Tying down the bird

Hi group
I need some basic instruction.... I've been noticing tie down ropes. The
knots folks use are all over the map. Is there a basic "best" knot for tying
down the bird? We're looking at windy weather here in the NE this weekend.
The ropes here on the Vineyard are poly-something.
A link to a picture would be nice.
Dave

I have always been "knot challenged". For about $15 I got a set of nylon
tiedown straps with vinyl coated hooks from Costco. Set of 4. Two long and
two short. The long ones work great for the wing tiedowns on my 182 short
one for the tail. Worked great during a tropical storm in LaPaz.

Howard

"david whitley" wrote in message
...
Hi group
I need some basic instruction.... I've been noticing tie down ropes. The
knots folks use are all over the map. Is there a basic "best" knot for
tying
down the bird? We're looking at windy weather here in the NE this weekend.
The ropes here on the Vineyard are poly-something.
A link to a picture would be nice.
Dave

"hnelson" wrote in message m...
I have always been "knot challenged". For about $15 I got a set of nylon
tiedown straps with vinyl coated hooks from Costco. Set of 4. Two long and
two short. The long ones work great for the wing tiedowns on my 182 short
one for the tail. Worked great during a tropical storm in LaPaz.

Only if they have closed hooks. I had my plane bust loose at Oshkosh the
first year because I used tie downs with open hooks. Just takes some slackening
of the rope to get them to pop out of the eye.

do not use open hooks especially with high winds..

look at www.aviation-salvage.com/n51Y.htm for results of open hooks letting
go in a 57knt gust front..


"hnelson" wrote in message
m...
I have always been "knot challenged". For about $15 I got a set of nylon
tiedown straps with vinyl coated hooks from Costco. Set of 4. Two long and
two short. The long ones work great for the wing tiedowns on my 182 short
one for the tail. Worked great during a tropical storm in LaPaz.

Howard

"david whitley" wrote in message
...
Hi group
I need some basic instruction.... I've been noticing tie down ropes. The
knots folks use are all over the map. Is there a basic "best" knot for
tying
down the bird? We're looking at windy weather here in the NE this
weekend.
The ropes here on the Vineyard are poly-something.
A link to a picture would be nice.
Dave

Not Found
The requested URL /n51Y.htm was not found on this server.

So the plane blew away and was never found, eh?

Cheers,
John Clonts
Temple, Texas
N7NZ


BTIZ wrote in message
news:Zrs9b.56831$Qy4.7945@fed1read05...
do not use open hooks especially with high winds..

look at www.aviation-salvage.com/n51Y.htm for results of open hooks
letting
go in a 57knt gust front..


"hnelson" wrote in message
m...
I have always been "knot challenged". For about $15 I got a set of nylon
tiedown straps with vinyl coated hooks from Costco. Set of 4. Two long
and
two short. The long ones work great for the wing tiedowns on my 182
short
one for the tail. Worked great during a tropical storm in LaPaz.

Howard

"david whitley" wrote in message
...
Hi group
I need some basic instruction.... I've been noticing tie down ropes.
The
knots folks use are all over the map. Is there a basic "best" knot for
tying
down the bird? We're looking at windy weather here in the NE this
weekend.
The ropes here on the Vineyard are poly-something.
A link to a picture would be nice.
Dave

http://www.aviation-salvage.com/N51Y.htm

must be a capital N thing.. it's still there... did a couple of cart wheels,
thankfully it was away from the tie down line... it could have been ugly...
there was about $1M worth of gliders on that tie down line... when the gust
front hit.. the other $500K where either in trailers or out on course.

BT

"John Clonts" wrote in message
...
Not Found
The requested URL /n51Y.htm was not found on this server.

So the plane blew away and was never found, eh?

Cheers,
John Clonts
Temple, Texas
N7NZ


BTIZ wrote in message
news:Zrs9b.56831$Qy4.7945@fed1read05...
do not use open hooks especially with high winds..

look at www.aviation-salvage.com/n51Y.htm for results of open hooks
letting
go in a 57knt gust front..


"hnelson" wrote in message
m...
I have always been "knot challenged". For about $15 I got a set of
nylon
tiedown straps with vinyl coated hooks from Costco. Set of 4. Two long
and
two short. The long ones work great for the wing tiedowns on my 182
short
one for the tail. Worked great during a tropical storm in LaPaz.

Howard

"david whitley" wrote in message
...
Hi group
I need some basic instruction.... I've been noticing tie down ropes.
The
knots folks use are all over the map. Is there a basic "best" knot
for
tying
down the bird? We're looking at windy weather here in the NE this
weekend.
The ropes here on the Vineyard are poly-something.
A link to a picture would be nice.
Dave

Buy a copy of F.E. Potts "Guide to Bush Flying", or read the section
on tying down airplanes on-line at:

http://www.fepco.com/BF.images.gentle.breeze.html

John Price
CFII/AGI/IGI
http://home.att.net/~jm.price


"hnelson" wrote in message
m...
I have always been "knot challenged". For about $15 I got a set of nylon
tiedown straps with vinyl coated hooks from Costco. Set of 4. Two long and
two short. The long ones work great for the wing tiedowns on my 182 short
one for the tail. Worked great during a tropical storm in LaPaz.

Howard

"david whitley" wrote in message
...
Hi group
I need some basic instruction.... I've been noticing tie down ropes. The
knots folks use are all over the map. Is there a basic "best" knot for
tying
down the bird? We're looking at windy weather here in the NE this
weekend.
The ropes here on the Vineyard are poly-something.
A link to a picture would be nice.
Dave

david whitley wrote:

I need some basic instruction.... I've been noticing tie down ropes. The
knots folks use are all over the map. Is there a basic "best" knot for tying
down the bird? We're looking at windy weather here in the NE this weekend.
The ropes here on the Vineyard are poly-something.

I usually use a canoe hitch. Before the storm hits, I will head out to the
airport and change the knots to as many half hitches as I have rope for. I may
have to cut them loose later, but I'm not leaving slack in the ropes or using
a knot that might slip and produce slack. Some posters recommend a knot called
a "hurricane hitch", and links to photos have been posted in the past. You might
run a Google search for that.

My usual tiedown ropes are 5/8" nylon. They were sold as boat hawsers and came
with loops braided into the ends. I have run those ends through the tiedown
anchors. This week, I will also be running doubled 1/2" nylon ropes from the
anchors to my wing struts as backups.

If your ropes are polypropylene, I would replace them with nylon. Poly will not
stand up to sunlight very well and deteriorates in only a few years.

George Patterson
A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something that cannot
be learned any other way. Samuel Clemens

The important thing to remember is to tie it down tight. You don't want any
slack in the ropes at all which the wind can exploit and rock the airplane
around. I typically use a round turn and two half hitches (standard
sailor's knot) and don't leave the extra rope dangling as it can become a
whip in a high wind and damage the airplane. Make sure you tie down the
tail, too - just doing the wings isn't enough.

Good luck!
Shawn
"david whitley" wrote in message
...
Hi group
I need some basic instruction.... I've been noticing tie down ropes. The
knots folks use are all over the map. Is there a basic "best" knot for
tying
down the bird? We're looking at windy weather here in the NE this weekend.
The ropes here on the Vineyard are poly-something.
A link to a picture would be nice.
Dave

Best tiedowns I've ever used were made of seatbelt webbing with a hook on each
end. Had the seat belt buckle and everything. Tighten just like the one in your
plane. It won't loosen.

Best regards,

Steve Robertson
N4732J 1967 Beechcraft A23-24 Musketeer

david whitley wrote:

Hi group
I need some basic instruction.... I've been noticing tie down ropes. The
knots folks use are all over the map. Is there a basic "best" knot for tying
down the bird? We're looking at windy weather here in the NE this weekend.
The ropes here on the Vineyard are poly-something.
A link to a picture would be nice.
Dave