Tall Flagpoles

[IMNetUser]

A friend returned form a family trip close to my old stomping grounds and sent me a link to Acuity Flagpole Project..

I am to admit I forgot about this. I knew about the dedication because of the completion before Memorial Day. I was supposed to be there and could not go.

My friend claimed that it was listed as the world's tallest flag pole at 400 feet - NOT True.

I remembered that Korea had a tall flag (Found in Wikipedia - Flag of North Korea) which is 520 feet tall.

A simple search showed that is not the tallest flagpole anymore. Guinness World Records on tallest unsupported flagpole shows the record is 525 Feet (160 Meters) in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, on 24 May 2011.

This fact appears to be confirmed in Wikipedia - Dushanbe Flagpole.

The Acuity Sheboygan Wisconsin Flagpole Facts:

400-foot flagpole weighs approximately 420,000 pounds
There are two versions of the 60- by 120-foot flag:
- 220 pound flag is flown during normal conditions
- 350 pound flag is flown during harsher weather
Each star is 3 feet high and each stripe is 4 1/2 feet wide
680 cubic yards of concrete used in foundation
Over 500 gallons of paint cover the pole
11-foot diameter at base tapers to 5 1/2-foot diameter at top
Three pendulum-style tuned mass dampers reduce movement and vibration
Designed to withstand a low temperature of -42°F

Sometimes the mind boggles at what engineering feats can accomplish.

[steveh]

Hi Scott

The first question that sprung to mind was why, it would appear that the same team has built 4 in recent years, each one surpassing the previous attempt. Having got past the why and just accepting it for what it was I marvelled at the weight of the flag - weighing 700 kilograms (1,540 pounds), If that broke free and landed on you it would kill you, would that be a Guiness Record too

[Rudi]

I marvelled at the weight of the flag - weighing 700 kilograms (1,540 pounds), If that broke free and landed on you it would kill you...

If the flag fell on you as a solid tightly folded up block, it could injure you, but if it ripped free of the flag pole and landed on you as a fluttering sheet, the only injury you'd suffer is your pride.

[Leif]

I marvelled at the weight of the flag - weighing 700 kilograms (1,540 pounds), If that broke free and landed on you it would kill you...

If the flag fell on you as a solid tightly folded up block, it could injure you, but if it ripped free of the flag pole and landed on you as a fluttering sheet, the only injury you'd suffer is your pride.

Personally, I would suggest that if it fell on you as a solid, tightly folded up block weighing 700kg, it would injure you, and even as a 'fluttering sheet', it could well do more than damage your pride.

( And I suspect you would be muttering more than 'fluttering sheet' under your breath... )

[BobH]

Imagine what such a flag could do to traffic if it ripped free and got tangled in a vehicle's windscreen.

[John Gray]

It would only be ripped apart and fall to the ground if it was flagging...

[Rudi]

( And I suspect you would be muttering more than 'fluttering sheet' under your breath... )

If it hit you in the jaw, you'd be stuttering your muttering under a fluttering sheet...

[GeoffW]

the only injury you'd suffer is your pride.

Trust a South African to bring lions into the conversation.

[Rudi]

Yep
I leopard at the opportunity.

[GeoffW]

Yep
I leopard at the opportunity.

You're lion.

You have to be. You can't sit because your chair is broken.

[Rudi]

Not lion, I just cheetah a little bit.

[GeoffW]

You're hurting my felines

[Rudi]

Ah, so sorry... I can lynx you up with a life coach to sort out them sad felines.

[GeoffW]

Thanks ocelot

[Rudi]

I to the of