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----- Original Message -----
From: MAGIC VAC
To: William R. Bayne
Sent: Friday, October 15, 2004 8:34 AM
Subject: Re: [COUPERS-FLYIN] Should I be interested in buying an
Ercoupe, Forney, Alon, etc.
OK, you Devil you,
First, you forgot to add 50 years of settled
dust/dirt +25 lbs. And, my 85 hp Coupe always burned around 5.5
gal/hr. +25 lbs. Plus, everyone wants that extra degree of safety on
fuel, +25 lbs. Plus, what good is a plane if you can only fly every time
they mow the grass? + 1.5" grass. I still don't think it's a 1600 ft
grass runway summertime airplane.
Larry
----- Original Message -----From: William R. BayneTo: COUPERS-FLYINSent: Thursday, October 14, 2004 9:49 PMSubject: Re: [COUPERS-FLYIN] Should I be interested in buying an Ercoupe, Forney, Alon, etc.
OK, I'll play "devil's advocate...
The pessimist sees the glass as half empty
The optimist sees the glass as half full
Fred Weick sees the glass twice the size it needs to be.
A 925 lb. coupe probably has metal wings, a lot of old instruments and radios, multiple coats of paint and plush upholstery. Forneys, Alons and Cadets weigh this much, but they have 90hp.
A 415-D came out of the factory weighing about 825 lbs. It probably has a metal prop today (+8 lbs) but a modern 25 amp battery (-4 lbs) and removal of the aileron counterweights (3.5 lbs) cancel this out (weightwise, NOT C.G.!).
At 4.2 gpm fuel consumption and 100 mph, 250 miles is 4.2 x 2.5 = 10.5 gal. Add 2.1 gal. for a 30 minute (50 mile) reserve and you have 12.6 gal. @ 6 lbs./gal, or 75.6 lbs. for fuel. Add a gallon for unusable fuel and you have: A 825 lb coupe, with 81.6 lbs. fuel, 320 lbs. passengers and 40 lbs. stuff adds up to the approximate max. gross of a 415-C or CD, given the variables.
Add to the mix some common sense. If you're going on a long trip, plan to depart early in the morning (then density altitude performance at maximum gross on a hot summer day isn't as important). When you're just flying around locally on a summer afternoon, don't carry baggage and don't fill the tanks.
If the strip is mowed weekly, try to plan a cross-country "departure day" within 3 days of mowing so you're dealing with 3-4" grass. I have departed Albuquerque at 11am at full gross and 6000' elevation (marginal with 85hp) in mid-summer. You don't have to clear ALL the mountains around, just have acceptable clearance on the upwind side of those on your chosen route, and approach higher terrain at a 45º angle so that you only have to turn 90º to turn away should you encounter a serious downdraft.
If you really want extra climb performance, get a rag wing coupe with a C-90 or 0-200. Ed's climb prop sounds worthwhile, and he still got better than 100 mph+ cruise performance.
Regards,
William R. Bayne
<____|-(o)-|____>
Copyright 2004
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On Oct 14, 2004, at 3:35 PM, MAGIC VAC wrote:
Do the math here. A 925 lb coupe, with 150 lbs fuel, 320 lbs passengers, 40 lbs stuff. Let's see, that adds up to 1435 lbs, nearly the max gross of a D. What's the density altitude in Lincoln on a hot humid summer day? 9 inches of grass? I think you'd better just cruise her down the interstate, it'd be safer. If you got her off the ground, you'd still have a difficult time clearing all the mountains around Lincoln.
Larry
----- Original Message -----
From: Gary Vacin
I need your advice. I fly regularly out of a 1,650 ft. grass strip at Lincoln, Ne. Field elevation is 1,050 ft. The strip is mowed weekly, but at times during the summer, the grass reaches 6-8 inches in height. I currently fly a Titan Tornado S with a Rotax 912S that develops 100 hp. I love the Titan, but it's a little limited as to useful load for cross-country trips. Within 4 months, I plan to purchase another aircraft that meets the following criteria: Must be able to operate comfortably out of the 1,650 ft. strip, carry a useful load of myself and my wife (total weight 320 lbs), up to 40 lbs of baggage, and enough gas to fly 250-300 miles at at least 100 mph. Should I consider an aircraft in the Ercoupe/Forney/Alon/Mooney family? Thanks in advance for your response.
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