Selecting a Windsock / Pole Assembly
There are a few key factors to consider:
Height of the Pole
Which assists in determining the range from which the Windsock will be visible.
A higher Windsock assembly may also be needed to avoid obstructed wind flow from trees or surrounding infrastructure.
Type & Material of the Pole
Standard, medium, heavy-duty, corrosion resistance etc, galvanised, aluminium etc, which is often determined by the Wind Regions in accordance with Australia Standards.
Pole Installation
Ground-mounted: unhinging, mid hinged, based hinged; wall-mounted to an existing structure; infrastructure mounted – using swivelling poles and similar.
Windsock Fittings
Rotor Arm Pivot, 900mm SS Frame, IWDI 900mm, 600mm, 450mm Ø etc.
These choices at the outset of planning an assembly have a significant impact on safety aspects with working at heights and elevated work platforms, cherry pickers or safety climb systems, for inspection, maintenance and replacement of the Windsock and pole over the life of the installation. Further details concerning those aspects are set out here. Benefit from our knowledge to assist in getting the right Windsock solution for your requirements. Contact Us.
Rotor Arm Pivots (Frames)
For a smaller format Windsock (up to 2.4m in length) our Rotor Arm Pivot can be used. This can be attached to virtually any pole, is simple to install, essentially maintenance-free and significantly cheaper that a fixed frame.
The Windsock is attached to the Rotor Arm Pivot using a Stainless Steel Bridle Harness - enabling very rapid Windsock changeover. Simple, maintenance free, very cost effective solution that has been deployed for many years all across Australia and South East Asia.
Non-Illuminated Windsock Frames - CASA MOS 139
Designed to comply with CASA MOS 139 for Aerodromes for a 3650x900x225mm (length, mouth Ø, tail Ø) Windsock. Refer to our blog for further details. Assembly comprises:
- 900mm Ø Windsock frame, manufactured from corrosion-resistant stainless steel;
- machined stainless steel spindle, supported with 2 stainless steel bearings;
- Incredibly strong and long life;
- the whole frame is welded together during manufacture, without the need to bolt any sections together which can vibrate loose over time;
- stainless steel spindle is machined with a 1 inch BSP thread for ready mounting to an existing pole;
- custom DN50 Adaptor for fitting to a DN50 Galvanised pipe also available. Custom fittings can be provided;
- warranted at 5 years with a design life significantly longer with regular inspection.
Other custom made frames for all sizes of Windsocks are also available.
Swivelling / Hinging Poles
To reduce the Health & Safety impact and cost of Working at Height issues, we often use Swivelpoles (and similar). These assemblies typically comprise:
- a 3m - 6m base mounted swiveling pole, which swivels ~ 1m above the ground eliminating working from height issues;
- various structure mounted swivelling poles are also available;
- pole bottom section DN65, top section DN50 to which we fit our Rotor Arm Pivot or DN50 Adaptor (for a 900mm Ø Stainless Steel Frame);
- pole can be mounted to existing concrete blocks/ pad or secured via footings, cage bolts etc;
- extremely robust. Safe and easy to operate.
Mid Hinging Galvanised Poles
Where a heavy duty pole solution is required for either a larger IWDI or in higher Wind Regions, we use a HD Galvanised Steel Pole. Typically, these comprise:
- 4m-12m Heavy Duty (or medium duty) mid hinging galvanised pole;
- footings and cage bolts to suit and designed for the relevant Wind Region;
- these are then fitted with various adaptors to suit: our Rotor Arm Pivots, 900mm SS Windsock Frame or full 900mm SS Illuminated Wind Direction Indicator;
- the pole is counterweighted at the bottom to balance the top load making it very easy to raise and lower the pole;
- heavy duty. Safe and easy to operate.
Illuminated Wind Direction Indicators (IWDI) – Hospitals, Emergency Evacuation, Aerodromes - CASA MOS 139
Our IWDI’s are designed for 24 hour operation and provide illumination for fixed and rotary wing aircraft to land and take off at aerodromes, mine sites, hospitals and similar.
Windsocks Australia’s Illuminated Wind Direction Indicator (IWDI) FR-02 and FR-03 Windsock Dual Frames have been custom designed and developed to be a very robust, ‘fit for purpose’ solution for Australian needs:
- The IWDI is available in a 450mm or 600mm diameter for HLS Installations (generally a Windsock of 1800mm - 2400mm in length) and a 900mm diameter for Aerodromes (which under CASA specifications will be 3650mm in length);
- The IWDI is manufactured from corrosion-resistant stainless steel with stainless steel bearings and a cross arm structure for mounting the lights;
- Illumination is provided by 4 high-intensity LEDs. Again, designed around CASA specifications;
- A CASA-compliant dual beacon (sometimes a single beacon) is mounted to the top of the pole to mark the pole for aircraft navigation purposes;
- The IWDI is mounted to a Heavy Duty Mid-Hinged Galvanised Steel Pole, using a customised mounting bracket. Typically the height of the pole will be 6m;
- It is also possible to mount our smaller 450mm IWDI on a lower swiveling pole which is suitable for retro-fitting existing installations.
The Windsock, IWDI and Illumination is counterbalanced enabling the Windsock to be maintained safely and effectively using the pole’s simple mechanical lowering device, which can be operated by one or two people.
All components are fully engineered and manufactured in Australia in accordance with Australian Standards.