Jerry Eichenberger, once shaped a bunch of pixels to say. "I'm new to coupes, having bought ours last Jan., but have been flying since 1964.
My only disappointment with our coupe falls into two areas. First is the horrible gliding performance at idle power. It seems that a forced landing in a coupe is far more critical than other airplanes, and this relates to the second problem of not being able to control glide angle, except with airspeed changes. With no flaps and the inability to slip, you've got a handful in a true forced landing situation." ******Owners View Most of my flying has been in O-1 Bird Dog, and flying a Cessna 172 in support of a Helo operation, so I have some history in off Airport operations. I fly a 46-D with a O-200 I have heard stories that the 75/85hp Coupe can get into places it can't get out of. When I first got the Coupe last August I sought out a flight instructor that had owned a coupe to get a check out. I REALLY felt out of control during the landing phase, after many hours in airplanes that had "barn door" flaps and big rudders, I felt like I had little control of where I would land and how to slow down without them. What I have found is that the Ercoupe is a energy aircraft, this meaning the energy (or potential energy) is more important than airspeed. If you find your self High and Fast pushing the nose over to make the safe touch down spot will increase energy, and this energy will dissipate its self in over shooting your landing spot or in a long high speed landing roll. The safest off airport landing is going to be the lowest energy and the slowest safe landing speed. (46'-D 70mph "your mileage may very") ******** How I practice for this situation I enter the pattern at 1000' AGL, on down wind I reduce power to 2000 rpm, and look for 80 mph. carry this power and airspeed to final and you will be high and fast. DO NOT STALL the aircraft but reduce power to idle and pull the nose up to slow to 60mph, now I start to S turn using 20-40 degrees to left and right, WATCH THE AIR SPEED!!! DO NOT allow it to go below 60mph.... You will find that these S turns will increase you decent just like a slip, and you will dissipate more energy. At about 150-200 ft above the "arrival" spot you should level the wing, lower the nose and increase Airspeed to 70mph (I have a D model) stand on the breaks and land normally. (if this were real I might slow to 60 BUT NO MORE). Yes the order is correct STAND on the breaks and put the aircraft on the ground, ***********End Owners View
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