What should you know about Airport wind sock?

The windsock is a cost-effective but useful piece of kit which can indicate wind velocity and direction. Wind socks are often found on airport runways and provide pilots and airport staff with important information about wind directions and speeds.

Wind socks can also be found in manufacturing plants where toxic materials or gases are used. The direction of the wind sock can tell staff which way the wind is blowing any chemicals.

Windsocks may also be found on motorways or other public areas. When used on a boat, the product can be a useful aid in navigation.

A windsock is sometimes known as a wind cone. Contemporary windsocks originate from Japan and China, and are usually manufactured using a high quality silk or paper.

A windsock is a conical shaped textile tube, which resembles a giant sock. Hence it’s name: windsock. It’s designed to indicate wind direction and relative wind speed. It’s normally placed next to the runway or a helipad, so that pilots can easily see it after landing up on the runway or coming in for landing. It’s also indicated on most airport ground charts with a specific symbol that resembles the shape of a fully blown windsock.

The general purpose of an airport windsock is to give the pilot a quick reference as to where the wind is coming from and the approximate wind speed. Before accelerating before take-off, you take a quick glance at it, so you can give the necessary rutter input while stroling down the runway.

To determine the wind direction, you look at your compass, check your heading and then estimate the pointing angle of the windsock relative to your heading. The wind direction is the opposite of the direction in which the windsock is pointing. Which means, if we had the wind blowing from the West at 270 degrees with 10 knots for example, the windsock would point towards heading East, because of the direction it is blowing in.