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At , David Schultz wrote: >I am considering the purchase of a 1946 Ercoupe. (it has the 85 Hp >conversion.) I >live in southwest, Montana and am concerned about flying an Ercoupe in a >high altitude, mountainous region. Should I be concerned? Yes. Due to their configuration, Ercoupes don't do particularly well at high density altitudes. I'd sure want an O-200 conversion, giving me both the Marvel carb (real mixture control) and the extra oomph. My Ercoupe does great in density altitudes of up 3000 feet or so, then the climb gets awful flat. Similarly, getting past 7500' solo or 5500' at gross takes a darn long time... ...enough to make you hang around in thermals for help. >I would use >the >airplane mainly for recreational flights, less than 400 miles, around >the >northwest. Occasionally I would hope to do some cross country flying. From having lived in the West, and flown there, there are a lot of mountain airports I'd as soon not have to get out of in an Ercoupe. >I would be interested to know of any experience relative to flying an >Ercoupe in country like mine. I'd be much happier in something like a Super Cub, or a 160HP Tri-Pacer, 150HP Citab or a Stinson 108, or Cessna 170, etc. Yeah, I know they're more expensive than an Ercoupe, but mountain flying merits that extra measure of performance to keep you from visiting the trees at the end of the runway. >Also, can anyone tell me what is the typical, full fuel, useful load of >Ercoupes? What is a typical climb rate for the airplane if loaded at, or >close to, maximum? I weigh 165 # and if I take a passenger, the plane >will >be close to max gross. What kind of performance can I expect? Honestly, not enough in a 415D loaded to full gross. There are times, in the hill-country flights I've taken around here (New Jersey) that I have on a hot afternoon with two people, wended my way through the low places off the departure end. The Ercoupe is a great airplane, and I love mine. But if I lived in Montana and planned to fly through the Northwest, I'd probably choose another airplane, one in the 150HP class if I planned to fly light, on up to 180 or better if I planned on more than two people. Greg --------------------------------- to unsubscribe send mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] ==^================================================================ EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?bz8Sid.bAhN69 Or send an email To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] This email was sent to: [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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