Hmmm, Rudder Pedals or No Rudder Pedals - it's beginning to sound like the religious wars between the Apples and the PCs. I "think" the answer is that whatever you feel comfortable with is the "right" answer for you.
I have rudder pedals and I like having rudder pedals because of the extra flexibility it gives me. As to rudder effectiveness I have landed conventionally (i.e., wing low forward slip) in 20 - 30 knot gusting crosswinds and been directionally aligned with the runway. I could land crabbed - the aircraft is designed for it, but why put the extra load on the landing gear, etc. And, I have a dear friend who is an accomplished tail dragger pilot, commercial glider pilot, and the owner of a no-rudder pedal 415-D (and a C-172). He loves all of them. JMHO Roy NC70UF 1946 415-C Serial # 752 _____ From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of [email protected] Sent: Tuesday, December 22, 2009 8:04 PM To: [email protected] Subject: [ercoupe-tech] Re: Rudder pedals Beside the fact that I plan to use my Ercoupe for limited PPL training, here's what I like about the pedals-- I find the landing charachteristics similar to large transport-category aircraft that I fly. Just as when the Ercoupe was used to teach 707 pilots how to land in a flat crab, I find the Ercoupe a similarly-easy transition from the 757/767. I land wings level with upwind rudder and let the airplane crab as much as it likes. And just as youy fly most big jets with your feet on the floor after takeoff until around 50' AGL, you can do the same with a 'coupe with rudders. Yeah, I've heard all the "purists" about how real pilots fly taildraggers, and the non-rudder Ercoupe purists are starting to remind me of those people as well. I'm a "keep it simple" kind of guy, and I know too many big jet and fighter guys who have gotten in trouble flying GA aircraft. To me, a 'coupe with rudders keeps everything similar enough to keep me out of trouble! Later, Dave
