Hi Darick,
I agree with all that Ed shared. I would, however, respectfully
suggest that a
person can be neither "nice" nor a "lady" that would use a derisive
term in
public without knowing it is derisive OR that would seek to advance
their own
credibility by such discourtesy and obvious lack of personal experience.
Andy Anderson's experiences with the older pilot and the young CFI
better
exemplify a somewhat related and persistent level of ignorance.
Whenever
something unflattering is said about an Ercoupe, always consider the
source.
I believe (and no one is likely to prove one way or the other) the
primary reason
for this derisive (and it IS derisive) term is that way more than a few
proud and
well experienced aviators with the not-uncommon attitude that "I can
fly anything
with wings" one day got into an Ercoupe without the slightest awareness
of its
design and/or capabilities and proceeded to prove it [you guess which]
;<)
Flying is largely a matter of power and lift. Every season tornado or
hurricane
winds prove flight is possible without intelligence. Controlled
flight, however, is
somewhat more complicated; particularly in crosswinds.
Even a brand new Ercoupe with level sills and tight, properly rigged
controls, is
going to do what it was designed to do. If the flight was begun and
ended in
relatively calm air, our aero wizard will likely prevail by the "luck
of the draw".
Such persons are usually unable or unwilling to perceive any limit to
their skill(s).
If the day was one of significant crosswind the stage was set for an
impromptu
"show" for spectators one and all.
Whether taking off or landing, the moment our proud and confident
aviator's "seat
of the pants" tells him to lift or lower a wing at a time the nose
wheel still has
steering authority his control input is directly contrary to the one
absolutely
necessary in an Ercoupe. As things take an unexpected "turn" (pun
intended ;<),
his reflexive actions can only increase such (incorrect) input.
If he is taking off, desperation may cause him to chop power and hit
the brakes,
with all sorts of attendant possibilities. If he is landing and the
nose wheel touches
with a vise grip on the controls and the nose wheel at an angle to the
runway, it
takes little imagination to visualize the chain of events thus set in
motion!
Such an experience is so uniquely and distinctly humbling that the only
way to
salvage one's dignity is for the person actually responsible to instead
attack the
handling characteristics of the Ercoupe so as to draw attention away
from his
personal stupidity and ineptitude.
Then let one of these talk to another and, over time a chorus of
kindred spirits
sings loudly to all who will listen. With each telling, each of them
feels a little
more the victim of a poor design. They make up in passion what they
lack in
knowledge. The falsehood repeated far and wide gains credibility
undeserved
every time the telling goes unchallenged.
"Preaching to the choir" is a supremely ineffective method of
spreading the truth
to the uninformed. Perhaps if our choir became more "involved"?
Best regards,
William R. Bayne
.____|-(o)-|____.
(Copyright 2009)
--
On Apr 30, 2009, at 20:45, [email protected] wrote:
Really now!
I'm in the hangar working on my beloved Ercoupe with the local,
well-seasoned mechanic, when in walks an old friend of his and she
says,
"Hi Russ, I see you're working on a scare coupe"!
She really was a nice lady so I didn't say something like, "this is MY
Ercoupe and it's the safest thing you'll ever fly, so back off!"
That's what I really wanted to say. But the question remains, where
did that come from? Has anybody else ever heard that?
Darick
