----[Please read http://ercoupers.com/disclaimer.htm before following any advice in this forum.]----
Harry,
WELCOME!
First advice: there are no dumb
questions except those not asked.
The factory designed the Ercoupe so it
would have a very low angle of attack when on the ground. It’s not
quite a zero angle of attack, but it’s so close that there’s
virtually no lift when the airplane is on the ground – when it is level,
as designed, from front to rear.
With the original single fork nose gear,
that made the tail height 75”. But, Forney, the ‘50s
manufacturer, started using the double fork nose gear which is about 1.5”
longer. So, ideally, to make the aircraft level on the ground, the tail
would need to be 76.5” on those aircraft with the double fork nose gear.
Short answer: if you’re going
to be working on the main gear, I’d improve it with new donuts and/or
shims to get to ideal. If you’re not working on the main gear right
now, keep it in mind and monitor and tweak it sometime.
Long answer:
In practice, if you are close, you get
most of the benefits of the landing gear design. At this point, you are
two inches low from that ideal tail height. At that point, you’d
probably be OK.
But, if the tail is low and the angle of
attack on the ground is too high, you can get lifting of the up-wind wing in
strong crosswind situations. It can not lift high enough to touch the
opposite wing but it can give a wild ride and in the worst case one could lose
directional control enough to swerve off the runway into objects.
At two inches low, I wouldn’t expect
any wild ride problems. It’ll probably behave OK. But if that’s
your height now, then as they sag it’ll get worse.
Suggestion: If you’re going to
take the main gear apart, I’d tweak the tail position to get it up to
ideal. First, if the donuts haven’t been replaced recently, get new
ones. If your donuts are pretty fresh (a term I won’t define), and
your tail is still two inches low, then I’d see about getting shims and
putting them in some afternoon. It takes a couple of hours, mostly
cursing that [EMAIL PROTECTED] retaining spring clip as you put the stack back together.
Shims are available from Skyport and
I think he includes a sample form 337.
With the tail up to, or very near to, the
ideal spot, the Coupes have exceptionally good crosswind landing
capability. I’ve often been the last plane flying as I practiced crosswind
touch and goes. As always, you should approach higher crosswinds slowly,
developing your skills and comfort level.
Again, welcome to the Coupe family and
this group.
Ed Burkhead
http://edburkhead.com
ed -at-
edburkhead???.com (change
-at- to @ and remove "???")
============================================================================== To leave this forum go to: http://ercoupers.com/lists.htm
