----[Please read http://ercoupers.com/disclaimer.htm before following any advice in this forum.]----
----[Please read http://ercoupers.com/disclaimer.htm before following any advice in this forum.]---- ----[Please read http://ercoupers.com/disclaimer.htm before following any advice in this forum.]---- Ed, You are for the most part describing an RV-6 or 7. Although opening the canopy would be a little dicey... Don -----Original Message----- From: Ed Burkhead [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, February 06, 2003 8:30 AM To: Coupe-List Subject: RE: [COUPERS-FLYIN] Top ten ercoupe improvements? I'd sure be tempted to switch back if Coupes were Sport Pilot compatible. On the other hand, as I've taken lessons, I've enjoyed the different kind of low and slow flying that comes with Challengers. I'd like some of the other mods some people have mentioned. In a Coupe, I'd like: 1. Sport Pilot compatible 2. Redesigned canopy section and nose that is more aerodynamic for higher cruise but which still allows open cockpit at any airspeed 3. Lower stall speed 4. Higher useful load 5. Bigger engine to enhance climb but which keeps efficiency when throttled back for cruise 6. Wider cockpit 7. More legroom with rudder pedals 8. Soft aileron/rudder interlinkage, like on a Cherokee, for automatic coordination but which you can override for slips 9. Bill Bayne's "approved" four-gallon nose tank shortened from the rear for better instrument clearance with NASCAR fire foam inside. Also, NASCAR fire foam in the wing tanks, too. 10. Glass cockpit with full IFR capability, moving map and Flight Simulator style virtual cockpit window views. Maybe a Virtual Reality helmet for IFR operations. Note: I think there'll be Light Sport Aircraft with almost all these features in the next 10 years for about $50k. Maybe it'll be available within five years. Browse the specs on some of the Sport Aircraft designs now on the web for some interesting reading. Fred Weick told me he only designed the Coupe with a 10-year lifetime because airplanes were improving so fast he didn't think anyone would want to fly such a clunky thing as an Ercoupe 415 once the wonderful new models came out. He didn't expect the plateau in design improvements that would set in. I think we're poised for another Golden Age in light aircraft design. Ed Burkhead http://edburkhead.com/ [EMAIL PROTECTED] ========================== To leave this forum go to: http://ercoupers.com/lists.htm Search the archives on http://escribe.com/aviation/coupers/ ========================== To leave this forum go to: http://ercoupers.com/lists.htm Search the archives on http://escribe.com/aviation/coupers/ ========================== To leave this forum go to: http://ercoupers.com/lists.htm Search the archives on http://escribe.com/aviation/coupers/
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