Chip, Welcome!
Once a Coupe (or any old plane) is "up to snuff," then your annual mechanical costs tend to be in the $500-$1,000 range. To get it "up to snuff," you'll either have to buy a cherry or pay a good mechanic to fix up the accumulated sniffles. Just remember Donny's Maxim regarding used things (cars, campers, houses, etc.): Be prepared to spend 10-15% of the purchase price on repairs the first 12 mos. of ownership. If you don't have to, congratulations. But don't go in EXPECTING perfection. Rudder pedals - I had them and they weren't quite annoying enough for me to spend the money and effort to get them removed. I kept up my rudder pushing skills but I also had to push the darn things a lot of the time. Pedals make it easier to fold maps while flying, too, since you can use both hands. Pedals also cramped my knees on long flights. Crosswind landings over 15 mph crosswind component still need to be done wings level in a crab, nose high. Coupes fly and land great with no pedals. The rudder/aileron connection is hard, not by bungee. The FAA did not allow the pedals to be in the plane if the interlinkage is connected. (Fred Weick wanted to be able to switch back and forth.) You have to choose. (By the way, which plane was it you flew with the spring/bungee interconnection. I've heard this of Piper Tri-Pacers and Cherokees but I'd guess there are others.) The bubble windshield is made of a thicker material than the "flat" windshield and is reputed to cut down on wind noise. Wind noise is the least of your noise sources. Get a good set of hearing protection headphones for any older aircraft. I think the flat windshield flings the slipstream up sharply and makes the slipstream pass several inches ABOVE the open windows when flying open cockpit. This makes the slipstream less likely to pull hats off your head if you are incautious. The bubble windshield guides the slipstream to be horizontal at the rear of the windshield so it passes right over the edge of the open cockpit. Not a big difference but I prefer the "flat" windshield for open cockpit flying. When talking with your wife, feel free to mention that the Coupe was designed from the beginning to be a safe airplane that would not bite the pilot. Fred Weick, the designer, said in retrospect that he had underestimated how critically important good judgment was to safety. So, mostly, if you make good choices for safety (stay way away from clouds, make sure you have fuel in the tanks, always have a place to land available, etc.) your flying experience is likely to be safe. If you have an A&P who knows your work and trusts you and supervises your work on the plane, you can do as much of the work as s/he'll allow. But it's the A&P who signs off the work putting his license, legal liability and livelihood on the line. You're just putting your safety on the line so it's nice to have good A&P supervision. I've done some, limited work on my plane though mostly I've left it to the mechanic. Extra information is on my Ercoupe page and don't miss the Ercoupe Owners Club ( website: http://ercoupe.org ). Feel free to ask more questions. Besides yourself, there are lurkers who absorb everything. Ed Burkhead http://edburkhead.com/Ercoupe/index.htm East Peoria, Illinois ed -at- edbur???khead.??com (remove the ? marks and change -at- to @)
