On Thu, 06 Jan 2005 16:20:02 +0000, David Luff <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Can anyone who flies in the US tell me how prolific windsocks at GA > airports actually are. Currently we get one at each end of the runway by > default in the airport data, but I'm wondering if that's generally > overkill? If an airport has a segmented circle (nicely visible from aerial > photos) is that where the windsock is usually located? Yes, you're right -- the default windsocks in our X-Plane database are overkill. Here's what appears in the AIP Canada on the subject (Canada generally follows ICAO recommendations closely): At aerodromes that do not have prepared runways [i.e. floatplane bases -- dpm], the wind direction indicator is usually mounted on or near some conspicuous building or in the vicinity of the general aircraft parking area. Runways greater than 4,000 feet in length will have a wind direction indicator for each end of the runway. It will be located 500 feet in from the runway end and 200 feet outward, usually on the left side. Runways 4,000 feet in length and shorter will have a wind direction indicator centrally located so as to be visible from all approaches and the aircraft parking area. Where only one runway exists, it will be located at the mid-point of the runway 200 feet from the edge. For night operations the wind direction indicator will be lighted. My home airport has an 8,000 ft runway, a 10,000 ft runway, and a 3,300 ft runway. The 8,000 ft runway and 10,000 ft runway have lighted windsocks at each end; the 3,300 ft runway has one in the middle of the runway and it's not lighted (since that runway isn't for night use). You will also see windsocks near helipads, of course, if the airport has any. Note that a defined grass or gravel strip still counts as a "prepared runway". As Curt mentioned, there are also many non-regulation windsocks around most airports, mostly small things. The majority of them are useless because they're mounted too close to buildings (rather than high on top), so they show local wind currents around the buildings rather than the prevailing winds in the field. They're there mainly just for decoration. All the best, David -- http://www.megginson.com/ _______________________________________________ Flightgear-devel mailing list Flightgear-devel@flightgear.org http://mail.flightgear.org/mailman/listinfo/flightgear-devel 2f585eeea02e2c79d7b1d8c4963bae2d
