Merry Christmas friends and neighbors! Wanted to share that in the January
2010 issue of AOPA's Flight Training magazine, author Mark Twombly wrote an
article about the differences in aircraft that are often subtle, yet important
for pilots to know when transitioning from one make or model to another.
Twombly wanted to give the reader a short history lesson about how one would
need to go back in aviation history to find truly unique aircraft designs that
reflected the personality of the actual designer. Naturally, the author talked
about our beloved Ercoupe and Fred Weick's vision of building an aircraft that
was as safe as possible and how he designed the 'coupe without rudder pedals.
Twombly's inclusion of the Ercoupe's history only covered a couple of
paragraphs, and it seemed pretty much accurate given my limited knowledge of
Weick's overall design until he got to the last paragraph that concluded his
discussion of the Ercoupe. Here's what he wrote:
"Along with its distinctive puppy-dog appearance, the Ercoupe offers the
pilot a unique flying experience--cruising along with the side windows slid
down, arm on the sill and feet flat on the floor, literally steering it with
the wheel. Over time, however, the unique inter-connected rudder was
considered less of an asset, and most Ercoupes flying today have been
retrofitted with traditional rudder pedals." Flight Training Magazine, January
2010 ed., p. 34
It is the last sentence in the paragraph that I took exception with but I
am not an Ercoupe historian as some are on this Tech-list, so I didn't send an
email to the author to tell him that he's wrong on that last point. Is he
wrong? Or am I just not up on my Ercoupe history since I say that most
Ercoupes flying today have NOT been retrofitted with "traditonal rudder
pedals?" Inquiring minds would like to know...
Respectfully,
Carl LaVon
