I am no expert in the field of flying ercoupes. However, I have been reading the listings regarding approach speeds and thought I might point out that this subject is explicitly addressed in both the ercoupe flight manual and in other ERCO factory documentation.
In the ercoupe flight manual, under the heading "LANDING"
is the following sentence:
" A good airspeed reading during the approach to a landing is one between
60 and 70 mph."
In a letter dated June 30, 1948 sent to all owners of ercoupes from the ERCO factory, Bob Sanders states:
"The major error most prevalent in landing the ERCOUPE is too much air speed on final approach. For the student and less experienced pilot, 70 mph on final approach is ample. At this speed, full control is maintained and the rate of descent is gradual. For the experienced pilot, a 65 mph approach is plenty fast and more than adequate to insure full response of all controls, (though the angle of descent is somewhat higher than at greater speeds and consequently more judgement and experience is required for the "flare-off".) Let's give this a try. SLOW APPROACHES DOWN to a reasonable speed. On a calm day or with a light breeze, the speed in approach can be dropped another 5 mph to advantage."
I hope this helps.
-- Dave N3084H
