Glider tie down.

"Jeremy Zawodny" wrote in message
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Bill Daniels wrote:
I've mentioned this before but it's been a few years.

Carrying heavy steel screw-in's or stakes doesn't appeal to me. They're
too bulky and heavy. They also won't hold in really soft ground like a
plowed field or sand.

Years ago I hit on a solution I like. I bought some heavy five gallon
nylon bags with nylon rope drawstrings and a small, light, folding shovel
called a trenching tool. To make a tie-down, dig a hole, put the dirt
in the bag then put the bag in the hole. They hold well enough that I
broke a 1/2" nylon rope trying to pull one out with a 4x4. Three bags,
three motorcycle tie-down straps and the trenching tool weigh less than a
pound and fold up into a roughly 6"x12" package.

Where'd you find the bags?

I have the same set that Darryl does and it fits well in my ship, but I'm
not always flying my own glider. Sometimes I'm in a club ship with less
space available for cargo.

Jeremy

I got mine at a Army Navy surplus store. Alternatively, heavy nylon tool
bags work. If you can't find ones you like, any parachute rigger can make a
set out of heavy nylon. This method is more work than stakes but it holds
really well. (5 gallons of dirt is REALLY heavy) It works on anything but
concrete. I don't use them very much so losing bags isn't an issue.

Bill

There was a commercially available system called Fly Ties that was
essentially a hub or block with 3 holes drilled through it at 45's
through which you pushed or drove straight pointed rods or stakes
through into the ground. This created a pretty good anchor that is
similar in concept to the Claw. I think the Claw might actually be
better but I didn't know about it when I copied Fly Ties. I needed a
super light-weight tie down set as my baggage allowance is pretty
small. I used Delrin cylander stock about 2 inches in diameter by 2
inches long to make the hubs. Eye bolts through the middle of those...
Three aluminum stakes about 3/8ths inch diameter and 10 or 12 inches
long with a right angle handle on one end and points on the other
finish out each unit. The original Fly Tie system has longer steel
rods so is quite a bit larger and heavier. I carry four anchors in a
bag about 6 inches in diameter by 12 inches long which includes rope,
nose hook ring, and a small mallet in case the ground is hard. I can't
remember the weight but it's something like 4 to 7 pounds tops. Those
suckers are really secure and come out easy and clean when ready to go.
Screw-in dog tie downs aren't made for vertical loads as dogs do not
usually fly except perhaps in tornados.