>   She flew with the Southern Oregon Ercoupers as
>a cub reporter, 

What's that? Someone who calls all small planes (including
coupes) 'Piper Cubs?' :-)

ObCoupeContent: I now understand better the whole 
raison d'etre behind the Coupe. On Monday, on a
whim, I stopped by a local little field and started
to check out in their very original Aeronca 7AC. 
1946, around the time of the 415's hitting its 
stride. No phone, no lights, no starter. 

Damn, but that thing is actually hard to fly! (Not
that I don't love it.) Compared to a 150 or 172 or
PA28, it is a real little bugger in terms of adverse
yaw, landing, etc. 

As I struggled to keep the ball centered, and the 
airspeed in that little window of acceptability, and
to land it in a five-knot crosswind without making 
too much of a spectacle of myself, I thought about 
something. Especially as I heard the dire warnings
about inadvertantly crossing the controls, low and 
slow.

I thought back on all the people who had learned to fly 
in those sorts of airplanes. Airplanes that really 
want to jump up and bite you, hard. 

And I thought about what a revolution the little Ercoupe
was in a world where 'little airplanes' were pretty
demanding critters.

Greg


-- 

Greg Bullough                     | AFM Local 1000 AFL/CIO
[EMAIL PROTECTED]                   | K2GWB
                                  | PP-ASEL 
www.eclipse.net/~gwb for Compass Rogues & NY Chantey Sings

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