GP Shoestring
 

OK! I'm pulling the stuff out of my 60 size trainer. And I'm thinking seriously about a GP Shoestring.
Anybody got ant pros or cons on this ARF? Read an article on them in AMA, sounded pretty positive!!

RCDAVE

GP Shoestring
 

They fly very well, but I hope that you are far enough along in your training to deal with neutral stability. This means that they are not self stabilizing, and that once they are put into a turn, they will tend to stay in that turn. This is no high wing trainer. Make sure that you put the CG where indicated in the instructions. Don't use anything bigger then a .60 in it for your situation, and stay on your toes. They are fast, smooth and delightful to fly.

Jim

Shoestring
 

Mine has the OS61fx w/bisson pitts muffler. I takeoff with 1/4 throttle and fly it at 1/2 throttle. It moves!!! It is very light for the size. On high rate ailerons, it will roll so fast you cannot count the rolls. Loops are huge. I highly recommend it to good flyers...very stable but it could get away from you if you are not careful. I would estimate my speed as 75 mph at half throttle and over 100 mph at full tilt. Landing speed is brisk but manageable if you have enough runway. My engine is new and I don't have the idle as slow as it will go...and I have only flown it in zero wind or 90 degree crosswind conditions so it will slow down some more under a more favorable wind.

As far as quality goes...I don't think you will find a better built ARF. Monokote and paint on mine is perfect! The decals are thin so make sure you cover the red side stripe with some Cub Yellow where the number 16 goes or you will see the stripe through the decal. I count that as it's one flaw. Also, use a Goldberg spinner instead of the GP spinner that comes with it...the Goldberg spinner matches the paint on the cowl and the GP spinner doesn't. I guess that's two flaws.

If you want people to watch you fly, this is the ship...It's sooo cool taxiing out with it's fat fuse and stubby wings. And when it zips by at 100 mph there is no better sight.

You will love it. Believe it or not I am considering buying another one in case something happens to this one. This is the first plane I've thought of buying a spare for. Usually I just move on but I will miss this one when the inevitable happens.

Yak

GP Shoestring
 

I say go for one!! I liked it so much I chose it as my user name!!!

Shoestring
 

Get it if you can handle it.........but warning you'll fall in love! :p

Shoestring
 

I just received my shoestring last week and I am getting ready to install the motor. I will be putting an Enya 60 in it along with a pitts muffler. It is one of the best arfs I have seen as far as quality and easy to put together. Have not seen one fly but from what I have heard I think I will be happy with it.
Good luck
Doug

Engine placement for ys 91
 

Anyone with the shoestring mount a larger 4 stroke like the ys 91 sideways or inverted looks like it would fit better inverted??? Have not the plane up yet so it is kind of harf to tell how wide cowl is any opinions welcomed

MOUNTED 100 INVERTED
 

I have a Saito 100 mounted inverted and fits great, use a on board glow and that too works great. Great ARF and flies FAST and TURNS LEFT FAST!!!!!!!!!
RORO

GP Shoestring
 

OS 91 FX fits fine sideways with a pitts muffler and really hauls the mail with a 13x8 apc. I doubt you could get a 4 stroke to wind up as much or if you would even want to for that matter- Vertical? well You can fly it straight up till you cant see it- believe me- scary, wont do that again

GP Shoestring
 

Ok my mind is made up then i will mount my ys inverted it doesnt need on board glow to run well at idle but i was also wondering how this plane lands since it is such a speedster ???

Mine lands SLOOOWWWW?
 

Mine actualLY lands slower than I thought it would OR should, I should have said in earlier thread, FLIES FAST, TURN LEFT, LANDS SLOWWWWWW.
You will love the plane. Really do not need on board glow, but would recommend REMOTE GLOW so you are not reaching underneath to PUT ON/REMOVE IGNITOR

GP Shoestring
 

Check out the latest AMA Magazine. Model Aviation for May 2002. There is a review of one with a ys91.

GP Shoestring
 

My Shoestring went together pretty easily, although I would get a roll or trim sheet of cub yellow to go under the numbers and maybe around the canopy, because the back part of the canopy & the tape that they ask you to buy is a diffent shade of yellow than the fuselage. Also get some longer 2-56 bolts for the aileron horns ( or different horns ). I have a Magnum 61 with a Pitts in mine, but haven't had it in the air just yet.

GP Shoestring
 

I have a shoestring, and I will warn you that her belly is very VERY delicate. I've totally replaced the balsa spars underneath with basswood.. It is a really beautiful plane, and is a showstopper. She won't do all the tricks in the book, but really a fun fly. I put a .91 Saito in the nose, and it has unlimited vertical. I love the plane, but have to say that it's definatly not the plane for people that have a rough landing once in a while. The shoestring is not very forgiving. BTW Even with flaps I was suprised by the speed on landings. Much quicker than my SE and Decathalon.

Surprise, Surprise
 

Even with flaps I was suprised by the speed on landings. Much quicker than my SE and Decathalon. [/B][/QUOTE]

Ya know, I hope that quotes like this don't surprise too many people, we are dealing with a RACER here. The SHOESTRING is one of the few planes that you can expect to come out nose heavy. Stick a big .91 fourstroker in it, and it's going to be even more nose heavy. All of this means, that you are going to need to add more weight to the tail to make it balance !

Result - You made the little plane overly heavy, and it's going to result in SURPRISE, higher landing speeds. Put a lightweight 2 stroke .60 engine in. It will require no extra tail weight to balance, and it will land as slow as a butterfly with sore feet.

GP Shoestring
 

Jim,
If you read in the instructions, it will tell you that this plane will land quicker than most planes. And I know why now! With the popularity of the fun fly plane becomming mainstream, people are getting used to these huge wings with nice stall characteristics, and just floating these planes down at your feet. That is not the case with the Shoestring! I agree, it is a racer and you must treat it as such. I'm just warning people that you need a tad bit more skill to land this plane than most. In the air, it's a perfect fly, acts like it's on rails. She doesnt like the wind too much I'm afraid at slow speeds.

GP Shoestring
 

My shoestring floats easily, and lands easily, faster than a trainer of course but I was amazed at how slow it would fly. And I have flown mine in 12-15 mph cross winds and have no problem with landing it. You have to land it like a pattern airplane long and low, it doesnt slow down all that fast

GP Shoestring
 

Did someone put flaps on their Shoestring?

GP Shoestring
 

- Smallfly

" Mine actualLY lands slower than I thought it would OR should, I should have said in earlier thread, FLIES FAST, TURN LEFT, LANDS SLOWWWWWW. " Quote - RoRo


Thank you for your support Smallfly, and RoRo. I tried to indicate, that people are probably loading the little plane up too heavy, and increasing the wing loading too high, but they just don't seem to understand ? Ah jest luvs der way mine lands too.

( I think that I'll buy a spare ...... I luv dat plane ! )

pic
 

Here is my SHOE.
Notice Saito 100 inverted, and yes I should have used yellow under the 16 in back. Would have been a nice touch. As far as flaps, I do land occasionly with flaperons, I think that does help to slow it down some.

Shoestring
 

I've been flying my Shoestring since August and its been a blast. It was the first plane i made the maiden flight on( I've been flying since Oct 2000) and it took off like a dream. I fly ot with the OS61 and at half throttle it's fast enough for me. It lands better then the Four Star 60 I had. Someday I may have build one 1/3 scale. Right now I'm Building the Dare Shoestring, its electric with a speed 400 hundred, hope it flies as well.

GP Shoestring
 

Love mine! I put a .91 saito twin in mine, used a plywood mount of my own making, and put the battery behind the servo tray and it worked out perfect! Love the sound of that 4 stroke twin when doing a low pass. It is a beautiful plane

GP Shoestring
 

Hi Shoestring lovers. Flew it again today and received many more compliments. Everybody loves this airplane! I finally have my idle slowed down and it does land slower and easier now. The thing does take a lot of time to slow down though because it is so aerodynamically clean. I also did some stalls at high altitude and they were cub like. Just mushing and then a slight drop of the nose and she was flying again. No tendency to drop a wing like one might think of a racer. If you have not bought a Shoestring yet you are missing out on a lot of fun...

Yak

control rods
 

Ok I'm at the stage of installing the control rods for the rudder and the elavators. No big deal but they don't slide easily in the guide tubes. I'm worried about binding. Anyone have any thoughts . That being said this is a great ARF.

Re: control rods
 

They better slide easy in the guide tubes. I had no problem with mine. You may want to replace them with something better.

Jim

GP Shoestring
 

I have an OS .91 Four-stroke is mine. I've tried APC 12x13, Zinger 12x13, 12x10, and 12x9 and 14x7-13 (what does 7-13 mean anyway?) If I wanted the plane to go as fast as possible, what prop would be the best?

shoestring
 

I have a shoestring with a 91 fs 4 stroke and i have found that a 13X10 works really good for top speed and a 14X6 for lots of vertical . have to say i love the way this bird flies!!!

GP Shoestring
 

Twister -

I think I settled on the APC 11x13 for speed, but I'll give your 13x10 a try. There's nothing like a flight box of 50 props that just aren't right!

GP Shoestring
 

What do you experts recommend for an OS 61FX on the Shoestring? Mine is fast with the APC 13-6 but you know, let's see how fast she'll go!

Yak

Shoestring!
 

Got my Shoestring up for the first time today, and it flies great. A friend trimmed it out for me - maybe two clicks on aileron trim & and two on elevator, and it was hands off after that. I was wondering about flaps, but it lands fairly slow - just don't use the last third of the runway for the touchdown. It's QUICK. I've got a Magnum 61 2-stroke in mine with a Pitts muffler, using a 12X6 wooden prop. Also, it looks good in the air & on the ground, as I got compliments from everyone at the field.

Re: Surprise, Surprise
 

Ya know, I hope that quotes like this don't surprise too many people, we are dealing with a RACER here. The SHOESTRING is one of the few planes that you can expect to come out nose heavy. Stick a big .91 fourstroker in it, and it's going to be even more nose heavy. All of this means, that you are going to need to add more weight to the tail to make it balance !

Result - You made the little plane overly heavy, and it's going to result in SURPRISE, higher landing speeds. Put a lightweight 2 stroke .60 engine in. It will require no extra tail weight to balance, and it will land as slow as a butterfly with sore feet. [/B][/QUOTE]

Actually, if you check Tower's web site you'll find the OS 61fx and the OS 91fs with mufflers installed weigh almost the same. The 91fs actually weighs slightly less by a tiny amount.
Rather surprised me!! Two stroke mufflers weigh more than 4 stroke mufflers. :surprised

GP Shoestring
 

All the reports and reviews I've read all say the same thing, with the OS61 and a Pitts muffler no tail weight was needed. I installed that same combo and had to add about 4 oz of weight to the tail. I added a Sullivan fueler but it doesn't weigh that much. I don't even have the wheel paints installed. I installed a Bisson Pitts muffler maybe it weighs more than others, Beat me. Oh well its still fun to fly.

Engine Weight
 

One of the replies mentioned using a "heavy" .91 4-stroke. The Saito .91, an AAC engine, weighs, according to their specs, 18.3 ounces with muffler. The OS .61FX is 19.4 ounces. I would imagine this is without muffler, but it is still an ounce heavier than the "heavy" Saito. Other 4-stroke .91s are much heavier, especially the Thunder Tiger at over 26 ounces.

Re: Engine Weight
 

Ed, according to the Tower web site the OS 61fx weighs 23.6 oz. with muffler and the OS 91fs weighs 23 oz. with muffler.
So it's not a question weight about as it is about fitting in the cowl and type of power and sound you want. Just bought a GP Shoestring and am pondering which engine to go with.
I really like the sound of a four stroke in a scale-like plane but the OS 61fx will fit entirely inside the cowl with a pitts type muffler. For me it's a tough choice to make as I like both engines.

GP Shoestring
 

I had a .91 Saito in mine, and was a very nice match for the plane.

GP Shoestring
 

I just took my shoestring up for its maiden flight. OS 91 surpass, inverted 14x6 zinger (light) and trueturn P51 spinner. No need for more motor. Fast agile and slows down real nice for landings. I use a 5 cell pack and hitec 225 servos. CG right on with no extra balance weight. I don't think it makes a good second plane but I really enjoy it.

GP Shoestring
 

Just curious as to why it does not make a good second plane. Do you mean it is too much performance and it should be considered as a 3rd or 4th plane or are you just not pleased with it in general???...just curious

GP Shoestring
 

I wouldn't think it's a good 2nd plane for these reasons;

1. It's fragile. It will not take much abuse. If you blow a landing you will blow out the landing gear and that will take the bottom of the fuse off...major damage.

2. It's fast. Three times faster than a trainer which would have been your 1st plane.

3. It's neutral. Not self righting, you fly it from takeoff to touchdown.

In a nutshell, you have to be a very competent pilot to enjoy flying it. It's not hard to fly if you know what you are doing. I know when I was on my 2nd plane I did not have the experience to successfully fly an airplane with the performance of a racer.

my .02

Yak

GP Shoestring
 

I agree....the 2nd time I flew mine, I blew out the bottom of the fuse.....fixable, but he is very correct..this is quite a delicate plane. The entire bottom fuse is ribbed in less than 1/4" balsa, very easy to break this.

Shoestring
 

Mine has been complete for sometime, still trying to FIND the engine that will not tip the nose over.
I have a few NIB engs. First try was a Tigre Shark .75 figures not much more bigger than a >60... Now I'm gonna try the ASP .61 and see how that goes...

Thing is : CG is right on the money at 3 & 3/16 " from edge and inside stuff moved back as far as possible . Third try is a charm, I hope..

Has anyone else had problems like this ?
I have been flying for many years and never had to add weight to the tail area..

Tony