Al & Ed, True enough however; even with the landing lights and an O-200 I've averaged 4 GPH flying non-stop from O69 to AJO or about 356 NM.
My Coupe has also averaged about 4.3 GPH on a flight from CA across the Sierra's & Rockies to OSH in 2003, which was a slightly lower fuel burn than the Alon that flew out with me. Also won a real squeaker in the last Copper State Dash Air Race, while running against a number of other airplanes including two Alons (come to think of it, the Coupe had no landing lights at that time - oops). I'm guessing that maybe my Coupe could do 5-8% better with no landing lights??? However I still don't want to cut up the flush riveted, flush access paneled, & custom painted wings; just to move the lights. I like having the landing lights for a couple of reasons; 1) I really like being able to see where I'm landing & taxing at night (100+ hours @ night). 2) Visibility is a big plus for mid-air collision avoidance when flying around SoCal, & Corona (AJO) for fuel. 3) The air traffic controller see those lights coming from a long ways out, and often assume I'm flying something bigger (those that don't know Ercoupes). If I was out of the LA basin and only doing day VFR, it'd probably be a different story however; overall, I'd have to say that it's well worth the extra 5 or 8 MPH to me. Like Dan C., I always plan for Mach .13 @ an average of 4.8 GPH and usually do better (4.5 GPH +/-) anyway...... ;-) Dan H N3968H ----- Original Message ----- From: AJ DeMarzo Cc: ercoupe tech Sent: Wednesday, April 23, 2008 2:59 PM Subject: Re: [ercoupe-tech] Landing Lights Ah, excellent point. Now that gas is up to $ 2muchagallon, remember less drag = more speed = better economy. In the example Syd gave, his aircraft was much more economical than Tandy's. If he didn't have the weight he would have been idling along at 4 gph! Keep it clean and smooth and light as possible. Al DeMarzo Visit the Ercoupe Swap Page Free, Easy and No Membership Required http://www.ercoupeowners.com/swap/swapbook.htm ----- Original Message ----- From: Syd Cohen Cc: ercoupe tech Sent: Wednesday, April 23, 2008 4:50 PM Subject: Re: [ercoupe-tech] Landing Lights Well, yes, Dan, speed is one issue, but fuel economy is another. Tandy Allen and I flew from Cape Girardeau MO to Sun N Fun two weeks ago. I was 10% faster, even though I was carrying a passenger and luggage for both of us, and Tandy was alone. At the end of each leg Tandy and I would top off our tanks and we'd put in the same amount of fuel. If I'd throttled back a bit I would have burned less fuel for the same distance with the same speed as Tandy. Drag does lots of bad things for airplanes. Syd Dan Caliendo wrote: You guys are too hung up on speed. I checked and it doesn't make any difference if my Ercoupe has landing lights or not...... either way I get 0.13 mach! Dan C On Apr 23, 2008, at 8:32 AM, David Winters wrote: Syd, Dang! My coupe is really slow. Now, I may know one reason. It has a landing light on each main gear. It sounds to me like we need an LED nose-bowl light, to avoid drag but endure vibration and reduce wattage required. I suppose that is unlikely to happen, though, unless it could be designed to fit more than just the Ercoupe. But, surely that could be done. Any of you manufacturers or distributors out there listening? Dave Winters -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Syd Cohen Sent: Wednesday, April 23, 2008 6:25 AM Cc: [email protected] Subject: Re: [ercoupe-tech] Landing Lights No drag penalty if the light is in the nosebowl, but I've been told that the bulbs don't last long due to engine vibration. Syd heavensounds wrote: OK... What about the nose bowl option? Eliacim ----- Original Message ----- From: Dan Hall To: Syd Cohen ; heavensounds Cc: [email protected] Sent: Tuesday, April 22, 2008 11:00 PM Subject: Re: [ercoupe-tech] Landing Lights Cut into the beautifully flush riveted and custom painted aluminum wings of my Ercoupe??? That's NOT going to happen gentlemen !!!! :-) If I really needed that extra 8 MPH I'd be flying an RV. Dan Hall N3968H ----- Original Message ----- From: heavensounds To: Syd Cohen Cc: [email protected] Sent: Tuesday, April 22, 2008 8:17 PM Subject: Re: [ercoupe-tech] Landing Lights Skyport has a kit to install them in the wings. If I was installing landing lights I would go that way. Eliacim ----- Original Message ----- From: Syd Cohen Cc: [email protected] Sent: Tuesday, April 22, 2008 9:45 PM Subject: Re: [ercoupe-tech] Landing Lights Yes, Dan, I am confident. I've done quite a bit of drag testing on Ercoupes. Syd Dan Hall wrote: Hi Syd, Are you confident that number - 8 MPH for two landing lights? The reason I ask is that I put two landing lights on the main gear fairings of my Ercoupe (no shades) about 5 years ago and it didn't seem to make that big of a difference however; I didn't take before and after measurements. I fly at night and also appreciate the visibility while flying here in very busy SoCal. Dan Hall N3968H ----- Original Message ----- From: Syd Cohen Cc: [email protected] Sent: Tuesday, April 22, 2008 7:07 PM Subject: Re: [ercoupe-tech] Landing Lights Just a caution, Ed. Each landing light assembly will cost you about 4 mph. Are you sure you want to do this? Syd Ed Granato wrote: I found two old farings with landing lights in them but I think they are too far gone to salvage. My existing farings are in great shape so one idea was to obtain a pair of cylindrical sections that house the lights and connect them to the farings already on the main gear. Does anyone have a pair of these or perhaps the entire faring-light combo in good shape that they would consider selling? ---------------------------------------------------------- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG. Version: 7.5.524 / Virus Database: 269.23.3/1392 - Release Date: 4/22/2008 3:51 PM ---------------------------------------------------------------- No virus found in this incoming message. 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