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| image title | Wind sock |
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| caption | Wind socks are used to give pilots a visual clue as to the direction, strength and steadiness of ground-level winds, from a range of hundreds of metres. They are made from slightly tapered hollowed tubes of fabric, often coloured bright orange to ensure visibility. The wider end of the sock is held open by a stiff ring and is suspended, typically at a height of 3 m above the ground, from a vertical pole. This allows the sock to rotate freely about the pole whenever the wind fills it. The sock aligns with the wind flow provided the wind speed is in excess of 6 kilometres per hour (3 knots). The tapered section is designed to ensure that the sock begins to fill out even in relatively light air movements: it is fully extended by winds with speeds in excess of 28 kilometres per hour (15 knots). The speed of the wind can be inferred from the angle between the sock and the pole. See also Wind vane, MI011. |
| code | MI013 |
| Section | Meteorological instruments |
| Subsection | Surface-based instruments |
| image credit | Dawkeye/at Leicester Aero Club/Flickr Photo Sharing |
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