Of all the things to worry about in flight training, parking the aircraft is probably at the bottom of your list. Your instructor probably gave your some directions on your first lesson, and you haven’t talked about it since. There is a fine art to getting the aircraft back to bed in the right position and ready for the next flight, and it shouldn’t be glossed over. Besides, it’s on the test.
The practical test standards say the designated pilot examiner is supposed to evaluate your ability to find a suitable parking spot with an appropriate safety margin, and, among other things, properly tie down the aircraft. Finding the spot will be easy at your home airport, but it does take some consideration when away from home. There’s only one way to make a tiedown knot, so it’s best to learn it right the first time.
Select a spot. Picking a good parking spot requires you to think ahead. Select a spot that will require a minimum amount of maneuvering and won’t cause you to blast those behind you with prop wash either during the parking sequence, and ideally, after starting up and leaving the spot. Consider, both for tying down and for obstacles, that any spot with a painted “T” should have ropes.
If there are no painted “Ts” and you are on a big ramp, create a parking spot the way you would with your car, leaving space for taxi lanes for other airplanes. Parking 90 degrees to the FBO building will make it easier to exit the area.
Parking. If you come to a tiedown with airplanes flanking the spot on both sides, you’ll have to do some pushing. Approach parallel to the row with a few feet of wing-tip clearance between your airplane and the row of parked airplanes. As you come upon the beginning of the spot, set the throttle to idle and turn out at about 45 degrees. Stop after the tire closest the parking row has passed the extended centerline of the parking spot. There shouldn’t be any need to increase the throttle. Doing so will blow objects back on the other airplanes.
Alternate: If there’s no grade and you’re alone, start the turn a little earlier and taxi forward until the airplane is straight on the extended centerline of the parking spot. Make sure to get the nosewheel straight before you shut down.
Towbar. The preferred pushback method is to use a towbar. Use a person on the outside of the turn to push at the wing root, wing strut, or in some cases, the hub of the propeller (there is disagreement on how hard this is on the airplane, but many mechanics agree it’s a fine spot to push). Have the pusher do the work and the person operating the towbar do only the steering.
As an alternative method, many Cessnas can be turned by pushing down on the root of the horizontal stabilizer until the nose is the off the ground (best done by the instructor).
If you’re alone and have pulled forward and are straight, push on the hub of the propeller with one hand and steer the towbar with the other.
Position. The main tires should be on the top of the “T,” and the tail should be directly above the lower part. This should place the tiedown ropes in perfect position.
Tiedown knot. It’s said that the proper airplane tiedown knot is a double locking hitch, but not everyone in the knot world is on board with that description. Whatever the name, the technique is universal.
You’ll need to start with a rope long enough that you’re left with at least three feet of slack after it’s been fed through the tiedown ring. From there, place the slack over the taught line, then back up through the opening. Then gently pull. Repeat this step, but this time guide the line between the first knot and the slack side. Now pull hard and the rope should “lock” in place. Repeat farther down the line.
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