Tie Downs when traveling

mulligan

mulligan

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Mulligan
As I begin my journey as a new PPL, I am planning a few trips to destinations I have wanted to go since I started training. Most of these trips will be over-nights. Having only done XC where I land, refuel, and leave, I have not needed to tie-down the plane for the night.

DO most FBOs have tie downs or would it be a good investment to buy a set of tie downs for these over nighters??
 
I carry a set of 3 friction straps in my plane.
 
I've been to a few airports now that have tiedown rings but no ropes, so I bought some rope from Aircraft Spruce.
 
At least carry some tie down lines. Many airports have rings but no rope. Or, they have rope that you wouldn't trust to tie up a gerbil.
 
I used to always carry rope with me because you'll often find rings without ropes, or as with the case of the Navion, ropes that are there but way too short (the Navion rings are way inboard on the wings compared to your average skyhawk). More often than not I have the bag with either my Claw or Stormforce tiedowns in the back as well.
 
As others have said, good ropes can be hard to find in the wild...I always carried a set.

+1 on The Claw...easy to set up and good holding power in most kinds of ground.
 
I also carry around The Claw. I bought it for OSH, but keep it around for other off-field parking. I need to toss some (more) extra ropes in the back, though.
 
I also carry a bag with the soft ground style tiedowns that also happens to have rope in it.

One side note, if you start flying out west you'll find more airports have chains than ropes. Make sure you know how to properly use them or ask someone. Learn the "link through a link" method.
 
I'm a pretty wasteful individual. I regularly buy a bunch of rope from Home Depot or some such and just throw it in the plane along with something to cut if with. Then I just manufacture my tie downs as i need them and just throw them away before they fray. Yes, i am wasteful individual.
 
denverpilot said:
I also carry a bag with the soft ground style tiedowns that also happens to have rope in it.

One side note, if you start flying out west you'll find more airports have chains than ropes. Make sure you know how to properly use them or ask someone. Learn the "link through a link" method.
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Home airport is all chain, but the links can't link through, so we just tie them as if it's rope and they hold perfectly.
 
Not a fan of chains! I use my wasteful tie downs even if there are chains available.
 
mkosmo said:
Home airport is all chain, but the links can't link through, so we just tie them as if it's rope and they hold perfectly.
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That's weird. Small chain. What kind of pull is it rated for? Usually small stuff will pull a link loose when pulled hard enough.

I got to use the seat belt retractor things in the ground at GXY today. Those are pretty interesting.
 
denverpilot said:
That's weird. Small chain. What kind of pull is it rated for? Usually small stuff will pull a link loose when pulled hard enough.

I got to use the seat belt retractor things in the ground at GXY today. Those are pretty interesting.
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They're 1" links, but heavy and beefy. I'll take a photo the next time I'm out there. They've held up against 50kt gusting winds every direction so far! (not that I've wanted them to, but the winds kick up unexpectedly sometimes)
 
mkosmo said:
They're 1" links, but heavy and beefy. I'll take a photo the next time I'm out there. They've held up against 50kt gusting winds every direction so far! (not that I've wanted them to, but the winds kick up unexpectedly sometimes)
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I think I get it. They're so fat on the metal part you can't slide another one through.
 
denverpilot said:
I got to use the seat belt retractor things in the ground at GXY today. Those are pretty interesting.
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I've always wondered about the longevity of those tie downs at GXY. How do they not jamb up with all the dirt and sand falling into the holes? Or rust with the rain snd snow?
 
I found ratchet straps work well, just cut the crappy hooks off the ends with some bolt cutters and replace them with petzl carabiners.
 
ColoPilot said:
I've always wondered about the longevity of those tie downs at GXY. How do they not jamb up with all the dirt and sand falling into the holes? Or rust with the rain snd snow?
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They've been in a number of years. It looks to me like the whole unit can be removed from the hole and maintained. Today one of the catches on one of them was a little hard to operate but twisting it a few times to loosen it up, worked. I assume they're stainless steel by the way it looks like they've held up. Don't look corroded or rusted at all. They started with a few spots years ago and now have three whole rows of them, so they must not find the maintenance on them too problematic.
 
I made a bag from an old jeans leg (sewn across the knee) that carries my ropes, hammer, and rebar bent in a "U" shape. Always in the plane.
 
cgrab said:
I made a bag from an old jeans leg (sewn across the knee) that carries my ropes, hammer, and rebar bent in a "U" shape. Always in the plane.
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Rebar for the stake? Sounds less than secure if it's what I'm imagining in my head.
 
mkosmo said:
Rebar for the stake? Sounds less than secure if it's what I'm imagining in my head.
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You'd have to cross and interlock three of them to make it useful. And even that would be iffy in some soils.
 
Anymouse said:
A friend bought me The Claw tie down kit as thanks for flying him into Oshkosh a bunch of years ago. It's definitely pricier than your typical stake and rope set up, but I've never had a problem with it. It's always in the back of my Tango when I go places.

http://www.sportys.com/pilotshop/the-claw-aircraft-tie-down-kit.html
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I have The Claw setup also. Amazingly tenacious on dirt tie-downs. If I'm heading to a paved airport with tie-down rings then I just leave the metals claws and stakes at home and just take the three tie-down ropes. They use the 'good kind' of rope with the right amount of friction to make those taut-line hitches work right. I tied one down with a very simple taut line hitch at Breckenridge, TX (KBKD) and came back three days later and it was as tight as when I left.

If you don't want to bother with knots, just sub in ratchet or cargo straps instead. Same claws.
 
James331 said:
I found ratchet straps work well, just cut the crappy hooks off the ends with some bolt cutters and replace them with petzl carabiners.
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Exactly. No need to buy "aircraft specific" from Aircraft$pruce.

For stakes, I've been thinking of just getting some steel bar and welding an eye on the top for the rope. Bring a small hammer and call it good. Maybe weld a wing on it so it doesn't pull out of the sandy soils around here.

The little millermatic 135 mig welder I bought years ago sure comes in handy.
 
I would recommend against using ratchet straps that have only an open hook on the end. I had my plane bust loose with one of these as the open hook jumped out of the tiedown ring with the rocking and rolling of the plane in the storm. If they have one of those spring flaps that prevents that it might be OK. I've never had a rope knot fail.
 
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flyingron said:
I would recommend using ratchet straps that have only an open hook on the end. I had my plane bust loose with one of these as the open hook jumped out of the tiedown ring with the rocking and rolling of the plane in the storm. If they have one of those spring flaps that prevents that it might be OK. I've never had a rope knot fail.
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Did you mean that you recommend against using those?
 
James331 said:
I found ratchet straps work well, just cut the crappy hooks off the ends with some bolt cutters and replace them with petzl carabiners.
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I do this too.
 
I carry canvas straps,and dog tie downs ,works most cases.
 
denverpilot said:
You'd have to cross and interlock three of them to make it useful. And even that would be iffy in some soils.
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Yea, I made 7 and the type of soil determines how I put them in. For the loosest soil, I put the first in at a 30-40 degree angle and interlock the next two at the same downward angle and 60 degrees off the firsts' centerline. I only use one for the tail.
 
bikert said:
Not a fan of chains! I use my wasteful tie downs even if there are chains available.
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You'll appreciate chains with the 60knt winds we've had today.
Keep'em tight, no slack. No bounce or rocking. Yes the "jerk" from a slack chain pulling tight can be tough.

Some people use the chain with a good slack, then take out the slack with rope. Offers the "give" to reduce a jerk on the wing, but if the rope fails the chain is the backup to save the bird from flipping.
 
I don't do chains, I might clip one of my tie downs to the bottom of a chain, but a chain will NEVER touch my plane.
 
James331 said:
I don't do chains, I might clip one of my tie downs to the bottom of a chain, but a chain will NEVER touch my plane.
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Don't know why. I've seen entire rows of aircraft safely secured with a proper chain and cable system at BJC with the wind topping 100 MPH in gusts. No harm caused by the chains at all.
 
Claw and ratchet straps for me. And I'll soon be switching out the hooks as suggested above. Good thread!
 
James331 said:
I don't do chains, I might clip one of my tie downs to the bottom of a chain, but a chain will NEVER touch my plane.
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And yet, you'll have a metal carabiner clip touch your plane. Makes total sense.
 
The issue with chains is that they provide no give. A friend lost his dad when a strut attach failed after being chained in a windstorm. The chain's shock had pounded on the tiedown ring that was connected to the strut attach bolt (Supercub). That accident led to Atlee Dodge's hurricane tiedowns and strut attach reinforcements for Cub wings. Probably not an issue for most of you guys who use chains properly on a low wing airplane. Nobody I know in AK uses chains and very few will use straps. Good ropes are more versatile and are simple to use. I use static (no-stretch) mountaineering rope. It's load rated and holds knots exceptionally well. No hardware. Make sure your earth anchors are up to the task, too. Duckbills are a great short term anchor but cables rust and fail at the soil surface eventually. Beware of any tie down that uses a buried cable. Inspect them before you trust them.
 
At BJC the chain is attached to a steel cable that is staked periodically to the ramp. There is a reasonable amount of give in the system even though the chains themselves won't.
 
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