>This cadet has the Mooney tail. Does anyone know what is the best year >to buy? I'm looking around for one that is possibly IFR. Is there any >IFR Ercoupes out there?
There is a Cadet on the tie-downs at MMU where I fly. (In fact, it's
for sale; the gent wants $24K for it. He's had it for near two
decades. It's a 7 in and out, but a good 7, if you know what I
mean. Not scratched. Just a little oxidized on the sun-drenched
surfaces. Pretty kelly-green paint job. Imron, I think. Could
use a seat-cover kit. No big deal. Low-time engine. Good VFR radios.
But not cheap.)
I sat in it. Nice bird. Real, cast aluminum rudder pedals and toe
brakes. Mooney tail, of course. Seems to fit like a glove. Or a
Mooney :-) The panel is pretty nice. None of this radios-between-
you and the passenger crap. Big ol' baggage area.
There were only two years of the Mooney bird. 1969 and 1970. The
1969 was an A10, with twin tails. The 1970 was an M10, with the
Mooney tail. AFAIK, there are less than 40 of the latter still
flying.
I'd prefer the original (or an Alon) for several reasons:
1. The Ercoupe was designed for the twin tails. They're
not decorative. They're part of the aerodynamics, as
they get the rudder out of the prop-wash and that's a
good thing (especially when you can't cross control,
which you must in the Cadet).
2. The M10 was not a saint in a spin.
3. If some prick backs his pickup-truck into the back of
your plane and bends the rudder, you've got a problem
finding the Mooney part, maybe. Erco/Alon parts are
easy.
4. Honestly, the original design just looks better. The
M10 looks like the result of a midair. Everything is
round except the tail.
That said, a good M10 is a lot better than a mediocre
415C, especially when you consider almost a quarter-century
less age. Is it better than a restored and uprated 415?
I'm not so sure.
Now, to the IFR question: would you buy an A36 Bonanza to
fly low-and-slow? One rarely, but occasionally sees an IFR
Cessna 150, but those are mostly economy trainers, not
travelers. In IFR, sub-100HP aircraft bounce around,
drive you nuts, and generally make life hard. The advent
of IFR GPS probably means panel space is less of an issue,
since you don't need to find room for all that gear. But
still, one of the first things the experts tell you is
'figure out the mission, and buy an aircraft for the mission.'
An Ercoupe or Alon or M10's mission is *not* cloud-busting.
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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