Great Planes Shoestring/previous posts
 

I have read previous posts about the Shoestring and how some people were having trouble with the landing gear, and the way it is constructed. Well the other day I was flying my Shoestring, and on landing, and a 3 point at that, the landing gear just folded back on me, causing the belly to be gutted, and the wheel pants shoved through my wings. I have had this plane for over a year and a half, and over 60+ flights on this plane, and no trouble untill now. I noticed other guys saying that it happened after only a couple of flights, wich tells me they are slamming this plane down on landings, wich it can't take due to the weak construction of the landing gear mount. I have had it hop on me on landings as well, but nothing so jaring that it ripped the landing gear out on me, I imagine it just got weak after all those flights, so I was just wondering if someone who has beefed up the landing gear area, could give me some pointers on what they did to better the construction, so I can get my Shoestring back up again, but without adding a tremendous amount of weight to it, although my T.H. .75 has no problem taking it through the skies, so a little extra weight wont kill it I guess. Thanks:D

RE: Great Planes Shoestring/previous posts
 

I installed a 1/4" ply block above the gear to sandwich the split gear. Then I made an 1/8" ply doubler to fit perfectly in front of the bulkhead forward of the landing gear. I think the main weakness is the bulkhead in front of the landing gear. This bulkhead is doubled partway down for the wing dowels but is quite weak below the doubler. the area where this bulkhead connects to the fuselage is only 1/8" thick and about 3/8" wide. The rearward twisting of the landing gear breaks the doubler in this area allowing the gear to rotate backwards gutting the plane.

This is a link to one thread on this subject- http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_16...tm.htm#1648938

RE: Great Planes Shoestring/previous posts
 

Thanks Cogburn, I checked out the other post you left, and that was a little more damage than I had. My landings are usally pretty smooth, and I'm not trying brag or anything, but when I was landing, and it broke on me, it was a 3 point, and it took out the rear bulkhead of the landing gear block only, and a few stringers, and the front bulkhead was not damaged, so I doubled it thinking that on landing the force would be applied to the rear bulk head, as well as puting hard wood 1/4 blocks just above the stringers on the belly under the landing gear, attaching both bulkheads together at the bottom, instead of just those wimpy 1/8 stringers, and reinforcing the sides of the two bulk heads that sandwich the landing gear block with ply, instead of the factory installed balsa. I hope this works, but since you mentioned putting a doubler on the front bulkhead of the gear, I might go back and do it to. Thanks for the reply:D
Andy

RE: Great Planes Shoestring/previous posts
 

you can buy a new fuse for 80 bucks....think about that maybe..;)

RE: Great Planes Shoestring/previous posts
 

I have hadmine about a year and at least 100 flights and nothing. But I think i will give the gear a looking over just in case. Of course i land on asphalt and my landings are generally smooth. My guess is those who land on anything other like grass would be a bit hard on the gear.

RE: Great Planes Shoestring/previous posts
 

Glad I found this thread, although I haven't flown my all that much I have the same setup you do aps f4u, I haven't re-inforced mine either but after reading this thread I believe it would be a smart thing to do.

So on your TH .75 are you running a pitts on this engine?

Blackie

RE: Great Planes Shoestring/previous posts
 

I know that Great Planes representatives are on these forums. And they are surely reading thses posts. So why have they never modified their design and reinforced it at the factory? :eek:

Same goes for the other ARF manufacturers...