RE: Cheap Alternatives to stuff at the hobby shop
I went to Dollar General and got this corkscrew looking thing to tie your dog up to it's about 16" long with a handle at the top and a ring to hook the leash up to and screws into the ground: $2.00. I got a 4' dog leash for $3.00 and use the two in tandem to tie my plane down while tuning/starting.