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Tie Down fitting ideas

A local builders prototype
 

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Hard to tell how that thing works as a tiedown fitting.

The one-piece steel or stainless rings work just fine. How will this be an improvement?

Dave
 
Valid questions. I just thought it looked cool. She’s not the outside type anyway.
 
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Can it take a large side load? Tiedowns usually have that.

The ends of the hole should be rounded off - rope loses significant strength going over an edge.

Thanks for the better photos from my earlier post.

Dave
 
Tiedowns.....and primers....and leaning LOP.....with popcorn....

Can it take a large side load? Tiedowns usually have that. he ends of the hole should be rounded off - rope loses significant strength going over an edge.

I like the good, old-fashioned round ones. I do not mind getting on my knees and putting them in (except once in a blinding Rain downpour!:eek:) as I am down there running rope through them anyway.

The nice thing about the not-fancy ones is they can be easily turned in the direction from which the rope/chain is pulling making the bending force on the ring less. The fancy ones are sometimes too small for some of the ropes I've seen at airport tiedowns and definitely not intended for chain to be run through them. I have several pieces of looped rope that I run through the tiedown, then run the chain through that. I do not like chain tiedowns but sometimes that is all there is.....:(
 
Not a structural engineer, but I would be concerned with those alum rings. It looks like 1/8 X 3/16" at the thinnest point. I struggle to see how aluminum of that size could hold up to the loads imparted during a strong blow from a T storm. The plans use 3/8" dia steel, threaded into a .5 X .5 X 6" chunk of alum bolted directly to the thick part of the spar. At least they did on the 6 and the 10; cant speak to the 14. Hard to tell from the pics, but look like it is using thin support material rivetted to a thin wing rib, possibly tied into the thin spar flange. This appears WAY less structurally sound than what Vans designed. Certainly not saying it won't hold, just saying that it seems substantially under engineered comparied to the original design.

I may have not fully understood your intent. Possibly you use the stock tie down rings in strong winds and these are just for burger runs in good wx. In that case, it is a neat approach. I just leave the rings in the tool bag and install them when tying down away from home when chocks alone are inadequate.

Larry

Larry you are spot on. Those tie downs aren’t very structural. They are more of a novelty than an actual anchor for medium to heavy winds. Those tie downs would easily bend with any lateral loads, the thickness would cut through the rope before the rope fails on its own. I doubt very seriously the normal size eye bolts would reduce airspeed by a knot or even a quarter knot. I understand it’s fun making things better but the gain in returns are minuscule. Also I’ve never heard to remove the eye bolts before flight. I know people who fly with 3 or more externally mounted GoPros with no problem flying
 
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