Garden windsock or airfield windsock
Updated: October 2026
A 40-inch orange sock arrives with the word airport on the title. Garden windsock or airfield windsock is that fork. In this amazon.co.uk set the longest orange cone is about 40 inches, about 1.02 m, and a licensed-aerodrome indicator is a different object. The [windsock comparison](/hub/diy-supplies/windsock) lists the twelve socks, and none of them is a 3.6 m cone or a lit mast. This page says when to stay and when to leave. Peter F. used the listings, RA 3513, CAP 793 and CAP 637. There was no lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
A 40-inch orange sock arrives with the word airport on the title. Garden windsock or airfield windsock is that fork.
A 40-inch orange sock arrives with the word airport on the title. Garden windsock or airfield windsock is that fork. In this amazon.co.uk set the longest orange cone is about 40 inches, about 1.02 m, and a licensed-aerodrome indicator is a different object. The windsock comparison lists the twelve socks, and none of them is a 3.6 m cone or a lit mast. This page says when to stay and when to leave. Peter F. used the listings, RA 3513, CAP 793 and CAP 637. There was no lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Role | Length | At night | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  ZOOFOX ZOOFOX 4-pack 40 inch windsocks | Four orange cones | About 40 inch, 13.8 inch mouth | Reflective belt, not a lamp | 7.6 | about £15.99 | View offer |
| Preis-Tipp |  hugttt hugttt 3 rainbow 24 inch windsocks | Garden colour | 24 inch streamers | No reflective belt | 8.2 | about £6.49 | View offer |
 Anley Anley 40 inch orange windsock | Orange direction cone | 40 inch / 101.6 cm | Reflective belt, not a lamp | 8.5 | about £10.95 | View offer |
On this page
What the amazon rows actually are
The orange rows are short indicators: about 0.8 m on several titles, 30 inch or 40 inch on the Anley files, and about 40 inch on the ZOOFOX four-pack. ZOOFOX's mouth is 13.8 inches. That is a hoop you can hold in two hands, not the 0.9 m large end of a licensed cone. Hugttt is 24 inches of rainbow with tails. A UK review of DASHENGKUI says the tube is about 15–20 cm against a 1 m title.
None of those lengths is the aerodrome cone. A reflective belt shows up when a lamp or a head torch hits it. It does not illuminate the sock. If you thought you were buying a specified airfield cone, stop. The buying order, before this fork, is the windsock buying guide.
What a licensed indicator has to be
RA 3513, in line with ICAO Annex 14 Volume I, expects a licensed-aerodrome indicator to be a fabric truncated cone at least 3.6 m long and at least 0.9 m at the large end, clear of disturbed air, readable from at least 300 m, and illuminated if night flying is required. Forty inches is about a metre. Nothing in this folder is that cone, and a title that says airport is not a CAA approval. CAP 637 points pilots to an orange sleeve. The design standard is CAP 168, not a marketplace bullet.
Piggotts calls a compliant sock limp under about 3 knots and horizontal at about 15 knots. That is not a calibration of a £7 cone. The light and the mast are airfield work, not a garden clip.
A farm strip is not the same sentence
CAP 793 asks an unlicensed aerodrome for a wind sleeve that is visible from the air and shows a representative direction and strength, sited away from trees, buildings and the aircraft path. It does not set 3.6 m. A farm strip is not automatically a licensed aerodrome, and it is not permission to use the shortest orange sock here either. A 24-inch rainbow will fail "visible from the air", and a 0.8 m cone in the lee of a barn can fail it too. Piggotts' seller guidance puts private strips around 8–12 ft and close-range work around 3–4 ft. Most rows here are at or under about 40 inches.
A back-garden helicopter mention is a siting note, not a licence. Spraying sits on windsock for a farm or allotment.
Garden colour is allowed to be a sock
If nobody is landing an aircraft, a short orange cone or a rainbow is a fair garden buy. The tail of a windsock points downwind. A weather vane points into the wind, so the two disagree if you expect one arrow. For a garden glance that is harmless once you know which object you are reading. A carp sock is a poor way to brief a pilot.
The Anley 40-inch sock is the cone whose length the page prints, with the shared-review limit on the best windsock page. Stay for a garden glance or moving colour. Leave every listing here for a licensed aerodrome or night flying.
Common questions
Can I use a 40-inch orange sock on a licensed aerodrome?
No. RA 3513's indicator is at least 3.6 m long and 0.9 m at the large end, readable from at least 300 m, and lit if the site flies at night. Forty inches is about 1.02 m, and the largest mouth stated in this folder is ZOOFOX at 13.8 inches. A reflective belt is not that light. Buy the cone and the mast from an aviation supplier.
What about a farm strip that is not licensed?
CAP 793 asks for a sleeve that is visible from the air and shows a representative wind, clear of trees, buildings and the aircraft path. It does not impose the 3.6 m figure. A 0.8 m amazon sock may be too small and too sheltered to do that job, and Piggotts' seller sizes for a private strip are longer than these rows. Treat "unlicensed" as a prompt to check visibility, not as permission to use any orange fabric.
Does orange plus a reflective belt meet night flying?
No. The belt or fluorescent strip shows only when another light hits it. RA 3513 expects the indicator itself to be illuminated if night flying is required. None of these listings includes a lamp that meets that duty. Jsdoin's ghost lights are a Halloween claim, and UK reviews describe batteries that failed, which is not an airfield fitting.
How do I read direction compared with a weather vane?
The windsock's mouth faces the wind and the tail points downwind. A vane points into the wind, the direction the wind is coming from. If you put both in the same garden they will not aim the same way, and that is how the two instruments are built. Pilots are taught to read the orange sleeve, which is why a fish sock is a poor briefing tool even when it flies well.
Is 15 knots when it flies horizontal?
That figure is Piggotts' description of a compliant aerodrome sock, limp under about 3 knots and horizontal at about 15 knots. It is not a scale for the £5 to £17 socks in this folder. One DEWIN buyer felt their sock was horizontal at about 15 mph. That is a single impression. Use an anemometer if you need a speed.
Where do the 12 ft socks actually cost?
On Flightstore, McWilliams windsocks run from about £94.95 for 3 ft to about £299.95 for 12 ft, and the support arm is extra. Those prices are outside this amazon extract and they move. They are the right order of cost if you have decided the garden rows are too short. The hanging of a lit mast is a separate job from clipping a sock to a fence.
Related pages
Sources
CAA, HSE, Defence Infrastructure Organisation, Piggotts and Flightstore. Prices and stars are the amazon.co.uk listings on 16 October 2026. Prices move.
- RA 3513 Issue 3, aerodrome wind indicator (retrieved 16 October 2026)
- CAA CAP 793, unlicensed aerodromes (retrieved 16 October 2026)
- CAA CAP 637, visual aids (retrieved 16 October 2026)
- HSE and Defra pesticide code, section 4 (retrieved 16 October 2026)
- HSE, spray drift (retrieved 16 October 2026)
- DIO Safety Alert 10/13, windsock inspections (retrieved 16 October 2026)
- Piggotts, windsock size guide (retrieved 16 October 2026)
- Flightstore, McWilliams windsocks (retrieved 16 October 2026)
- amazon.co.uk Best Sellers, Windsocks (retrieved 16 October 2026)