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John,
Note that Aircraft Specification A-718
lists the models as 415-C and 415-CD (not 415-C/D). A-787 is the specification
for models D, E, G, and all later manufacturer made Coupes. These may be read
by visiting http://edburkhead.com/ercoupe/index.htm
and scrolling down to the bottom of the page.
First, there was the 415-C. A lot were
made. The 415-C has a gross weight of 1260 lb. and ERCO and Fred Weick were
sure the plane should be able to carry more.
So, they went through certification for
the 415-D which would have a gross weight of 1400 lb. But, the FAA, in its
infinite wisdom, decreed that the D could not have 1400 lb. gross weight unless
the elevator limit was changed from the C model’s 13° up travel to a more
restricted 9° up travel.
The 415-D’s 9° up travel limit also
raised the landing touch-down speed enough that many people deemed it
unacceptable. (Personally, I flew 800+ hours with 9° up travel and felt
completely comfortable with it, but that’s me.)
So, after preparing to build 415-D models,
the factory came out with the 415-CD model which was back to 1260 lb. gross
weight and 13° up travel but had all the other model D changes.
According to one source, most of the
models that we thought were made as 415-D (S/N 4424-4500) were actually
converted to be 415-CD either in the factory or in the field and sold as CDs.
Aircraft S/N 4501-4868 were built and sold as 415-CD.
The model 415-E introduced the split
elevator which let the slipstream go through the cutout. That allowed 1400 lb.
gross weight and allowed 20° up travel which gave about the same touchdown
speed as the 13° C model.
Aircraft Specification A-787 explicitly
allows all the postwar 415-C and 415-CD models to be converted to 415-D and be
allowed the 1400 lb. gross weight limit. Many have been converted but whether
they were done “officially” is open to debate since many of these
never got a new airworthiness certificate.
http://edburkhead.com
ed -at-
edburkhead???.com (change -at- to @ and remove "???")
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