"Roger Bartholomee" wrote in message
...
I just read the AOPA ePilot Flight Training Edition -- Vol. 4, Issue 4
from
January and under Training Tips and they reference "The Tiedowns that
Bind"
from the October 2000 AOPA Flight Training.

See: http://www.aopa.org/members/ftmag/ar...m?article=3811

The author says "It's important to leave a little slack in each line,
especially if you are expecting gusty wind conditions. Slack will allow
the
airplane to move a little. Without any slack, a strong gust could damage
the
airframe." I have always kept mine tight so the plane can't move around.
My feeling is the slack will allow the plane to move and then jerk to a
stop. Does anyone know the proper method and the reason?

I'm in the camp that says keep the lines tight. Any slack allows
movement, movement is energy, the energy is transmitted into a jerk when the
line comes taut.
Try this: have someone lay on their back, stretch a piece of thread
(ordinary sewing stuff, not upholstery or necklace thread) across the bridge
of their nose pinning it to the floor with your thumbs and ask them to sit
up. Then, allow one inch of slack on either end and have them sit up.