At 08:08 PM 12/1/98 EST, you wrote: >Steve, >On >contact with the runway, the mass of the airplane turns the airplane in the >direction it is moving ( not pointed to ) , and the nose geat touches down, >the lift is dumped so the airplane stops flying. This allows the Ercoupe to >handle 25 Kt demonstrated cross winds ( with some claiming they have landed in >45 degree 45 knot winds)
I can tell you from experience that you CAN safely land in a 45 kt direct X-wind, been there,,, done that!!! You better be prepared however for the fact that if tail is the least bit low you will end up on 1 main and the nose wheel with the up wind wing in the air. This is because as the up wind wing swing around it is moving faster = more lift than the retreating down wind wing. DO NOT HIT THE BRAKES or you will end up in the weeds. Just ride it out, the wing will settle settle down in a few seconds. The main thing is to hold it off as log as possible to get the flying speed as low as possible before touch down. If you have the factory 3 controls you can do a combination crab/slip and 45 kts direct X-wind is no problem at all. >No other airplane I am aware of, except the DC8 can do this !! > >In the case of the M-10, with large single tail and three controls; one , I >guess lands the M-10 like all other aircraft ( except the 2 control Ercoupe >and DC 8's.) > >If the coupe has had installed a double fork nose gear,(which is longer than >the original gear) then the nose is high - tail is low; the wings still >producing lift,and the handling characteristics are ruined. With only 2 >controls, you can't hold upwind aelrion and opposite rudder to track straight; >and with the wings still producing lift the airplane becomes very squirley to >land in difficult winds. This is incorrect, it does not matter if it has the single or duel fork, they all came out of the factory with the tail at 6'2" >The use of the double fork nose gear also requires that a restraining cable be >attached to limit the travel of the nose gear to the original fully extended >length. Otherwise the nose wheel - fully extended ( now about 3 inches longer >than the original ) may drag on the runway with the Ercoupe in the crabbed, >nose high landing position. This can cause real embarrassment as you ground >loop, or tear off the nose gear.... You just end up making a 3 point landing each time which is the way the early coupes did anyway >With the tail high ( or nose low), the wing quits flying, and you simply drive >the coupe along the runway, and to the ramp...No Problem. > >It works great. Now that you folks have the M--10, maybe your coupe friends - >cousins will let you fly the real Ercoupe :) Hey, we love the M-10, but it is >really not an Ercoupe. Why, you can even stall it, spin it, and do cross >control manuvers. Ercoupes can't - even three control coupes, I am told, as >the rudders don't have that much authority, and you still can't stall the >airplane. Trust me my Forney with factory 3 controls will stall. The Forney and Alon with the split elevator have enough up elevator to stall the wing. A 415 with the regular elevator will not. If it will stall it will spin. Actually the best I've done is a ever tightening spiral. With no more rudder authority I didn't feel like pushing it though. >In all seriousness, the Ercoupe is a different bird. The landing >characteristics are VERY DIFFERENT from a three control airplane. I have >never flown a three control Ercoupe, but I think that even with limited rudder >control, the easiest landing in crosswinds is still "land in a crab on the >main gear; let the airplane pivot in the direction of flight (down the >runway); lower the nosewheel dumping lift, and drive it to the ramp.Some say >safer.....some compare the Eagle to the Sparrow.... > >I understand the DC 8 is also landed in a crab so as to keep from dragging the >wing mounted engines. So did the original 707 in fact the original pilots transition using Coupes to get use to crabbed landings. Of course the B52 does it too but in that case the main gear actually turns so that the mains are pointing in line with the runway. Dave >Regards, > >Fly Safe - Have Fun > >Harry Francis >N 93530 >s/n 853 >Blacksburg, Va. > >
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