In a message dated 3/2/2006 2:27:20 P.M. Central Standard Time,=20 dfs155@adelphia.net writes:

<= FONT=20 style=3D"BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=3DArial color=3D#000000 size= =3D2>Your=20 post had the following line:

>>>and it is this location of= a=20 jack lift point that requires 120 to 150
pounds applied to the tail (ta= il=20 tie down ring) to lift the nose off the
ground.<<<

I do= n't=20 often (if ever) disagree with you but let me pass along an "event"=20 I
experienced about 10 - 12 years ago that convinced me to find another= way=20 to
hold the tail down than with the removable tie-down ring.

I w= as=20 doing the "annual" and had jacked up the airplane to change the nose
wh= eel=20 tire. I used the tie-down ring to hold the tail down (my hangar at the
= time=20 had some really heavy-duty steel rings set in the floor to which I
secu= red=20 the rope). I had just finished re-installing the nose tire
(thankfully!= )=20 and was planning to do a gear swing, when the tie-down ring
pulled out=20= of=20 the aircraft and the nose gear dropped to the pavement.

If I hadn't= =20 taken a moment to have a pipeful, the failure likely could have
happene= d=20 while the gear was up. I'm sure that besides the racket of the nose
hit= ting=20 the ground, the airplane would have come off the jacks, due to the
ensu= ing=20 angle, with all the attendant additional damage one can imagine.

I=20 could never determine just why the pin pulled out of the socket - it=20 was
examined carefully and no defect could be found. I had taken care t= o=20 see
that the pin inserted fully and that it did in fact, go in far enou= gh=20 to
insure that the spring loaded balls were slightly past the upper edg= e of=20 the
socket.

I never figured it out but that was the last time I=20= used=20 the tie-down during
jacking, though I still use it strictly as a parkin= g=20 tie-down point.

Dan,

Interesting because I put about 70 pounds on the tail itself (35 each s= ide=20 on top of cushions) and use the tie down ring attached to heavy=20 weights on the floor to stabilize the airplane against a tail cone=20 support. Lancair actually suggests the strap method - no weights=20= on=20 the tail. I don't like the strap method because it is located too far=20 forward requiring even more weight.

The tie down ring "should" be able to hold 150 pounds, but nothing is a= =20 sure thing as you discovered.

Thanks for the note and I am going to pass your warning along thru the=20= LML.=20

Scott Krueger=20 AKA Grayhawk
Lancair N92EX IO320 SB 89/96
Aurora, IL=20 (KARR)

PS Safety is thinking about what can go wrong and fixing it just=20 before it does go wrong! This is helpful in keeping our hobby horses o= ut=20 of the doll hospital.