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Sal Corio Slidedown Story
A simple tie down anybody can use
In 1976, at age 14, I took my first flying lesson with the veteran barnstorming flight instructor Sabbie Ludovici.
Sabbie’s teaching method was a bit of a “fly by the seat of your pants” approach. He was just as concerned about teaching the technique of securing the airplane to the ground with the proper knot. Sometimes Ludovici was more critical of my knot tying than he was of my flying skills! As I visited more airports I started to realize a lot of pilots didn’t know how to tie a “proper knot”. The more I flew, the crazier the knots.
I knew there was an easier way
I knew I could find a solution that anybody could use. One day on a camping trip, I noticed a block of wood holding a tent to the ground. I thought about that little block of wood for the entire camping trip – I wanted to devise a solution taking that basic idea and make it easier, safer and strong enough to hold down my first airplane. I used a friend’s machine shop and after several design modifications, SlideDown was created.
Using SlideDown is super fast – no need to tie knots – and unlike ratchets that tend to jam, there are no mechanical parts. Pure ingenuity!
Pilots around the globe have been raving about the ease and simplicity of securing their aircraft with SlideDown.
Aviators aren’t the only ones that need a simple way to “tie down”. So we created a smaller version for the outdoor world. SlideDown is made in a variety of colors in two sizes, the larger size is made with 7/16-inch kernmantle braided rope and a smaller size using a 1/4-inch sta-set braid.
Multiple uses
There are literally hundreds of uses for Slidedown, from paddle sports, RV awnings, boating, hunting, securing pop-up tents at exhibits and trade shows. A simple way to secure just about anything. Share with us how you use SlideDowns.
We’re proud to say our patented SlideDown is made in Rhode Island in the United States of America. The powder-coated slide mechanism is made from aircraft-grade aluminum and the rope is braided not far from our shop.
