Does anyone know if/where I can purchase a model aircraft hold back devise that can be released by ones foot?
Mack

I have seen them, but I wouldn't personllay trust them. I would rather have someone holding it. The chances of them letting go and it taking your hand off is a lot better when using a mechanical device that can fail.

Do a search on google for it. Your bound to come up with it. Seems I have seen them on RCU too in the advertising section. Go to the advertising index.

I wouldnt trust one either... rope looped around the base of a post on our fence.

Although expensive i use my 13 year old son, as for releasing with your foot, well that is sometimes required to get him motorvated.

A 8" spike pushed into the ground with a suitable length of cord tied to it and then looped over the tail end has never failed me in years. Real cheap, fits nicely into the field box. FWIW

for the sound advise.

Need a small boy and a big foot now, will look on ebay!!!

Happy Christmas to you all over that side of the pond

Mack South Norfolk Model Flying Club Norwich UK

I just use a tent peg and some heavy cord. It is dirt simple, and cheap. I have seen the one's that you are looking for, I just feel that for what they do, it is just too awkward to carry with you. If you were to permanently plant them on your field, maybe a different story. Even though I have my own private field, I just use the tent peg and cord...

I wrap a rope around the tail of my plane and a tree to table and it works great.

Good Lord Geist! What are you flying that you need to tie your plane down to a tree and a table.

Here is what I do.

Get about 5 foot of hard PVC pipe, 2 90 degree PVC elbows, a PVC tee, 1/2 foam pipe insulation and a PVC end cap PVC glue, plus a 6 to 10 inch garden spike. All about 1/2 inch in diameter. Oh forgot about a length of 1/2 inch diameter dowel rod.

Cut 2 10 inch pieces of pipe
Cut 1 8 inch piece of pipe
Cut 1 2 inch piece of pipe

Take the tee and grind out the ridge on the inside of it so the 8 inch piece will slide all the way through. Once I have the 8 inch piece centered in the tee, I drill through the tee and the 8 inch piece at the top of the tee and insert a sheetmetal screw. I then back out the screw and elongate the hole, in the tee only, about 2 to 3 inches and reinsert the sheetmetal screw, epoxying it in.

Now I take the end cap and drill a hole in the center of it the same diameter as the garden spike and shove the spike into it and epoxy the heck out of it. I then shove the dowel rod into the pipe and epoxy it in there. I then glue the other end of the 2 inch pipe into the tee at the bottom.

Glue each 90 degree elbow to the 8 inch pipe on each side of the tee and glue the 10 inch uprights to each elbow. I cover the 10 inch uprights with 1/2 thick pipe foam to help protect the plane.

You shove the whole thing into the ground, the slot you cut out allows it to pivot, so you face the slot towards where the tail of the plane is going to go and let the uprights fall to the ground. Now set your plane on top of the tee so that the tail clears the uprights that are now laying down and rotate the uprights to the upright position and push the plane against them. The plane will hold them up and once you start the engine and due the engine checks, the pressure on the uprights will keep them against the tail. Now to release the plane just pull it backwards enough to let the uprights drop.

This sound like allot but I have built several of these in varying sizes for other pilots and it takes all of an half an hour to do. You can use larger or smaller pipe sizes and can either shorten or lengthen the uprights and the piece that goes through the tee depending on your needs.

I will post pics later tonight and if anyone wants I will even make it for you for a very small fee plus shipping. PM me if you want me to make one for you.

My club has a couple of steel stakes driven into the ground
at each stations for holding back models.
Poeple use to bring thier own. A Y shape and just hammer them into the ground.

I use to just stand over plane and have the stabilizer behind my legs.
Me old lady be complainting of oil on my clothe thou.
But I love the smell of nitro

built mine out of PVC pipe and foam pipe insulation as well. It's plenty strong (used it for a buddy's gasser several times) and it's never failed me yet. I think it cost me a grand total of about $15.00 to build, and that was only because I had to buy new cans of PVC cement and primer also. The bottom rails have three holes drilled in them through which I insert the big metal nail type tent stakes. Drive 'em in the ground and it isnt going anywhere.

I think most of you, except posts 2-4, are missing the point that he is looking for a device that can be somehow released by foot. I have no idea why he is looking for such an animal, but the hold down devices you are all proposing seem to be different than what he is looking for.

-Scott