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I am a 45 hour student pilot, close to my check ride and considering the purchase of a 1946 CD with metal wings, peddles and the 0200 conversion. Would any of the members comment as to whether this would be a good choice for someone of my limited hours ? I have done all my training in a Cherokee 180 but the club I belong to is getting crowded and sometimes it is nearly impossible to schedule an aircraft. Many thanks for any advice. Greetings! My girlfriend and I got a 1946 CD with metal wings and pedals as student pilots just prepping for solo. On a positive note, in my opinion, it can be an excellent decision as the Ercoupe is a very forgiving plane. However, you need to make sure things aren't too cumbersome in the cockpit. We were lucky in finding an almost IFR equipped cockpit, but still had to install an intercom just to get a check ride in it. Once you get your license you can fly the coupe all you want and don't really need (although it would be advisable to get) dual instruction to get in and fly it. But, as a student pilot you will need an instructor to sign you off on that type of aircraft before you can fly it. More importantly you will need to check with the insurance company. They are the ones that have to cover you if something happens and they may have their own requirements. As far as a trainer, it is a great airplane, but you will still need to rent in order to do your stalls. Now for the bad news. Another thing you have to realize is that there is a lot more to owning that first plane than meets the eye. I'm not saying that you didn't do your research. I'm just saying flight schools do little to prepare you for your first purchase. We made a lot of mistakes along the way and I would hope that at your stage you would not like to repeat them. First of all have a mechanic look at it. Preferably someone who doesn't know the current owner or has done an inspection on it before. You are talking about a 50 year old plane and there is a lot of things to look for that you may not be aware of. Corrosion on the wing spars isn't an easy thing to spot, but its expensive to take care of. There is no guarantee that the IP that signed off the last annual did what he or she was supposed to do. I'm not accusing most IP's of doing paper inspections, many are legit, but there are some out there that do. I got nailed by it and I wouldn't wish the consequences on anyone. For instance, an oil covered engine is NOT normal, I don't care what anyone says. I got a plane with a newly overhauled engine that couldn't keep more than 3 quarts in it for more than an hour. The main seal leaked, as did the gasket around the crank case halves. The prop wash caused it all to flow all over the place so you couldn't see where it was coming from. I was told by the previous owner and a mechanic that this was normal with the old continentals. Also look for documentation. That is one of the biggest nightmares. If there is no record of something outside of the equipment supplied when the plane was new, there has to be documentation. The radio is a big one. Almost all instrumentation should have something as there were very few guages in 1946. There are no radios from 1946 that are authorized for use today. If you do have a full instrument panel, what about empty weight recalculation? If the plane is to be used in class C airspace, make sure there is a transponder and a recent (within 2 years) transponder check. You will likely need this if you are doing a cross country to a class C airport. Almost anything you add to that plane will have to be done by a certified mechanic and it costs a fortune to do it. If I were to do it all over again I would spend at least several hours going through the paperwork to see what has been done to it and what hasn't. You also have to make sure all mandatory modifications have been made to it. There should be a record in the logs of all Airworthiness Directives and their compliance. On the Ercoupe there are quite a few. You might want to get a list of them before you check the documentation on the one you are thinking of buying. Yes, I think an Ercoupe is an excellent choice as a first airplane, and its a pretty good trainer. But the key here is that you have to find a well maintained, well documented and good condition coupe for this to be true. Also be aware that a decent paint job will cost you in the neighborhood of $5,000 to $7,000 if they need to strip it first. I can't stress enough, buyer beware! Take someone you can trust who is familiar with the process with you. It could mean the difference between hours of training or hours of rentals while waiting for the plane to come out of the shop. Will --------------------------------- to unsubscribe send mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] ____________________________________________________________ T O P I C A -- Learn More. Surf Less. Newsletters, Tips and Discussions on Topics You Choose. http://www.topica.com/partner/tag01
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