How important is the tail tie down?

[Bob Axsom]

I casually thought about that from time to time when there was no rope available etc. After all there are three points in ground contact and the wing tiedowns are securing it to the ground. I had a little wake-up call in Courtland, Alabama last Saturday. When I came out to the airport the left main had jumped the forward chock, the nose gear had castered to the full right turn stop and the the tail tiedown rope was stretched out hard to the left. The plane could have easily continued over onto the nose and left wingtip.

I always carry my own ropes and stakes these days and tie down all three points but that was not always true.

Bob Axsom

[JDRhodes]

In my days as an FBO line rat, we had a good microburst hit my airport. I saw many airplanes - with tails left untied - upsidedown, but with both wing tiedowns still attached to the ropes.

All three points should be tied. Wing tiedowns only is not enough to prevent the airplane from flipping. And don't depend on the wet, rotten, frayed ropes available at many FBOs.

Make the ropes tight, use good knots that don't slip. Wing tie-down ropes should angle slightly forward from the wing to the ground and out slightly away from the fuselage. The tail tie-down should angle rearward from the tail to the ground.

Ropes that go straight down to the ground (or that all angle in the same direction) can allow a LOT of movement of the airplane in high winds (or prop, jet, or rotor blast).

CFIs ought to teach this as part of the PPL training. Many don't.

[Ron Lee]

I see far too many places where there are ZERO tie-downs.

[erich weaver]

Which tie down systems are recommended to take along with me on future trips? Anything to avoid?

erich

[Bob Axsom]

I use the black and orange ropes and cork screw stakes from Aircraft spruce that I carry in the baggage compartment when suitable facilities are not available at the airport I'm visiting.

Bob Axsom

[Webb]

They can also serve another purpose. I've seen a C172 bump the tail on the runway during a full stall landing. Without the ring it would have been bad news for the bottom skin.

[John Clark]

Originally Posted by erich weaver

Which tie down systems are recommended to take along with me on future trips? Anything to avoid?

erich

Here is a good article from the EAA with a set of plans for tiedowns.

http://www.airventure.org/planning/tying_down.html


John Clark
RV8 N18U "Sunshine"
KSBA

[JDRhodes]

Originally Posted by Webb

They can also serve another purpose. I've seen a C172 bump the tail on the runway during a full stall landing. Without the ring it would have been bad news for the bottom skin.

I have a wheel back there that takes care of that. Might need a nose skid, though

[osxuser]

With little thunderstorm activity out here in CA, we rarely see rope used, mostly chains, and they always have slack. It was an eye opener to me to see the results of a high-wind situation at KAJO when a 150 ended up on it's back due to no tail tiedown. I pay more attention to that now .

[allbee]

Originally Posted by JDRhodes

I have a wheel back there that takes care of that. Might need a nose skid, though

you still need to tie down the tail wheel.