tie downs in the bush

[tom pettit]

I've seen two basic gizmos for tying down a plane in the bush: something
that looks like a corkscrew, and something that looks like and auger. Which
one is best, and why?
thanks
tom

[john smith]

tom pettit <tompet<at>peak wrote:
> I've seen two basic gizmos for tying down a plane in the bush: something
> that looks like a corkscrew, and something that looks like and auger. Which
> one is best, and why?
> thanks

Neither!
Get Fly-ties or The Claw!
Or, there are plans available on the EAA website to make your own.

[Dave S]

I use "The Claw" and its different from either you've described.

Dave

tom pettit peak wrote:

> I've seen two basic gizmos for tying down a plane in the bush: something
> that looks like a corkscrew, and something that looks like and auger. Which
> one is best, and why?
> thanks
> tom
>
>

[Kyle Boatright]

"john smith" > wrote in message
...
> tom pettit <tompet<at>peak wrote:
>> I've seen two basic gizmos for tying down a plane in the bush: something
>> that looks like a corkscrew, and something that looks like and auger.
>> Which one is best, and why?
>> thanks
>
> Neither!
> Get Fly-ties or The Claw!
> Or, there are plans available on the EAA website to make your own.

Got a URL? I looked and couldn't find anything at EAA.org.

[john smith]

Kyle Boatright wrote:
> "john smith" > wrote in message
> ...
>
>>tom pettit <tompet<at>peak wrote:
>>
>>>I've seen two basic gizmos for tying down a plane in the bush: something
>>>that looks like a corkscrew, and something that looks like and auger.
>>>Which one is best, and why?
>>>thanks
>>
>>Neither!
>>Get Fly-ties or The Claw!
>>Or, there are plans available on the EAA website to make your own.
>
>
> Got a URL? I looked and couldn't find anything at EAA.org.

It was on the AirVenture site, under Aircraft Camping or Flying Into
earlier this year or last.

[[email protected]]

On Tue, 23 Aug 2005 12:22:48 GMT, john smith > wrote:

>Kyle Boatright wrote:
>> "john smith" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>
>>>tom pettit <tompet<at>peak wrote:
>>>
>>>>I've seen two basic gizmos for tying down a plane in the bush: something
>>>>that looks like a corkscrew, and something that looks like and auger.
>>>>Which one is best, and why?
>>>>thanks
>>>
>>>Neither!
>>>Get Fly-ties or The Claw!
>>>Or, there are plans available on the EAA website to make your own.
>>
>>
>> Got a URL? I looked and couldn't find anything at EAA.org.
>
>It was on the AirVenture site, under Aircraft Camping or Flying Into
>earlier this year or last.

Looks like: http://www.theclaw.com/products/claw.php
Maybe very secure but not too easy to remove!

[ET]

wrote in news:iedmg1tamtlkqlug467kj6s13dullgcblm@
4ax.com:

> http://www.theclaw.com/products/claw.php

VERY easy to remove, just like a smooth tent stake. It's removed with the
claw of the hammer, the trick is to pull straight along the line of each
"nail" huge holding power since each "nail" has a different "line", but
easy to remove.

--
-- ET >:-)

"A common mistake people make when trying to design something
completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete
fools."---- Douglas Adams

[Newps]

tom pettit <tompet<at>peak wrote:

> I've seen two basic gizmos for tying down a plane in the bush: something
> that looks like a corkscrew, and something that looks like and auger. Which
> one is best, and why?

The corkscrew is a joke. In the mountains where I fly you'll never get
that stupid thing more than 2 inches into the ground. The best I've
used is one called the Claw. You can find it at Aircraft Spruce, last I
saw it was $99.

[Blanche]

I invented a tie-down for OSH this year that worked incredibly well
and cost less than $50. Got thru the storm on Monday night, so I
guess it'll hold thru most stuff.

1) go to a marine shop (if one's around) and buy the 3/8 in rope that's
recommended by Av Consumer. Total cost - about $25 (I've got a low-wing)

2) Over to Home Depot. Pick up 13 of the 12 in. long 3/8 stakes/nails/
whatever (only need 12, but always have a spare) Total cost - $13
As an option, pickup the big 2 in. washers.

3) Still at Home Depot, go over to the chain section and buy 3 sets of
4 links of the heaviest stuff you can find. Total cost - about $5.

4) Get one of those light-weight but incredibly sturdy hammers - Cost - $3

For the tie-down process:

Put a stake into one of the links. If you want, add a washer between the
link and the stake. Since the stake head is about 1/4 in. larger than the
stake body (and the washer hole is 3/8 in also) this works well.
Now that one stake is in the ground, put another stake in each of the
other 2 links, remember to put them in different directions. Now there's
one link left. (4-link set, remember?) Run the rope from that link
to the tie-downs of the airplane.

Repeat for as many tie-downs as you want.

I remember seeing this on the web someplace, can't remember where.

Note: I would have liked a longer stake, but 12 in. was the longest
I could find. The more costly tie-down sets have stakes from 12-18 in.

I put everything into a nylon sack that was in the basement, gathering
dust.

Weighs about 9 pounds.

For additional safety (if you're near campers), I have a roll of the
safety tape used for construction. It's neon during the day and has
light-reflecting strips for at night. Cost - $2 I think.

But since I wasn't parked near the campers, I didn't worry. Also, the
advantage of the low-wing is that even spreading the rope out many
feet from the tie-down point on the wing, the anchor wasn't much
of an accident waiting to happen. The tail tie-down, however, was a
good 4 feet behind the aircraft.

If you prefer the rachet-type straps, those'll work with the links too.

[N93332]

"Blanche" > wrote in message
...
>I invented a tie-down for OSH this year that worked incredibly well
> and cost less than $50. Got thru the storm on Monday night, so I
> guess it'll hold thru most stuff.
>
> 1) go to a marine shop (if one's around) and buy the 3/8 in rope that's
> recommended by Av Consumer. Total cost - about $25 (I've got a low-wing)
>
> 2) Over to Home Depot. Pick up 13 of the 12 in. long 3/8 stakes/nails/
> whatever (only need 12, but always have a spare) Total cost - $13
> As an option, pickup the big 2 in. washers.
>
> 3) Still at Home Depot, go over to the chain section and buy 3 sets of
> 4 links of the heaviest stuff you can find. Total cost - about $5.
>
> 4) Get one of those light-weight but incredibly sturdy hammers - Cost - $3

Blanche,

Thanks for the information! Don't you mean 10 stakes (1 spare) instead of 13
or do you put 4 stakes for each tiedown or have 4 tiedowns? I haven't needed
to supply my own tiedown stakes, yet, but someday I'll fly into Oshkosh.
I'll have to go to the local Home Depot Pilot Store and locate these parts
and throw them in the plane.

-Greg B.

[Blanche]

In article >, N93332 > wrote:
>Blanche,
>
>Thanks for the information! Don't you mean 10 stakes (1 spare) instead of 13
>or do you put 4 stakes for each tiedown or have 4 tiedowns? I haven't needed
>to supply my own tiedown stakes, yet, but someday I'll fly into Oshkosh.
>I'll have to go to the local Home Depot Pilot Store and locate these parts
>and throw them in the plane.

*sigh*

and me with a degree in math. but but but...I can do diffyQ and
calculus with no problems! it's the addition & subtraction and
multiplication that requires a calculator (or my fingers...)

[George Patterson]

Blanche wrote:
> I invented a tie-down for OSH this year that worked incredibly well
> and cost less than $50.

Here's my version. At Home Depot, buy three 3/8" steel rods 6' long. Also buy a
coil of 3/8" braided nylon line and a medium sized ball-peen hammer.

At home, cut each rod into three pieces. Make the cuts at an angle greater than
45 degrees. One of the pieces will have two >45 degree angles; cut one end off
square. Clamp each piece in a vise and bend about 2.5" of one end over at a 90
degree angle. Bend over the end that's cut square.

In use, drive three of these in where you want a tie-down. Drive them in at
about a 45 degree angle and keep the bent leg at the top turned towards the
ground. Drive them in so that the rods are pretty close together where they go
into the ground, but drive them in in different directions. Leave about two
inches above ground. Tie your line around all three rods (I use two half hitches).

Any tension on the line will attempt to pull the rods up, but none of them can
go that way without pulling out to the side. At the same time, the noose in the
rope formed by the half hitches is trying to pull the rods together, so they
can't pull to the side.

With a taildragger, you can use three rods under each wing and a single rod for
the tail. Just place the rod a couple feet from the tail and drive it in with
the point slanted towards the plane.

Tor remove the rods, hook a piece of line around the end of a single rod and
pull in the reverse of the direction in which the rod was driven.

George Patterson
Give a person a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a person to
use the Internet and he won't bother you for weeks.

[Skywise]

Blanche > wrote in news:1124816360.522463
@irys.nyx.net:

> I invented a tie-down for OSH this year that worked incredibly well
<Snipola>

> I remember seeing this on the web someplace, can't remember where.
<Snipola>

Sorry to pick nits, but aren't these contradictory statements? :)

Nifty idea just the same. Could be used for many things besides tying
down airplanes.

Brian
--
http://www.skywise711.com - Lasers, Seismology, Astronomy, Skepticism

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