Author Topic: What's the typical aircraft tiedown knot called?  (Read 15602 times)

Knot_Easy

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Re: What's the typical aircraft tiedown knot called?
« Reply #15 on: September 11, 2012, 04:44:37 AM »
I think the typical aircraft knot is called  "a tangle".  In my experience most pilots know (and care) less  about tying a knot than anything else.  For anyone interested in seeing some 'knots in the wild', spend some time at a flying school looking at the tie downs that the last pilot of a training plane accomplished.

Even a CASA article on this subject is worse than useless when it comes to knots: www.casa.gov.au/fsa/2006/apr/48-50.pdf

Firstly the photo at the top seems to show someone trying to tie an original knot.

It  recommends  the reef knot as an alternative to the bowline but is not explicit as to what  situation.  Should the reef knot be recommended in any situation?

Also the diagram of a bowline has to be the most confusing ever produced (but would be interested to be proved wrong on this).  The use of a striped rope gives it the appearance of one of those pictures designed to distort your perception.

Fortunately, most pilots who own aircraft use ratchet straps, or chains if it is a permanent tie down.

I always used a bowline through a floating ring on the ground peg and a round turn and 2 half hitches around the circular end of a wing strut.  If it was a low wing aircraft with tie down rings on the underside of the wing I reversed these knots - usually because the ground end was tied onto a cable or a large ring in concrete and you couldn't get 2 turns through the ring on the wing.

I did have an ultralight plane get free once in gale force winds but it was because the pegs, which were short fence posts, pulled out of the sandy ground.

aroundthebend

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Re: What's the typical aircraft tiedown knot called?
« Reply #16 on: September 12, 2012, 04:43:10 PM »
Flight school airplanes unfortunately are subject to all kinds of neglect at the hands of students and instructors alike.

Reef knot is used when the tension will be on the long ends, and you want to be able to spill the knot by tugging on a short end. This doesn't sound like an appropriate application.

A permanent tie-down, what could be sadder? Get out and fly that thing! :D

Sorry for the delay following up, I got sidetracked reading a large totally unrelated thread. This forum is dangerous.

Jason

aroundthebend

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Re: What's the typical aircraft tiedown knot called?
« Reply #17 on: September 12, 2012, 04:45:27 PM »
Also, dfred thanks for the references, which I'll look into next time I get my hands on an ABOK.
Jason