There’s no one who better personifies the term “Yankee ingenuity” than Sal Corio, founder of the Rhode Island company that makes the patented “SlideDown” fast and easy tie-downs. The RAF discovered this slick pilot-tested product and is proud to feature them in the RAF Outfitter.
THE MAN BEHIND SLIDEDOWNS: SAL CORIO
The RAF Sources Products Locally Across the US — Meet One of Our Many Vendors
Sal Corio of SlideDown fast and easy tie downs, Warwick, Rhode Island
Raised in a family jewelry business, Sal handed out his first business card at age nine, promoting his snow shoveling enterprise. By age 14, he was taking flying lessons from barnstormer and world War II Navy flight instructor Sabbi Ludovici. “Sabbi was more concerned about correctly tying his airplane down than flying,” Sal said. He soloed shortly after his 16th birthday, and has been flying ever since, enjoying regular flights to AirVenture, Sun n’ Fun and other aviation events. And the importance of securing an airplane obviously lodged in his mind.
Watching folks tie down their airplanes – some attacking their knot problem by just adding more knots – he knew there had to be a simpler solution. “I used a friend’s machine shop and after several design modifications, SlideDown was created,” he said.
Sal had graduated from the University of Rhode Island in 1983 and by 1984 he was in the commercial auction business, putting him literally in touch with a variety of industrial machinery. “By 2012, I got inspired to begin making these things. Through my liquidations, I started acquiring the equipment I needed so I could make them myself.”
Rhode Island’s motto is simply “Hope” and Sal did a lot of that as he strolled past the hundreds of tied-down airplanes at Oshkosh, hoping he would not see anything that would make his design redundant. “I just knew they were out there somewhere.” But no one else had produced anything like his elegant “slide-down” design, so he decided, “I’m gonna make these things so the user doesn’t have to tie a knot. Sometimes, God puts you in just the right place,” he added, and explains that while camped at AirVenture’s North Forty, he became acquainted with the nearby campers. One happened to be a patent attorney, and helped him through that process.
In 2013 he loaded a pallet of SlideDowns bound for AirVenture, “Including a return bill of lading for the whole shipment in case no one wanted them,” he said. Skeptical people would grab a set and ask,“Does this thing really work?” After a quick demo, Sal would make a sale, then another, then another. . . “By day five or six, we were completely sold out.” Aircraft Spruce saw the potential and became Sal’s first distributor. He learned how to apply graphics to the radial surface, and now you’ll see branded SlideDowns sporting logos like the RAF. Sal reached out to AOPA, and ever since the year of the prize Debonair, its sweepstakes aircraft includes a set. “AOPA doesn’t go anywhere without their SlideDowns,” he said.
“Aviation is really my passion – always has been, and this business has connected me to people I’d never have met,” Sal says. He manages time to serve as president of the dynamic Rhode Island Pilot Association, and supports the RAF mission as well.
Another of his passions is producing his popular product entirely in his own shop with local employees. He’s had offers to multiply sales if production goes offshore. “Not gonna happen,” he says. He’s seen the sad results when manufacturing leaves its home place in search of cheaper production. “That’s when I end up liquidating someone’s dream,” he said. Nearby Providence used to be the costume jewelry capital of the world, but those factories stand silent, no longer buzzing with activity. “I was looking to make a quality tie-down entirely in Rhode Island. That’s how we’ve grown this little company,” he says, and is fulfilling his native state’s adage of “hope.”
Get your set at the RAF Outfitter, and learn more about all SlideDown products here.
By Carmine Mowbray
Submitted June 10, 2025
Posted in News
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Our many RAF supporters have such vast and varied experience, and we’re capturing some of their words of wisdom to share with you. This guest editorial is by Steve Johnson, former RAF Director, Supercub.org founder, and Gold Seal CFI/MEI.
Lock Haven Airport, or William T. Piper Memorial Airport (KLHV), has a legendary past. From 1937 to 1984, it was the home of Piper Aircraft, where the Cub was born. The vintage aircraft community celebrates to this day with its annual “Sentimental Journey” pilgrimage fly-in, and fills the parking areas along both its paved and turf runways. For recreational pilots, it’s a great base location for fly-outs, including scenic flying opportunities over the mixed hardwood forest along the Susquehanna River. The year-round camping area has working restrooms, a pavilion to escape the elements, and a bath house that had deteriorated. RAF Pennsylvania/West Virginia Liaison Chip Vignolini and RAF Pennsylvania Liaison Andy Turner assessed the deteriorating bath house and decided to do something about it. They have been awarded an RAF grant for upgrades and refurbishment. “Our goal is to bring the bath house back to full operational capacity and improve the site’s utility,” Vignolini said. “By replacing damaged siding and applying fresh paint, the project halts deterioration. The other planned bath house and campground improvements ensure that the environment matches the prestige of the aircraft that visit.” The Sentimental Journey Board organized an initial work party in April. Volunteers have provided the specialized machinery and tools to complete the structural work and site preparation. Vignolini and Turner are now ready to line up volunteers to replace an insufficient water heater, install privacy dividers, and integrate an RAF fire ring and RAF information box. CAP volunteers will help with the project. Volunteers will be the primary workforce, bringing their own tools and expertise to the field, from licensed plumbers to seasoned handymen. “Lock Haven has always been built by the hands of those who fly there,” Vignolini said. Work will continue in May, with the goal of being completed for the 2026 season. “The campground and fire ring serve as the ‘social hangar’ where elder pilots pass down knowledge and stick-and-rudder skills to the next generation of aviators.” Vignolini added. Lock Haven Airport can be found in the Airfield Guide . Submitted May 14, 2026
“Wow, did they ever get lucky!” When something good happens to a person or an organization, how many times have you heard that phrase? Or maybe even said it yourself? When, in reality, there’s been long term effort building skills, cultivating a growth mindset, expanding networks, and building relationships. When all is added together, this preparation creates a situation where opportunities are likely to arise. Or said another way, “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” It may appear to the casual observer that the RAF is about to get real lucky real soon. We think we are about to have the year we have been waiting for – well, maybe not waiting for – but rather preparing for. Over the course of the next 12-18 months, we will be announcing more airstrip possibilities and projects than we have ever experienced in a similar period. Leadership has been thinking about this for a good long time, and we have worked hard to be ready. What does that mean? It has meant building what I believe is one of the finest groups of people in aviation. People who are ready to step up and who bring and invest the skills needed to make things happen. It means having saved some money, which gives us the ability to say “Yes” and accept opportunities and the responsibilities they bring. It means having the relationship capital with our partners, be they private or public, that is required to make progress. We want you to know that we will be calling on all of us to give our best effort so we don’t miss our chance to get “lucky.” We will need people to take charge of projects just like you have in the past. We will need people to give some time – or maybe a lot of time – if they can spare it. We will need financial resources to meet the demands that we will be called upon to provide. I think we are ready, and I further think this is going to be one of the most exciting periods we’ve seen in the RAF timeline. I hope you are all in. Since the RAF was founded out here in rodeo country, it only seems appropriate that just before the chute is opened, a simple nod of the head throws it open and signals that big action is about to happen. Here’s to a little “nod of the head.” - John McKenna, RAF Chairman Submitted May 13, 2026
RAF Virginia Liaison Paul Kosubinsky organized volunteers the weekend of May 8-9 to clean up the campsite and install new amenities at Front Royal Warren County Airport, Virginia, KFRR. Assisting were the Warren County Airport Commission and Friends of Front Royal. “Together, we accomplished an amazing amount in a short time. From removing loads of trash to installing the beautiful new RAF-branded fire ring, entrance sign, and flag pole, the campsite has already been transformed into a welcoming destination pilots and campers will enjoy for years to come,” Kosubinsky reported. The team also cut and stacked enough firewood to last several seasons to benefit future visitors. The volunteers also set up an RAF table and greeted visitors during the airport Wings and Wheels event. This public-use airport has a paved 3,000-ft runway and offers camping with access to a porta-potty, indoor restrooms, and a courtesy car. It’s known as a gateway airport to the Shenandoah National Park and the Appalachian Trail. “Thank you again for helping make the KFRR Stokes Airfield Campsite something we can all be proud of. I look forward to many future gatherings around that new fire ring,” Kosubinsky added. Find more on Front Royal Warren County Airport in the Airfield Guide . Submitted May 13, 2026
RAF New York Liaison Doug Turnbull organized a work party at Great Valley airfield, N56 near Salamanca, in southwestern New York on Saturday, May 2. The group of volunteers cleaned up the riverbank, performed seasonal maintenance, and added a new RAF windsock. They removed encroaching brush along the 3,200-ft turf runway to make the approach more visible. The airfield is privately owned but open for public use. “Owner Anna Northrup was very appreciative of the fellowship and that she didn’t need to worry about these things. She generously provided morning donuts and coffee and lunch from the adjacent Katy's Fly-In restaurant,” Turnbull said. “The many hands made quick work, and it was good to spend time with other RAF volunteers out in the field working on this strip,” Turnbull added. Find more on Great Valley in the Airfield Guide . Submitted May 11, 2026
