Eye bolts

[RLCarter]

23 minutes ago, Cyril Gibb said:

I can't find an answer to a simple question.  I understand the POH says to remove the tiedown rings before flight.  Were they really expecting a pilot to clamber under to remove the rings and then crawl (in the rain or snow) to reinstall them every time they tied down again.  What is the reason to remove?  weight? aerodynamics?  rings falling on a person on the ground? structural integrity? aesthetics? mandatory exercise/stretching after a long flight?

Good question 

[carusoam]

Remove before flight...

That was a 60s way of saying...

• in reality they never fall out...
• They will slow you down...
• So we officially recommend their removal...   
• Now you can ignore the recommendation as needed...

The 60s were much different then today...

I saw a picture of a cub (AOPA mag), measuring it’s static thrust... they were using a 100# scale... the story was comparing a one bladed prop vs. two...

Best regards,

-a-

[ArtVandelay]

I can't find an answer to a simple question.  I understand the POH says to remove the tiedown rings before flight.  Were they really expecting a pilot to clamber under to remove the rings and then crawl (in the rain or snow) to reinstall them every time they tied down again.  What is the reason to remove?  weight? aerodynamics?  rings falling on a person on the ground? structural integrity? aesthetics? mandatory exercise/stretching after a long flight?

Mine always come off, biggest benefit is it prevents line guys from tying down my plane. I hangar it, so it’s only a issue on cross country flights.


Tom

[N201MKTurbo]

48 minutes ago, ArtVandelay said:

Mine always come off, biggest benefit is it prevents line guys from tying down my plane. I hangar it, so it’s only a issue on cross country flights.


Tom

Why don't you want line guys to tie down your plane? Do you want it to blow away?

[ArtVandelay]

Why don't you want line guys to tie down your plane?

I rather do it myself, I don’t like valet parking either.


Tom

[amillet]

13 hours ago, Cyril Gibb said:

I can't find an answer to a simple question.  I understand the POH says to remove the tiedown rings before flight.  Were they really expecting a pilot to clamber under to remove the rings and then crawl (in the rain or snow) to reinstall them every time they tied down again.  What is the reason to remove?  weight? aerodynamics?  rings falling on a person on the ground? structural integrity? aesthetics? mandatory exercise/stretching after a long flight?

I have to crawl under the wing to tie it down anyway, so I usually leave them out to gain that extra 1 knot.

[N201MKTurbo]

44 minutes ago, ArtVandelay said:

I rather do it myself, I don’t like valet parking either.


Tom

Oh, OK, I hate valet parking too. There is a hotel in Scottsdale where I get invited to parties every once in a while that has no self parking. The nearest street parking is over 1/2 mile away. Makes me mad as hell. 

When I go to Tucson for meetings i'm always in a rush. I land and chock the nose wheel. No weather, no wind, no problem. When I come back the plane is lashed down for a hurricane with cones all around it and all three wheels chocked. I just want to go home and now I have to spend 5 minutes untying it. When I'm about to start the engine, they show up and say they would have  been glad to untie it. Yea, after I wait 10 minutes for them to show up.

[gsxrpilot]

Hahahah.... I lived for too many years in Dallas where valet parking is the norm. I LOVE valet parking and use it anytime I can. My wife hates it when I drive 20 feet past a perfectly good parking space, right to the front door and hand the keys to the valet. 

I also let the line guys tie down my plane and even move it around if they need to. I always mention the small turning radius on the nose gear. My Mooney probably gets to as many random airports as anyone's, and I've never had a single problem with damage from a line crew. 

Of course I also let JD work on my Mooney without standing over his shoulder to make sure he does everything right.

It's just a machine, it's meant to be used, shit happens, life's too short to worry about it.

[jetdriven]

Not only that but you don’t have to pay somebody $10 for the privilege of them doing burnouts with your car behind the building in the parking lot. Yes I’ve caught them doing that. 

[N6018Q]

26 minutes ago, jetdriven said:

Not only that but you don’t have to pay somebody $10 for the privilege of them doing burnouts with your car behind the building in the parking lot. Yes I’ve caught them doing that. 

Just means you've got too much car!

[Shadrach]

7 hours ago, bluehighwayflyer said:

You've been lucky, Paul.  We have had to replace the nose truss on our C twice due to inattentive handling by line personnel.  

As far as valets go it is just quicker and easier for me to do it myself.  I don't like having to wait for them.  

Been there done that 8 years ago. Fresh dent and a fine crack. Couldn’t prove who was at fault but have a good idea. I try to always inform the line guys about the potential for damage. They seem to take me more seriously when I take pictures of the truss before leaving.

[gsxrpilot]

42 minutes ago, jetdriven said:

Not only that but you don’t have to pay somebody $10 for the privilege of them doing burnouts with your car behind the building in the parking lot. Yes I’ve caught them doing that. 

I must just valet at better places . 

My tuned 335i with twin turbos and 450 hp will certainly smoke the tires. But its usually is one of the nicer cars at the valet and therefore gets parked by the front door.

[gsxrpilot]

I guess I'll take "Lucky" and just keep doing what I do.

[EricJ]

2 hours ago, jetdriven said:

Not only that but you don’t have to pay somebody $10 for the privilege of them doing burnouts with your car behind the building in the parking lot. Yes I’ve caught them doing that. 

Anybody who saw Ferris Bueller's Day Off knows this.   

[Shiny moose]

Back on the subject, My PO had laser jack points and tie downs and stated he never removed them in his 24 years of ownership( but they were loose when I inspected. I do not leave them in for flight expect for the tail,  I dont need them when its in the home hanger, but  when I really need them at a location, I know I will have them cause they are in the luggage area.  I dont use the Laser tiedowns either as they are limited on spacing for the tie down rope, I use quality eyebolts 5/16 18 NC 

[gsxrpilot]

I've never had anything but the LASAR tie downs on either of my two Mooneys. And I've never had a problem tying down because of the limited spacing on the ring. Usually the problem is there are no ropes/chains on the ramp to use to tie down. So on trips like this one, where I know we'll be tying down every day for two weeks at several different FBO's, I bring my own tie down straps.

[0TreeLemur]

42 minutes ago, gsxrpilot said:

I've never had a problem tying down because of the limited spacing on the ring. Usually the problem is there are no ropes/chains on the ramp to use to tie down. So on trips like this one, where I know we'll be tying down every day for two weeks at several different FBO's, I bring my own tie down straps.

ditto.

[RLCarter]

I turned a set of jack point on the lathe, they have been in place 3 yrs. What little airspeed I loose is nothing compared to the time lost waiting on my wife 

[Hank]

6 hours ago, gsxrpilot said:

Usually the problem is there are no ropes/chains on the ramp to use to tie down. So on trips like this one, where I know we'll be tying down every day for two weeks at several different FBO's, I bring my own tie down straps.

I keep the Mooney rings screwed into the wing whenever I'm not jacking the plane up. A pair of ropes live on the luggage rack, eye spliced with a climbing carabiner on one end (to clip into the ramp ring when needed) and the other end spliced.  

[Shiny moose]

Maybe I try leaving them installed. 

[Guest]

For those who want to know what the tie down bracket looks like, I snapped this picture of the bracket for the tie down inside a wing today.

Clarence