[COUPERS-FLYIN] Re: [COUPERS-TECH] Stainless steel skin

[Sydney Cohen]

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Bill, I have no idea why an AD wasn't issued for the SS skin.  It sure should have been.  If you had an engine fire, the aluminum skin over the nose fuel tank won't do you much good at all.

Syd



WILLIAM BIGGS wrote:

You seem to suggest that ALL Ercoupes require the ss skin. If that was the case an AD would have been issued requiring the change on the C.

Look at TCDS 718 Items 110 and 106. No such skin is mentioned.

Note 3 is where the ss skin is mentioned in reference to the CD or  D upgrded.

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From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED], FlyIn@ercoupers.com, tech@ercoupers.com
Subject: Re: [COUPERS-TECH] Stainless steel skin
Date: Sun, 22 Jan 2006 13:36:56 EST

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Hi Joey,

 

The S/S cover is for safety reasons, and meeting Federal regulations on aircraft. The rules require a fire proof S/S cover between the engine compartment and the rest of the fuselage.

 

The 415 was originally certified using the ERCO engine IL116, which was an inverted, 4 cyl,

aircooled, 65 hp engine. The cowling stopped at the fire wall; thus met safety Federal regulations. Once ERCO produced this 65 hp engine,  Then, Continental agreed to produce their 65 hp engine. It was about $500 less expensive than the cost of producing the IL-116. So, the 415C was produced, instead of the IL-116 version....

 

I understand that Only S/N 1 was produced with the IL-116 engine, certified, and then immediately converted to the opposed, air cooled C-65. This required a different cowling system...wider, and longer, to fit the fuselage ( the one you have now.)... The only known surviving IL-116 ERCO engine is in the Smithsonian Air Museum. Supposedly they built parts for 8 engines; certified it, and proved it was a very solid design, but costs were in excess of $800/each......, and ERCO really did not want to build engines, if they could purchase proven aircraft engines at less cost.

 

BUT, evidently, both ERCO and CAA overlooked the fact the cowling now covered the top of the forward fuselage; which by regulation required it to be Stainless Steel for fire safety reasons.

 

When the D model was produced, this was corrected, and was carried over to all CD and later models. Many unsold C models were converted to the S/S cover by the factory.

 

Engine size has no such requirement, it is the CAA (now FAA regs) that require the safety standards.......which in effect says that all fuselage structure under the cowling must be Stainless Steel or some other fireproof material.

 

 

Fly Safe - Have Fun

 

 

Harry Francis

Elliston, VA

 

 

 

 

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