|
|
|
|
Check the photo gallery of flags and flag poles
Flag flying has always been a big WBCCI tradition and there is a good part of the WBCCI Blue Book on how to properly fly flags. The policies follow international flag etiquette and establish standards for the association identity. You should not fly a flag at a WBCCI event that has not been approved by the organization. The presentation of flags identifies the group and the individual and shows respect for the nation and the association and the individual represented. There are some that consider events with flags occasion for political or personal protest that they can show by what flags they present or how they present them. Since WBCCI is a caravan club, such activity is probably not appropriate at their events.
The WBCCI policies identify several types of 'official flags' to present at events. That list includes unit officer flags. These are usually white or blue with a WBCCI logo in the center and the office title at the end of the flag. You can see examples in the pictures above as the right most flag with the WBCCI logo in the center. Pennants are listed as OK for the intra clubs. Unit flags need 'approval' to be flown or displayed at WBCCI official events. Maximum size allowed for Unit flags is 3x5 and for pennants 2x3. A pennant is usually a triangular flag rather than rectangular.
One idea that may help to understand flags at WBCCI events is that they are not flown but rather presented. Members have a pole holder mounted to their front jack that provides a mounting point for three or five flag poles. The poles are three or four meters (10 to 12 feet) long. There are very detailed guidelines for the proper way to present flags in a group and which one should go where. When all flags are at about the same height their order of precedence is left to right. If one is presented higher than the others it should be at the center position and fly the US flag. Note that the typical RV flag pole holder presents the poles like spokes on a wheel so the center one will usually be higher than those on either side.
The order of precedence for flags generally is national flags (US first, then others in alphabetical order in English), state (host state first, then others in the order of admission) and territories, Military (in order of establishment: Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard), then other. These, of course, are US rules. Those in other countries should research the flag protocol and etiquette to apply there.
As the event flags are presented and not really flown there should only be one flag per pole. If desired to display the US flag at half staff, all other flags in the display should be lowered as well except, perhaps, those of other countries.
Some go to the local home improvement store and pick up a broom extension handle to use as a flag pole. Others think about flying flags and figure that higher is better. The fact is that most of the flag poles you can find on the internet or in stores are either too short, as for wall mounting home display, or too long, as for vertical flag flying well above anything in the vicinity. Your flag poles should be flag poles! They should have a proper finial at the top and solid flag attachments that will keep the flag flying properly. Ten to twelve feet has proven a good length for a 3x5 flag presented on the front of an RV. Watch out for segmented poles as they often use twist lock or friction to keep the pole extended and wind vibration may loosen that and collapse your pole.
Flag pole stands for RV's can be rather hard to
find as every RV and every RV'er seems to need something different
That is why all three of the flag holders at the WPRR Museum rally
were custom fabricated.
Poles and holders is one of the most
commonly cited sources for RV flag poles and holders. Vista seems to
have similar products.
Part of the problem is that different
RV's need different methods and many like to display more than one
flag.
Travel trailers often clamp a holder onto the tongue
jack. The Wally Byam Caravan Club (Airstream) club members often like
to fly 3 or 5 flags. In their membership magazine, the Blue Beret,
classifieds I see 1"x12' aluminum poles for $35 ea and a 3 pole
holder for $38 from swest9751@yahoo.com. Another example can be seen
at http://sweetsovereign.blogspot.com/2008/03/let-flags-fly.html
I
have also seen a plan on rv.net for constructing a stand alone flag
holder out of PVC pipe that displays the flag at an angle and rotates
with the wind.
Jerry and I ended up with Harbor Freight flag
pole kits. These included a base for mounting the poles that make
constructing a holder a simple matter of creating something to clamp
them to. I just used angle iron for the footer and header and a bunch
of clamps. Jerry made a stand that was held in place with a trailer
ball for a bases mount. Jerry didn't consider fan out of the poles so
he'll probably be doing another version before too long.
The
motor home had a bracket that bolted to the bumper. The poles in that
one were broom handle extensions you can find at home improvement
stores (cheap and available are good attributes!)
If you look
at the poles and holders website, you'll see the key ingredient is a
base section for the flag pole. This is a piece of tubing that the
base of the pole will slide into that is about a foot to a foot and a
half long. They have one welded to a plate that is intended to sit
under a vehicle tire to keep in in place. Another has tabs welded to
it so it will clamp to a ladder upright. Another is extended with a
clamp to fit around a trailer frame member. What these lack is
consideration for displaying multiple flag poles in an orderly
fashion.
Perhaps the dearth of options for holders is because
it is so much a custom thing. The common attachment points for a
single flag are pretty well covered but after that it is a cottage
industry or an opportunity for individual creativity. My guess is
that the price to produce is often quite a bit higher than most are
willing to pay unless they really have a reason.
a flag pole at Harbor Freight, see also the Blue Beret classifieds for poles and holders. Poles and Holders is another good source for flag poles – see discussion above for caveats, cautions, and features to look for.
Vista Flags offers similar products to Poles and Holders
Sierra Nevada Airstreams home page -|- Destinations -|- Memories -|- Owner's Guide -|- Community -|- Commerce -|- WBCCI Sierra Nevada Unit home page -|- Zephyrs weblog for the RV enthusiast -|- Whispers weblog of touchy subjects -|- Our tip jar- support this website
|
supporting and using open software |
copyright
2005 Leipper Management Group. All rights reserved Please
address comments or questions to webmaster@leipper.org
Last updated
|
|
note: all photographs on this site are for personal, private, and non-commercial use only. All other copyrights are retained by the individual photographers. See our policy. Disclaimer: any advice or suggestion presented is provided for informational purposes only and is correct and accurate only to the best of our knowledge at the time it was written. Anyone using such information does so at their own risk. Errors or omissions may exist and additional sources of information or appropriately licensed or qualified personnel should be consulted in deciding a course of action. We assume no liability or obligation by providing this information and warn any users of this information that they do so at their own risk. All links or references to commercial vendors or other sources of information and equipment do not intend or imply or convey any endorsement of that source or the product. They are provided strictly for informational purposes to illustrate the topic at hand. Sierra Nevada Airstreams Enjoyment of the whispering winds, the zephyrs, the airstreams of the Sierra Nevada and Great Basin areas of the United States is a personal, nonprofit, noncommercial web site intended for educational and recreational use only. This site is supported by volunteer effort and contributions. Donations accepted thanks to the Amazon.com
