How a flagpole works: halyard, pulley, yardarm and tilt base

A flagpole is a simple machine: a rope over a wheel. Canadian Heritage’s glossary names the parts – the halyard is the rope that raises or lowers the flag, the pulley the grooved wheel it passes over, the hoist the half of the flag nearest the halyard and the fly the half farthest from it. How these parts are arranged decides whether a flag can be half-masted, how many flags a pole can carry and how the pole is serviced.

Raising and lowering

On a standard pole, the halyard is a continuous loop that runs from the base up to the pulley in the truck under the finial and back down. The flag is clipped to it at its top and bottom grommets. Pulling one side of the loop raises the flag; the other side lowers it. According to Canadian Heritage, the flag is raised with the canton as close as possible to the top and the rope taut, and flown with the sleeve or hoist nearest the pole.

• External halyard: the rope runs outside the pole and is tied off on a cleat near the base. According to Flag Outlet’s instructions, loops are tied in the rope so that the wooden toggle on the flag goes through one and the bottom of the flag attaches to the other.
• Internal halyard: a cable runs inside the pole. It is reached through a door opened with a key; a counterweight keeps it taut, and a ring holds the cable close to the pole. The halyard cannot be cut or untied from outside, which protects the flag.

Half-masting

To half-mast, the flag is first raised to the masthead and then lowered slowly until, as a general rule, its centre is halfway down the mast, according to the federal half-masting rules. To take it down, it is raised to the masthead again and then lowered completely. Only poles with a halyard and pulley can do this: flags on horizontal or angled poles without halyards, on which the flag is permanently attached, are not half-masted. More in the guide to half-mast.

A revolving truck

At the top, the truck carries the pulley. On a revolving truck, the top of the pole turns with the wind, so that the flag and halyard do not wrap around the pole. Outdoor poles typically have a ball finial, which according to Canadian Heritage keeps the flag from becoming tangled at the top in strong updrafts.

Yardarm and gaff

A pole with a yardarm – a cross arm – and a gaff – a spar angled up from the mast – can carry several flags, as on a ship. According to Canadian Heritage, flags on such a pole follow numbered positions, with position 1 as the position of honour; positions 3 and 4, at the left and right ends of the yardarm, are not places of honour and are used for a personal or corporate flag or a pennant or burgee. Flag Outlet describes nautical poles with several halyards for a national flag, a provincial flag and a club flag. According to Canadian Heritage, it is improper to fly the National Flag of Canada with another flag of any type on the same flagpole.

Tilt base

On a pole with a tilt base, a pin in the shoe acts as a hinge. According to Flag Outlet, the pole can be tilted down onto a support, the flag can be attached directly to the pole – which prevents theft – and the pole raised again. Work on the truck and pulley can then be done at ground level rather than at height. More in the guide to flagpole safety.

Indoor poles and parade poles

On an interior pole, the flag hangs from a sleeve slid over the pole and is not raised or lowered. Flags carried in procession are on poles of 2.10 to 2.40 m. In ceremonies, flag bearers break a flag – unfurl it with a tug on a string – to mark the arrival of a distinguished person, and military colours may be dipped to salute the Sovereign; the National Flag of Canada is never dipped, according to Canadian Heritage. The parts themselves are described in the guide to flagpole accessories.