Group...
Please bear with me. I'm trying to research how I might carry a
small wheelchair in my 'coupe. One idea I had was a small baggage pod
under the belly. I contacted a maker of pods for RV's and other
craft and after a bit of back and forth, he had the following idea.
Please look at the threads below. In your opinion, is his idea
possible, i.e can the canopy be modified as he suggests?
Kim Blackseth
N2332H
Begin forwarded message:
From: David Shelton <[email protected]>
Date: April 12, 2009 10:31:42 PM PDT
To: kim Blackseth <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: Baggage Pod for Ercoupe
Kim,
I'll take a close look at an Ercoupe while I'm at Sun 'n Fun. After
looking at pictures, I'm mostly concerned about ground clearance.
When the landing gear is fully compressed, I'm not sure there will
be enough clearance to carry a 14" deep pod. The RV-10 has very
tall landing gear and there isn't much room to spare with our 12"
pod. I'll bring a tape measure to Sun'n Fun. If it has clearance, I
might be able to cut a couple feet from the center of an RV-10 pod,
then splice them together to make a shorter pod.
I spent a little time on Google and found that newer Ercoupe models
had a larger baggage area and early models may be retrofitted. If
there is room inside the baggage area, it might be easy to cut the
fixed canopy from the fuselage. I could make a new removable canopy
frame and mount the original plexiglass to it. The new rear canopy
could be mounted removabley (pull a couple pins and lift it off),
hinged (side or rear-hinged) or slidably (like a Grumman Tiger,
http://www.chooseyouritem.com/airplanes/photos/3000/3008.jpg). In
addition to providing access to the baggage area, would this make
it easier for you to enter/exit your airplane?
Than canopy is easy to work with because it's non-structural and
there wouldn't be any aerodynamic changes... that means less
structural analysis, load testing and flight testing.
-David Shelton
On 4/10/09, kim Blackseth <[email protected]> wrote:
David...
Thank you for your reply. I was hoping you would entertain a few
more thoughts and questions...
1. To answer your question, the wheelchair was built using various
components from existing electric wheelchairs. It uses a 12v
battery that weights about 18 lb. The rest of the chair is
aluminum and nylon and is very light. It is Ok for use around the
airport and travel, but is not a "day to day" chair, as its a bit
underpowered, but very usable. The whole chair comes apart (and
together) in 3 minutes and uses no tools...
2. After I got my PP Certificate a few months ago, I bought a new
2008 Jabiru J230 to transition into. It appeared to meet my needs,
i.e. big baggage area, new, glass panel with all the bells an
whistles. We designed and installed the hand-controls, but it
became obvious the plane would not work for me. The control
efforts and work load is just too high.
The Ercoupe is perfect for my disability (C-5 quadriplegic), but
there's no way to carry a wheelchair, no matter how small. The rear
windows prevent getting anything but a briefcase behind the seats,
so while I loved your suggestion, I'm at a loss how I could
implement it.
3. I was hoping I could get you to build a pod for the Ercoupe
using a 337 Field Approval. I need assistance with the build and
approvals. I do not expect it to be economical. In fact, I suppose
it will be quite expensive. I think you're correct, a new STC would
be very pricey for a one off pod.
That being said, there are quite a few Ercoupe pilots who use
wheelchairs, as the plane is otherwise perfect for disabled pilots.
There are no rudder pedals. All controls are by hand, ie. ground
steering, throttle, brakes, etc. We all have the same issue with
carrying a chair. I wonder if quite a few of these pods would not
sell to other disabled Ercoupe pilots, but that's another discussion.
Would you be interested in a custom pod, assuming a Field Approval,
if I was willing to pay the hefty price tag? If not, any ideas on
where I could find an engineer to assist with this?
thanks
Kim Blackseth, ICC, CASp
310 17th St
Oakland, CA
510-839-1760
On Apr 8, 2009, at 9:09 PM, David Shelton wrote:
Hi Kim,
I'm impressed with the weight of your wheelchair. Do you know what
kind of batteries it uses?
I wish we could help you but our products aren't economical for
one-off production. It takes a substantial effort to design, tool,
build, test and certify (STC) a new pod.
You might explore modification to your baggage area so you can fit
your wheelchair inside your airplane. A skilled A&P (*tip* not all
mechanics are skilled at fabrication so you would need to ask
around) might be able to extend your baggage area past your
bulkhead to make room for your wheelchair. (see some extended
baggage mods at http://www.selkirk-aviation.com/extend_bag.html).
This strategy would require minimal structural modifications and
no aerodynamic changes. It might be possible to get FAA approval
with a 337 form and avoid the more costly STC process.
Additional thought: Here is a picture of a foam nest in the trunk
of a car. You could hot-wire-cut your own nest for your baggage
area to help protect/secure your wheelchair.
http://www.mp3car.com/vbulletin/attachments/show-off-your-project/
51090d1218082008-my-first-carpc-my-subaru-legacy-estate-led-sign-
inside-1-.jpg
Final thought: An inclined ramp or slide might be mounted between
the lower-rear of the baggage area and the top of the seat back.
This set-up might make it easier to slide the wheelchair into/out
of the baggage area.
I wish you the best of luck and I'll let you know if I think of
any other solutions.
Sincerely,
David Shelton, President
MotoPOD LLC
On Wed, Apr 8, 2009 at 6:41 PM, kim Blackseth
<[email protected]> wrote:
Hi...
I'm a disabled pilot and an trying to find or build a small
baggage pod for my Ercoupe. Your pods looked very promising, but
maybe a bit big for my needs.
I have a small, collapsible wheelchair that I'd like to put in the
pod (see pictures below). It weighs about 35 lbs and is quite
small (27" x 35" by 14" high) when folded.
Could you build and engineer a pod I could get FAA approval on?
Kim Blackseth, ICC, CASp
310 17th St
Oakland, CA
510-839-1760
