.
That's the theory.