OK Ed, I found the piece, it is V shaped! The correct title for that part from the parts manual is a "fairing - nutcracker". My plane did not come with one, if someone has one they took off or are not using, I would like to acquire one for my coupe.
--- In [email protected], "Ed Burkhead" <e...@...> wrote: > > > Donald asked: > > some Ercoupes have what resembles a u shaped piece of > > aluminum on the nose wheel sissors. Mine and some others > > don't have this piece, it looks like it would be a major drag > > in the air anyhow, just what is the function of this piece and > > why do some have it and others don't? > > Donald, > > That's the fairing for the back of the nose gear strut. When the strut > is fully extended, that fairing should be held right up against the > strut tube making it a streamlined teardrop shape. > > When the strut is fully extended, there is full travel on the nose gear > shock absorber and the wheel and "fork" are down below the propeller's > slipstream reducing the drag. > > Adding the properly adjusted nose gear fairing gives and additional one > (1) mph in speed, according to Fred Weick, designer of the Ercoupe. He > told me that was a carefully measured speed differential. > > Some people have added a "snubber cable" to the nose gear, reducing the > amount of shock absorber travel. If they also leave the fairing on the > plane, then it acts as an air scoop and may cut speed by 2-3 mph. No one > knows just how much. Having both the snubber cable and the fairing is > the worst case for drag. > > Also, the snubber cable holds the nose gear up higher, possibly holding > the gear and wheel a little bit into the slipstream. They do this so > they can let the main gear wheels touch first. This is unneeded as you > should always land the plane nose high and, besides, the nose wheel will > instantly turn to eliminate side loads if you have a drop-in landing (do > NOT hold the yoke firmly at touchdown time to allow this). The Ercoupe > was designed allowing for conditions where the nose gear touches before > weight is fully on the main gear. It's OK. > > Fred Weick did not think the snubber cables should be on the planes. > > Ed > > Ed Burkhead > http://edburkhead.com/Ercoupe/index.htm > ed -at- edbur???khead.XXX change -at- to @, remove ??? and change > XXX to com >
