HBC Parking Into The Wind

[Jeff Point]

The aircraft was secured by "the claw" and whoever tied it down didn't follow the instructions on how to use that system. Maybe someone needs to walk the field an hour after aircraft arrive and give tie-down guidance. There are people who could use help there...

Bingo. I see thousands of tie downs each year and a shockingly high percent are improperly installed, particularly "The Claw" which has become very popular. We try our best to correct folks who are doing it wrong but it often isn't caught until after the plane is tied down, and some folks just don't like to take friendly advice.

I am convinced that many of the reports of "failures" of this system over the years were due to improper installation.

Here's a photo from this year of a random RV in HBP. This owner put on a clinic on how not to install The Claw, but he is far from the only one.