Raise Nose In Air

[Jim Meade]

For reasons that are not important, I want to be able to raise the nose of my CTSW in the air without a support under the nose wheel or fuselage. The mains would be on the ground.

 

We've all seen airplanes where the tail is held down by resting the rear of the empannage on a support and weighing down the horizontal stabilizer with sand bads, shot, etc. I'm not interested in that approach for a number of reasons.

 

I'm wondering if anyone has held the nose up by using the tail tie-down strap and fastening it to a heavy weight. We see that done in airplane shops often. Usually a large iron or cement block, often on casters, with a ring in the top which is fastened to the tie-down ring on the airplane. I'm thinking of the same idea using the tie down strap. Anyone see it done?

 

About how much weight would it take to provide a safe margin? Assume everything is still on the front. For that matter, assume near full fuel. It will be in a hanger where wind will not bother it. Of course, the tie-down strap connection/chain would have to hold the weight, but I can figure that part out.

 

Of course, I can do some trial and error, but thought maybe someone has done/seen this and has first hand knowledge of the weight.

 

 

[Safety Officer]

It's the only way I lift the front. Straps on the tail boom with a blanket under the strap and hooked to 150 lbs on the floor. The tail will stay 6" off the ground and it won't touch. The over night tie down strap will work.

[Mick]

No problem, I've used the tie down strap and the tie down ring on the ramp for a tire change at an overnight stop. As a general feel for the issue, remember when you just lean on the aft fuselage (to change direction when ground handling) and that tells you what general range of weight is needed.

[mocfly]

I have done it with 2 cinder blocks.

Works quite well

 

Speaking of tie down strap anyone know where i can get one.

[Roger Lee]

Hi Mocfly,

 

You can order one from FD, make one or just use any wide nylon strap and if you wanted have someone sew a cushion on it. The whole function is just to secure the tail in wind so any thing would work.

[mocfly]

Thanks Roger

[Jim Meade]

Thanks for the responses. I'm leaning to some concrete blocks, of which I have a plethora. I'm going to have four on hand but appreciate that two might do it.

[207WF]

You could put some stuff in the baggage bay and lighten the necessary weight. Recall how easy it is to push the tail down when the baggage bay is full! WF

[westcoastoz]

I just drilled a hole in the hangar concrete floor and put a 5/8" Loxon expansion anchor into it. When I need to elevate the nose, I screw an eye bolt into the Loxon and fit the tail collar and rope it to the eye bolt. (place some foam rubber under the tail so as not to scratch the paint).

[Jim Meade]

Expansion bolt sounds like a great and feasible idea, too. Thanks.

[Flying C Farms]

I have done the strap and wt. Used 2 35 lb dumbells and hooked together with a ratchet strap.

Really like the floor anchor post and will be doing that to my hgr. floor soon. So thanks for the question which produced some great answers.

[207WF]

Speaking of raising the nose in the air: Landing at Kern Valley CA (L05) last week, nearly full of fuel and with bags in the back, I parked on a slight up hill grade. Even though I had set the brakes lightly, when I shut down she started rolling backwards and I reacted by hitting the brakes, perhaps too enthusiastically. There we were, sitting with our nose in the air and the tail skid on the ground! Note to self: when heavy and on a slope, park facing down hill! WF

[Jim Meade]

I ended up using four cement blocks, a 2X4 and a tie-down rope.

 

I set the blocks up in a row with the holes aligned. I put the 2X4 through the hole. I left a space between the two pairs of blocks. I tied a noose in one end of the rope and passed it through the tie-down strap and around the 2X4. Pulled down on the tail, snugged the rope up and made a few wraps to take the strain then tied a knot. Worked great. 4 cement blocks at @30 lbs/ea was probably more than I needed.