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Help wanted for tie-down detail on AH-1T

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  • Member since
    August 2006
  • From: Milton Keynes, UK
Help wanted for tie-down detail on AH-1T
Posted by OhOh on Friday, October 13, 2006 4:26 AM

Hi All,

I'm finishing off a 1:72 Airfix AH-1T Sea Cobra and decided I wanted to do the FOD and the tie downs that are evident in a lot of the photos I've found on the web.

I know there are some Cobra specialists around so though I'd ask a couple of quick questions: 

1 - what is used to tie the rotor rigging to the tips of the rotor?  The front always seems to use an inverted Y of rigging connecting the tips of the skids to the tip of the rotor - but I can't find anything that shows detail of how the rigging is tied to the tip. Is it a sleeve, a clip, hook and eye?

2 - The rear blade is sometimes shown with almost the same inverted Y with the rigging attached at the tip of the blade but with the legs of the Y wrapped around the tail, at other times it looks like a flat belt has been figure of 8'd around the boom and rotor.  Is there some significance to the differences, or is it just a case of using whatever is handy or supplied for the task?

Finally (and this is probably such a basic question I feel embarrassed asking)The tie-downs from the body of Cobra - what do they attach to on the hardtop?  Fixed permanant holding points? Temporary/movable spikes? Drag anchors? (They're always out of shot on the photos I've seen!)

Thanks for listening,

K.

  • Member since
    April 2004
  • From: Georgia
Posted by Screaminhelo on Friday, October 13, 2006 4:23 PM

I believe the blade tiedowns have sleeves that slide over the blade tips.  The front and rear are the same, the difference that you are seeing is due to different methods of securing them to the airframe.  The Cobra guys here can really set you straight though, I am just working from memory of the ones I have seen from time to time.

As for the aircraft its self (don't be embarrased) it is secured to pad eyes on the ramp.  A properly laid out parking apron has a pad eye every three feet.  These are four inch holes that are about four inches deep with a mooring point in the middle.  The mooring point is basically large metal eyebolt that is anchored into the ground.  The top of the eye should be about 1/4 inch below the ramp surface.  This is common to most military ramps.  The spacing is sometimes not the same but the basic design of the pad eye is.  I can try and get specs on the pad eye if you like.

Mac

Mac

I Didn't do it!!!

  • Member since
    August 2006
  • From: Milton Keynes, UK
Posted by OhOh on Monday, October 16, 2006 3:45 AM

Thanks Screaminhelo, that helps a lot.

The sleeves seem the most common method I've seen, but did see a hook-n-eye arrangement that showed up more than once. 

The parking apron description is a great help - at 1/72 I think you've given me all the details I can handle. 

Cheers,

Kev.

  • Member since
    August 2006
  • From: Milton Keynes, UK
Posted by OhOh on Tuesday, October 17, 2006 2:37 PM
Hi again, sorry to be replying to my own posts.

Someone emailed me direct with an offer of photographs of the 6 tiedown points on the AH-1T, unfortunately the mail got spam filtered when I transfered it between work and home.
If you could email me again I'd appreciate it.
(and sorry, I don't recall the name on the email)
Thanks,

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