Which instrument measures wind speed?
A barometer measures air pressure not wind speed. Air speed is measured in an aircraft by means of a pitot tube feeding air into a vacuum driven airspeed indicator. There are several measurements for airspeed, i.e. true airspeed, relative airspeed, calibrated airspeed, etc. It is important for a pilot to know the outside airspeed and direction of the wind so that he can calculate his speed over the group and measure the amount of degrees on the compass he is being driven from the course over the ground he wishes to follow so he can adjust the course he steers to arrive at the precise point at the conclusion of his flight. Meteorologists measure air speed with an anometer. This information is used in predicting how fast weather systems are moving over the ground and in which direction they are moving.
The wind can vary in a number of ways – both in terms of its speed and also its direction. As a result, different pieces of equipment are needed to measure these different characteristics. Firstly we will consider how to measure the direction of the wind. For this, two main devices are used – a weather vane and a wind sock. Wind direction… Weather Vanes Weather vanes are one of the oldest of all weather instruments, working by swinging around in the wind to show which direction it is blowing from. Traditionally, weather vanes had a religious importance and appeared in the form of weathercocks on church roofs as early as the 9th Century AD. The head of the cockerel would point into the wind, indicating the direction the wind was blowing from. Weather vanes now appear in a wide variety of forms and it is even possible to make your own. Keep an eye out for weather vanes and see how many different types you see. What is the most common shape for a weather vane – is it still the cockerel?
