I finally finished the shoestring (I have been out of town the last week.) 15' lines were too long but 10' seemed about right. the foam that they used for the kit is a little to brittle for my taste. I am making a new one out of 1/16" balsa. you can see my first test flight on youtube.
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the bellcrank got caught in the full up position. I didnt video my other tests but the foam breaks too easily. If you used a 1/32 plywood doubler that went 1/3 into the wing it might be fine. also the "wheels" on the shoestring are fake so I was a bit dissapointed in that. the bellcrank I made out of .20 plastic sheet. pictures to follow later when i upload.
I am about 1/2 done with my balsa shoestring. I used siff 1/16" balsa for everything except the rudder which is soft balsa. I also used 1/32 basswood for the motormounts. I weighed it at work today and it came in at 20 grams with everything except leadout guides, landing gear & control system. I think that I am going to cut holes in the wing and cover it with monokote of some form to further reduce weight. I would like the completed airplane to come in under 16-18 grams. Pictures when I get my camera working again...
does anyone know if super thin steel wire would be lighter than spiderwire fishing line? If so I might look into making a set of steel lines for it.