GP Shoestring pointers
 

Hi all! I just ordered a GP Shoestring ARF to be powered by an OS 61FX ON a Futaba 6EXA with 5 S3004 servos. I have read many threads on this plane but most seem a bit dated, although they hold a wealth of knowledge. I am seeking any new hints, tips, or tricks for the building and flying of this plane. I have high hopes for this aircraft and have read that it has very good flight characteristics. If you know of anything I should watch out for in flight or even in the build process, please feel free to chime in :D.

Thanks,

Luke[8D]

RE: GP Shoestring pointers
 

Go to the 91 FX, I have the 61 and its not really enough power. Reinforce the landing gear block as that is a weak spot.

John

RE: GP Shoestring pointers
 

I have one with a OS91fx in it ...It move out ...But I'm a power pig , so I got a second with a YS110fz ....The plane has no bad habit's that I have experienced , it doe's take a little longer to bleed off speed for landing...I will agree with Primodus...Go for the 91fx it's the same size (roughly) and has allot more power....JW

RE: GP Shoestring pointers
 

It loves to fly, so it's a pain to land sometimes. You will really have to slow this plane down on your approach, if not, it will not want to land. Other than that, the plane flies great. Flies like it's on a rail, and will move on quite quickly with a Saito 1.00.

Good luck,

John

RE: GP Shoestring pointers
 

OK OK OK :) I get the feeling you all think I should add more power to this bird than planned. However, wouldn't it be a good idea to start with less power to learn the plane and then beef it up later for fun? In other words, I already have the .61FX and don't have the greenbacks for a bigger engine yet :D

Luke[8D]

P.S. Thanks for the tips, keep em coming! [sm=RAINFRO.gif]

RE: GP Shoestring pointers
 

I don't have one but I second the Saito 100. Love those low, high speed passes with the 4-stroke sound...;)

RE: GP Shoestring pointers
 

Then just fly it, same set up as mine. A lot of fun and everyone loves looking at it.

John

RE: GP Shoestring pointers
 

My Shoestring has a OS 91fs and has plenty of power. I would think a OS .61fx would have enough power also. This is not a heavy airplane. Reinforce The landing gear mount. Have Cub yellow monocote on hand. This plane carries it's speed well but will slow down. Just takes longer. When reading the Shoestring flight instructions it tells you the plane has a tendency to bounce on landing. It does, so just be prepared to nail the throttle and go around. Better than stalling it in after a big bounce. The Shoestring is one of the best ARFs around. You WILL love it!!!:D

RE: GP Shoestring pointers
 

I have the Shoestring with a Thunder Tiger Pro 61 with a pitts muff and it has plenty of power! Yes, more will fit! I know you speed Monsters want to get that 100 MPH speeds. Mine is very fast with the 61. I played with the props to get a little more out of it... To say that it is under powered with the 61 is not true... It flies fine with athourity, with plenty of power. I never put a gun to mine but I must get 80 mph out of it. When I fly at the field I'm as fast as anyone. We do not have races at our field, but we do play. The shoestring is an excellent plane and flys great... I have mine set a touch nose heavy so it does land HOT! Once it touches down on the grass it stops like it has airbrakes. A MUST DO!!! Reenforce the landing gear area... If you do not it will break! I fly off grass and took the wheel pants off and put on bigger tires.
Have Fun

RE: GP Shoestring pointers
 

You guys with the need for speed I understand the adrenaline rush! But if someone is new to flying speed planes, 100 MPH planes are a lot to handle, especially if they don't have throttle control. Besides he has the 61 and wasts to save some scratch. I say if if you have the 61 and want to save some cash, use it you can always upgrade later. LOL didn't hit Notify me e-mail... Needed to say something to get it mailed to me. BYE

RE: GP Shoestring pointers
 

Tried to PM each of you for a personal thanks for the tips, having some issues there. Nonetheless, Thanks to each of you who have replied. So far I have gathered that the landing gear blocks should be beefed up and I should have some Cub Yellow Monokote on hand for patchwork. Also, I understand that my .61 wil fly this plane admirably well, but not to it's limits or maybe even its full potential. Any problems in the wing joining area? Is glassing necessary?

Thanks again!

Luke[8D]

RE: GP Shoestring pointers
 

That is what the throttle is for. After you realize it's not powerful enough, you just waste money on a 61 when you could of had the 91. Not knocking the 61 mind you, but not necessarily the right engine for the plane.

RE: GP Shoestring pointers
 

I had one with a 61 and it was plenty of power. I flew it at 1/2 to 3/4 throttle most of the time. Stick with the 61 and use the extra cash somewhere else. My plane would float in on landings, maybe because I had the lighter engine in it.

RE: GP Shoestring pointers
 

A floating, sporty looking scale plane is exactly what I want. If mine performs like rc_sport's does, I will be very pleased. After losing 2 planes in one month, I need a break. Any ideas on glassing the wing joint, necessary or not? It seems as though it will be easy to conceal inside the fuse with maybe a 2" strip of cloth on the joint. Thoughts?? :D

Luke[8D]

RE: GP Shoestring pointers
 

Glassing is a good idea ....If you fly hard like I do ....At any rate it couldn't hert ...I did on mine....JW

RE: GP Shoestring pointers
 

I have a shoestring with a saito 91. Ditos with all what the other guys said. I glassed mine but, I glass everything. Just let it bleed off speed, and it will float in like a trainer.

RE: GP Shoestring pointers
 

Check the tail incidense to the wing. Mine has a bunch of negative in the tail causing me to have to use a lot of down trim to keep it from climbing. I accidently turned a high speed low pass into a high speed touch and go and once the wheels were on the ground you can't believe how the tail came up in the air. I'm surprised it didn't do a ground loop! I will be cutting off the tail feathers soon and resetting them it is annoying me so much.

Glass the wing, you don't see it anyways, especially if you think you may add a bigger engine later.

Reinforce the landing gear.

Raise the wheel pants if you can....I do this on all of my planes and they seem to last longer than others do.

Get some extra yellow as there is an ugly gap between the cockpit and the fusulage. I installed a piece of covered balsa to make it look presentable. Also put some yellow over the red stripe on the fusulage where the number decals go. If you don't, the red stripe shows through and it's very noticable. By covering the stripe you only see a hint of it showing through the number decal.

Pin the cowl blocks with toothpicks unless you use another method of attachment. Every one of mine broke loose eventually. Once I pinned them I had no additional trouble. Of course, I have the .91 fx which I understand vibrates a bit more than the .61 fx.

Lastly, if I were to do it over again, I would attach the canopy before I glued the cockpit to the wing. It's fit wasn't the greatest and in hindsight I would have liked to put ply blocks around the inside and used cap screws to fasten it down.

This plane is a great flyer with no bad habits. This plane will land slow with no danger of snapping. The trouble is that it's so sleek it doesn't like to bleed off speed. If you come in shallower than normal it will slow down just fine. I had a bunch of trouble with the .91 which caused many dead sticks. With those big fat wings it floats like you wouldn't believe!! I have found that the tail can be very twitchy during taxi and had it come around unexpectedly once or twice.

Enjoy!!!

Jeff

RE: GP Shoestring pointers
 

It has arrived! :D Here a few pics of the product. I am floored by the quality of this ARF. Superb work Great Planes!

Luke[8D]

RE: GP Shoestring pointers
 

Lastly, if I were to do it over again, I would attach the canopy before I glued the cockpit to the wing. It's fit wasn't the greatest and in hindsight I would have liked to put ply blocks around the inside and used cap screws to fasten it down

I meant those mushroom head allen screws......cap screws would look like crap.

Glad to see you got your plane!! We're in the process of getting snowed in here in "SUNNY" South Carolina. I'm using the time to put my Hanger 9 27% Cap 232 that I've had around here for months together.

Jeff

RE: GP Shoestring pointers
 

NICE, ain't it!!:D Only complaint I had was my large "16" decals were a little wrinkled and hard to get on straight. "If my plane doesn't look perfect you're standing to damn close"![>:]

RE: GP Shoestring pointers
 

Primary inspection shows a few wrinkles. I suspect they will draw out easily under a little heat and were probably the result of a very cold transit. All in all I am very impressed with the quality of this ARF.[8D] The parts are individually wrapped and seperated by cardboard inserts where necessary. Hardware out the wazoo. Geez, so many pieces, so little time. :D

Gathered from this thread are the following pointers:

1. Beef up Landing gear support.
2. Glass the wing joint.
3. Watch for cockpit/fuselage gap. Prepare to seal with covering.
4. Raise wheel pants if possible for use off grass.
5. Use long approaches with low glide path for bleeding off excess speed for landing.
6. Use caution and care on decal placement. May require some yellow under patches where decals cross red stripes.
7. Pin cowl blocks for added support.
8. Beware the bouncy landings. Be ready to go around again.
9. Keep some Cub Yellow covering on hand for patches.
10. Have fun flying this plane!

Did I miss anything? :D

Luke[8D]

RE: GP Shoestring pointers
 

Just the fun that comes later!:D:D

RE: GP Shoestring pointers
 

A few pics on how I mount my wheel pants. I use Dubro 5/32 axles. I get longer axles than I need and cut them to size. The Sig wheel pant mounts are made of brass collars set in plastic and a set screw to keep the wheel pant from moving when screwed tight. I grind a flat area on the bottom of the axle for the set screws. I usually use as large of wheels as I can get in the wheel pants. I use two mounts on each wheel pant to keep them more rigid. The nice thing is if the wheel pant gets bumped hard the plastic mount housing of the wheel pant will break before ruining the wheel pant. When that happens just remove the broken one and replace it with a new one. Pics do not show set screws installed yet.

Don't let the wheel rub the wheel pant anywhere or it will act as a brake. Might have to put spacers on the axle to keep the wheels from touching the sides. I fly off a grass field and don't have any trouble as long as the grass doesn't get to long. If it gets that long everybody has problems wheel pants or not. "Waiting for warm weather!!!":eek:

RE: GP Shoestring pointers
 

I've had great fun with mine. I chose a different power system than most, ELECTRIC! A brushless MEGA 22/30/2 w/3:1 GB spinning a 13x8 3-blade prop at 9000rpm. 6S4P LiPos gives an easy 15 minute flight and boy does she grove! I did have one harsh landing that relocated the LG back about 2 " Easy enough to fix. I like Mettlers wheel pant solution. I fly off a grass field and it's been hard on them. Hope you have as much fun with yours.

Good Luck,

Terry

RE: GP Shoestring pointers
 

I put block's in mine also ...I used 2x1/2" button had screw's on the canopy they look and work great...JW