The only guy in the line that didn't tie down Winds blew like hell and a bit of rain here in So Cal Sunday and early Monday.

Lucky it didn't blow into three other planes . That's what I worry about when visiting places, and I see a plane nearby either not tied down at all or tied with baler twine to screw in dog tie outs....

But, what the hey, he'll prolly just flip her over and go fly

MTV

I did something just a bad a long time ago. I took off from Gallup, NM one already hot and very gusty mid-morning in my Champ. Winds were strong out of the SW and I usually got lift off the mesa N of the railroad with SW winds, No joy. It was so gusty I couldn't get the nose up much more than level. I went under the big wire that crosses the valley N of the VOR and landed at a subdivision that was being built near Manuelito. I taxied back to the last house under construction and tried to use it as a wind brake. I was in a hurry to find a land line (1970s) and stop my wife from driving to Albuquerque to pick me up. Annual was scheduled at Corinado. While I was on the phone with my wife, a Navajo boy came in wide-eyed and said, "It just jumped up in the air." I knew exactly what he was saying. Broke the spar. This was the first airplane I had enough money to insure. Got a Tri-Pacer completely rebuilt by Doug Rhinehart who owned the type certificate and did shows in his Rose Parakeet.

In 2001, I took my 19' Sea Ray from Port Orchard, WA up into Canada on a 1000 mile voyage through the Gulf Islands, Desolation Sound, Princess Louisa, past Campbell River, and return, just me and my dog--you can read about it in my book, The Ultimate Small Boat Adventure, available on Amazon. On the return into the US, I stopped at Roche Harbor to clear Customs and stayed for the night.

Since I'd seen several airplanes land and take off over the harbor, the next morning I hoofed it toward the airstrip. The airplanes were all parked in the grass, which is a slight uphill from the airstrip. Two of them were "married", however--a 172 which had apparently not been either tied down or chocked had rolled into a Cherokee which was tied down, and the amount of damage done to both of them was enormous. Since no one was around at that time as it was still early morning, I'd guess that neither of the pilots yet knew about the situation.

So yeah, I'd say that the risk is not just to the one tied down, but very much to the airplanes around it.

Cary

Always heard about a Bristol Bay tie down but never had the nerve to try it. "Just tie down one wing and let it pivot" Spent many nights and days at Pumice Creek on AK Penn watching the cubs fly on a buried cable. That answered my question why was the cabin cabled down.

DonC wrote:Always heard about a Bristol Bay tie down but never had the nerve to try it. "Just tie down one wing and let it pivot" Spent many nights and days at Pumice Creek on AK Penn watching the cubs fly on a buried cable. That answered my question why was the cabin cabled down.

I moved from Cold Bay (the home of the wind) to Kodiak in 78. We were building new public use cabins to keep bears from getting shot (that was our sales pitch at least). We built one on Fraser Lake, and that place looked like a blow hole to me. I brought a couple lengths of stout cable, ground anchors and turnbuckles in the building supplies. As we were building the cabin, the crew asked me what the cable was for. I told them it was to keep the cabin from blowing away. They all laughed and told me I'd spent too long in Cold Bay. We ran those cables criss-crossed over the roof anyway.

That fall, a couple of hunters came to our office after their hunt. I was in my back office while these guys were out front, going on about how glad they were that those cables were good and tight, cause one night that cabin was rocking and rolling on its foundation....... . Nobody made fun of my wind preparations after that.

I can remember many a night baby sitting my airplanes and the neighboring planes, tightening ropes, etc. And a few nights sitting in the cockpit, "flying" the plane on its tiedowns....

MTV

I bet he had insurance. If he didn't, then that bird would have been cinched down tight. Forgive me if I'm wrong, but insurance rates for good pilots suffer when idiots do dumb (preventable) things like this.

rant over.

mtv wrote:

DonC wrote:Always heard about a Bristol Bay tie down but never had the nerve to try it. "Just tie down one wing and let it pivot" Spent many nights and days at Pumice Creek on AK Penn watching the cubs fly on a buried cable. That answered my question why was the cabin cabled down.

I moved from Cold Bay (the home of the wind) to Kodiak in 78. We were building new public use cabins to keep bears from getting shot (that was our sales pitch at least). We built one on Fraser Lake, and that place looked like a blow hole to me. I brought a couple lengths of stout cable, ground anchors and turnbuckles in the building supplies. As we were building the cabin, the crew asked me what the cable was for. I told them it was to keep the cabin from blowing away. They all laughed and told me I'd spent too long in Cold Bay. We ran those cables criss-crossed over the roof anyway.

That fall, a couple of hunters came to our office after their hunt. I was in my back office while these guys were out front, going on about how glad they were that those cables were good and tight, cause one night that cabin was rocking and rolling on its foundation....... . Nobody made fun of my wind preparations after that.

I can remember many a night baby sitting my airplanes and the neighboring planes, tightening ropes, etc. And a few nights sitting in the cockpit, "flying" the plane on its tiedowns....

MTV

I remember Cold Bay! I think I spent a month or so out there one long weekend, courtesy Uncle.

Cary

Almost as bad is tying them loose so they can jump up and down on their tether.