Definition
A knot used to join two pieces of rib-stitching cord during the rib-lacing process on a fabric-covered aircraft, allowing a new length of cord to be added without weakening the stitching or disturbing completed stitches.
Plain English
A small, secure knot used to tie a fresh piece of stitching cord to the end of one that has run out, so the lacing along a wing rib can continue without a weak spot.
Context Anchor
Seen in aircraft maintenance, ground handling, and tiedown work when rope or cord is used to secure, pull, or protect aircraft equipment.
Derivation
‘Splice’ comes from the Dutch ‘splissen’, meaning to join two ends of rope together. ‘Knot’ is the fastening itself. Together the term describes a knot whose purpose is specifically to join — splice — two pieces of cord into one continuous working length.
Why Pilots Care
A properly made splice knot keeps flight controls reliable by avoiding weak points that could fail under flight loads.
Intuition Check
A splice knot is not just any knot tied in a rope. The key idea is that the rope strands are woven into each other to make the joint.
Example Sentence 1
When the rib-stitching cord ran short partway along the wing, the mechanic tied a splice knot to attach a new length and continued the lacing.
Example Sentence 2
During the annual inspection the cable splice knot was checked for proper lay and security.