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Hello fellow Ercoupe owners. I am a new member to this
listserve. I have some interesting information that I would like to
share with fellow-members. I am the Commanding Officer of the
491st Aviation Regiment, ASDF, Department of Military and Veterans
Affairs. What I believe you'll find particularly interesting is that
my regimental aircraft are 1946 Ercoupe C and D model aircraft. We
however refer to them as PQ13's, the military spec number. The
Alaska State Defense Force (ASDF) is part of the Alaskan National Guard,
reporting to the States Adjutant General, MG Campbell. Our Commander
is BG Thomas Westall. The 491st Aviation Regiment has eight
aircraft, seven PQ 13's and one L16. Our mission is direct support
to the 49th Military Police Brigade. We conduct transportation
flights to move MP's from various locations, we fly aerial photography
missions using digital camera equipment, we fly aerial observation and
control missions, and we are often used for communication platforms for
multiple ground units. As you are all very much aware, the Ercoupe
is very inexpensive to operate. The costs of sending one of my
unit's aircraft for a mission mentioned above is astronomically less
expensive than launching a C-130 or Blackhawk. Because we are so
costs effective, our Governor and Adjutant General have assigned our
parent unit a Homeland Security mission. I wanted to share with
those who know and appreciate the Ercoupe the fact that although these
little gems are old in years, they are still doing the job. We
attended a military air show at Elmendorf Air Force Base about a year ago
and placed five of our aircraft under the right wing of a Galaxy C5. We
caught a lot of ribbing about their size, but no one failed to appreciate
the benefit of their operating cost. We're weekend warriors who
don't leave our State; however, the 491st with their PQ13's (Ercoupes) are
doing their part. Colonel M.E. Reeves, Commander, 491st Aviation
Regiment. |
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