Why don't our tiedown rings have a guard?

[Pi1otguy]

Actually I'm only referring to the tail tie down ring on tricycle planes. This has always bugged me for a long long time. After doing a preflight before each flight the most common thing I notice is that tail tiedown ring on a lot of "trainers" (C172, C152, BE77, etc) are either bent or look like they've been filed down on the bottom. Probably the result of taking the mantra "keep the nose up" too far.

How come these planes don't have some sort of guard for the tiedown ring? Obviously, if the tail somehow takes the stress of such grinding then why not a small vertical soft metal bar placed an inch or 2 behind the ring? I mean it makes as much sense as a previous FBO that removed their pants for better easier inspections.

 

[dell30rb]

Our training 152's have a guard but despite this I see many tiedown rings "filed" down by students dragging the tail. My instructor said this usually happens during soft field takeoffs

 

[Fearless Tower]

Actually, I have seen a few tail tiedown ring guards on 172s, so they do exist. I don't think I have ever seen a ground down tiedown ring on a Piper, but definitely seen plenty of afflicted Cessnas.

 

[Skylane81E]

Rings are cheap, i just think of them as the guard for the tail.

 

[Pi1otguy]

But sometimes you wonder if they'll even make it til the next 100 hr.

 

[Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe]

I think it is related to the basic design flaw seen on a lot of aircraft - the tailwheel is on the wrong end. Normally one would expect the wheel to keep the wrong parts from dragging on the ground.

Our training 152's have a guard but despite this I see many tiedown rings "filed" down by students dragging the tail. My instructor said this usually happens during soft field takeoffs

When I got my retread, I did it in a 150 - boy was I surprised when I tried the "soft field" thing with full back yoke. I was NOT expecting the nose to actually come up! But, I don't think I had ever tried it in a nosewheel airplane before.

 

[Kelvin]

Do you define $48.00 for an off the shelf shoulder eye as bolt cheap?

I bent one on my 172 and thats what it cost to replace....

It is a Chicago Hardware 1/4" forged should eyebolt you can get at McMaster Carr for $3.85.

Rings are cheap, i just think of them as the guard for the tail.

 

[Dan Thomas]

Aircraft Spruce sells a "Cessna style" tail skid:
http://www.aircraftspruce.com/search/search.php

As far as I have been able to determine, this skid is not certified. It certainly doesn't show up in the parts manuals, does not come with an STC, or any other evidence that it's legal.

The danger with such skids is that they can bend upward and foul the rudder butt in 150/152s and 172s.

Striking the tail on the runway not only bends that expensive tiedown ring, but it can (1) crack the aft tailcone bulkhead (2) cause the elevator mass balance weights to yank down on the stabilizer and bend its aft spar, and loosen the rivets at the elevator balance/spar attachment and (3) crack the rudder hinges (rudder side) when the rudder's mass balance yanks down on the rudder. There is little or no shock absorption when that ring hits the pavement, and students and clumsy pilots can do a lot more damage than what meets the casual eyeballing. As mentioned by another poster, soft-field approaches usually do it; too much power carried into the flare will let the pilot get the nose way too high, and if he flares high he will drop the airplane onto the runway with that nose way up.

Long live taildraggers!

Dan

 

[dell30rb]

I think it is related to the basic design flaw seen on a lot of aircraft - the tailwheel is on the wrong end. Normally one would expect the wheel to keep the wrong parts from dragging on the ground.



When I got my retread, I did it in a 150 - boy was I surprised when I tried the "soft field" thing with full back yoke. I was NOT expecting the nose to actually come up! But, I don't think I had ever tried it in a nosewheel airplane before.

If the wind is blowing the wrong direction I have to taxi 6500 feet on an uncontrolled field. 5000 feet of that is a straight taxiway with no hangars.

Usually I taxi the entire thing with the nosewheel off the ground at least in the 152.. some of ours occasionally have a problem with shimmy

 

[Skylane81E]

Do you define $48.00 for an off the shelf shoulder eye as bolt cheap?

I bent one on my 172 and thats what it cost to replace....

It is a Chicago Hardware 1/4" forged should eyebolt you can get at McMaster Carr for $3.85.

I think you may have figgued this one out already:wink2: