I wasn't around then; but as I remember what I have read, the Ercoupe
was built as a
"simple" airplane anyone who could drive a car could fly this plane.
That doesn't sound
like a real "safe" idea.
Dan C
On May 7, 2009, at 11:05 AM, JThomas Terry wrote:
Another magazine has taken a rather foolish chance at Coupe
Bashing. An editorial in Flying (www.flyingmag.org) contains the
following:
“Ercoupes in their heyday and beyond had a horrendous safety record.”
I don’t know about y’all, but those kind of statements just don’t
set right with me.
Below is my response to that statement, I hope that some of our
more eloquent members might also post a reply.
Tommy
N93929
I challenge the un-named author(s) of this editorial to
substantiate the following excerpt: "Ercoupes in their heyday and
beyond had a horrendous safety record." It is my belief that the
statement cannot be defended as written. Most, if not all, of this
alleged bad reputation was caused by poor maintenance and pilot
ignorance of the flight characteristics of the aircraft, most
especially the landing characteristics.
The Ercoupe, like any aircraft is only as safe as the pilot.
Tommy Terry
Texas Co-Wing Leader
Ercoupe Owners Club
