When Dan Hall says "Keep your eyes open and be prepared to move quickly" when you are in the process of buying a good Ercoupe, he isn't kidding. I looked for a good one for over a year and when I thought I had found one and called, it was gone. Without a pre-buy inspection. Without a walk-around. The good ones go really fast so get ready to move fast if you find one that looks good. Some things you might do to "move fast": If there is a picture of the plane, look closely for little details, like the nose strut clean & shiney. No caked up grease and dirt at the bottom. See if the rest of the plane looks like it has been polished or the paint job is in good shape and if the windows are foggy or crazed from sitting out in the sun. Planes that "look nice" have usually been hangared. You might consider using the AOPA records research service and get all the FAA records on the plane. Costs a bit but you can usually get the information in a day or two and find out if AD's have been complied with, what 337's have been filed, especially if the gross weight has been raised to 1400 lbs and the plane is being advertised as a light sport, where the aircraft has been located, dry area or seaside. You can get the same info on a disk from the FAA for $10 but it takes a couple of weeks to arrive. The AOPA service costs about $160 but it is fast and if you need to hurry it can pay off. I also think that some of the best Ercoupes I have seen come on the market have been advertised through the Ercoupe Owners Club so it would behoove those in the market to buy a plane to become a member. When I bought my plane, I had the FAA data and didn't have time for a pre-buy and there was another buyer inbound to look at it so I had to commit to buy on the phone and I'm glad I did. I found a jewel, polished, shiney and one that passed it's first annual with flying colors only requiring a new air filter. I bought the STC to increase the gross weight to 1320 and that was about it. I was probably lucky but then I think I worked to get the odds in my corner. Good luck. Bart
--- In [email protected], "Dan Hall" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Bill, > Although difficult to locate, one can find well loved / maintained Ercoupes. Just keep in mind that they are far less common than the 'garden variety' which tend to require some work to be brought up to snuff. The really good ones don't come on the market as often as the ones which require work, and the good ones will also command a premium price that is usually well worth it in the long run (just my humble opinion). Keep your eyes open and be prepared to move quickly. > > That said; be sure to get a pre-buy and preferably a full annual inspection performed by a knowledgeable Ercoupe expert, on any Ercoupe you are seriously considering. > > You don't necessarily have to do or assist with the maintenance & repair work, assuming you're willing to pay to have it done and have someone around who knows Ercoupe or who is contentious, patient, and willing to learn. > > I was fortunate; I purchased a Coupe in 1998 that had been completely gone through between 1989 & 1994 by a local Ercoupe guru, and have been flying it for 10 years with just standard maintenance & repairs - nothing too expensive or much down time (except for any optional strip & paint, and new interior in 2003 that is beautiful but was not really necessary). > > the first couple of annuals were performed by shops however; the quality of work (especially care for the cosmetic stuff) was not up to my standards, so I have been participating owner assisted annuals with an Ercoupe expert by (my) choice. > > Bottom line, what you are looking for can be done if you are patient & prepared. > > Thankfully Ercoupes seem to be getting better care than they have in the past, as Ercoupes are climbing in value (LSA eligible Coupes in particular) and are being purchased by individuals with more resources to keep them well maintained. > > Good hunting !!! > > Best regards, > Dan Hall > N3968H > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Jerry Eichenberger > To: wbuhles ; [email protected] > Sent: Monday, March 10, 2008 6:12 AM > Subject: RE: [ercoupe-tech] Discouraged > > > Bill - > > I'm a kindred spirit when it comes to working on things. I did a lot of it in high school, but not in the 45 years since. I have no desire to tinker with airplanes, cars, or motorcycles. Yet, I enjoy operating all of the above. > > It's been mentioned before on this list, and I'm certainly not trying to offend anyone. The blunt and honest truth is that for decades, before the LSA rule, Coupes were some of the least expensive airplanes on the market. > > Hence, they often appealed to those owners who were cash tight, and who could barely afford aircraft ownership. > > The natural result of that is that many of the airplanes were often ill maintained, and not updated over the 1/2 century since they were manufactured. > > What you often see today is that when you buy a Coupe, you may, in fact, have to invest a couple of years and some significant money bringing it up to snuff, assuming your standards for such things are high. > > It's a shame that many of these airplanes were barely airworthy for so long, but the same fate affected other, lower priced airplanes too. Take a look at a lot of Tripacers and Colts, for example. > > So, once you get the airplane up to snuff, you should be able to enjoy flying it with regularly scheduled maint., and sure, you'll have to fix a thing or three now and then, but that's the same with any mechanical contrivance. > > Jerry E. > -----Original Message----- > From: [email protected] [mailto:ercoupe- [EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of wbuhles > Sent: Sunday, March 09, 2008 3:05 PM > To: [email protected] > Subject: [ercoupe-tech] Discouraged > > > Hi All; > > I really appreciate the input on the cross wind landings. I just > don't feel comfortable without rudders. Just a personal choice. I'll > see how it lands properly rigged with rudders. > > But here is the real issue. I want to fly my airplane and not fiddle > with it. I don't at all enjoy adjusting this or fixing that, and from > this group I gather that most everyone here likes to work on their > plane. This is the Ercoupe TECH group after all. That is wonderful > and I admire you all for that, but I just don't ENJOY it. And I do > not know enough to be safe working on my own plane. > > I have an Ercoupe because I want to fly light sport. Perhaps I should > buy one of the new light sport planes being manufactured, but I > cannot afford it. Plus I like a metal, certificated airplane and not > a plastic replica of an airplane. > > So I guess my question is, is it possible to own an Ercoupe and just > enjoy flying it without it needing attention every few months? If not > then I need to consider if I want to be an owner. Would appreciate > your comments on this. > > Bill Buhles > N94157 > S/N 1480 > > > > > > > -------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------- > > > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG. > Version: 7.5.518 / Virus Database: 269.21.7/1322 - Release Date: 3/9/2008 12:17 PM >
