cub_driver
Registered User
Big Lake AK
I recently read a article in Northern Pilot that talked about high winds and tie downs. They stated a 3/8 inch diameter rope should be sufficient for a tie-down, they also advised the use of cargo straps? I guess they only have so much printing space for their story I feel the choice of rope could take up a whole article in itself. I feel rope is fairly cheap and don’t have any trouble spending a couple of bucks more every year or two when I replace my ropes and upgrade to a rope larger diameter then 3/8 inch.
When checking the strength of different ropes the same diameter I have found a large variance in strengths. Knowing this I would think a person would need to know how much there wing can lift and then buy the proper strength rope for you aircraft and not use rope diameter as a criteria. Of course a T craft would not lift what a 206 or 185 would, so I would safely assume you could get buy with a smaller strength rope for the T craft a higher strength rope would be required for the Cessna..
I don’t think I would use a cargo strap on my aircraft it would only take a little movement and the strap could come loose.
The next question is how much can a rope weather before the UVs weaken it? Should I change my ropes every year or can I go longer?
What criteria should a pilot use when buying tie-down ropes?
Cub_Driver
When checking the strength of different ropes the same diameter I have found a large variance in strengths. Knowing this I would think a person would need to know how much there wing can lift and then buy the proper strength rope for you aircraft and not use rope diameter as a criteria. Of course a T craft would not lift what a 206 or 185 would, so I would safely assume you could get buy with a smaller strength rope for the T craft a higher strength rope would be required for the Cessna..
I don’t think I would use a cargo strap on my aircraft it would only take a little movement and the strap could come loose.
The next question is how much can a rope weather before the UVs weaken it? Should I change my ropes every year or can I go longer?
What criteria should a pilot use when buying tie-down ropes?
Cub_Driver