Tom, Welcome to the group and good luck on finding a good Coupe.
To answer your questions: A Coupe is good for a 6' 4" pilot (the designer) and I was 5' 11.5" and ranged from 225-270 during the years I had the Coupe. And, yes, I could take another person for a ride, gross weight allowing. As for leg room, you will be much more comfortable with a 2-control Coupe. As you can see in the extensive FAQ (http://www.ercoupe.org <http://www.ercoupe.org/> or http://edburkhead.com/Ercoupe/index.htm), an Ercoupe with 2-controls can land in just as high a crosswind as any 3-control plane you've probably flown. Gross weight will be your big issue. There is an STC to allow the 415-C and 415-CD models (the two eligible for Sport flying) to carry 1320 pounds gross weight. So, what you can carry depends very strongly on 1. empty weight of the plane and 2. how far you are going and how much fuel you need for the flight. A fair number of Coupes have had carpet, upholstery side panels, lots of extra instruments, paint and avionics added since they were new so many come in near 900 pounds. That doesn't leave you a lot of useful load. Many of these planes can be put on a weight loss program with removal of unneeded stuff - you may get the plane down to 850 or so. Full fuel runs from 22-24 gallons. Cruise fuel burn can range from 4.5-6 gallons depending on C-75, C-85 or O-200, how fast you want to push it, and altitude and leaning. My plane burned 5.4gph at 100 mph with no leaning - that'll give you a baseline. As to corrosion, most Ercoupes are corrosion free. The inspection ADs cover the need very thoroughly and, if done properly, will determine if the plane has corrosion. Buying one without a complete inspection by a mechanic who works for you and has no loyalty to the seller or any previous mechanic is very unwise. Don't skimp on this. Over the last 30 years, I've gradually upgraded my recommendation for pre-purchase inspection to the point where I think you should pay for a full annual inspection done by your mechanic as a pre-purchase inspection. Negotiate that as part of the purchase deal however it works. SBS seating is very nice but be sure you get good quality headsets and intercom. Aircraft from the '40s just aren't as quiet as a brand new plane (especially so, if you take out some of the upholstery side panels). What you'll really love is the open cockpit flying. It's really hard to match that with other planes. We've got a lot of information on those two websites and 700+ people here to help answer questions. Feel very free to ask! Ed Ed Burkhead http://edburkhead.com/Ercoupe/index.htm ed -at- edbur???khead.yyy change -at- to @, remove the ??? and change yyy to com _____ From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Thomas Sent: Wednesday, January 20, 2010 7:47 PM To: [email protected] Subject: [ercoupe-tech] Newbie checking in... Hello, Joined the group a few weeks ago and have been checking old postings and lurking. Appears to be a very good, active and helpful group. I've been inactive for years (Commercial/Instrument/ A&P). Was half owner of a Champ many years ago. That ended and now am finally able to look forward to getting another plane. This time, I will be looking for a LSA, low wing and SBS; choices are limited. I had a short ride in an Ercoupe many years ago and liked it, especially the visibility. The SBS seating is important as I give lots of rides and have had people get sick in the rear seat of the Champ...not good. Am looking for basic information at this point. Questions at this point are: Is the cockpit large enough for a 6 ft. 195 lb. pilot? (am referring to room for legs and head to canopy, etc.) After reading many of the old posts, am still unsure that I understand the full significance of the corrosion/center section issue. Would appreciate comments/opinions/ pros and cons on anything related to this. Thanks in advance, Tom Pederson Los Banos, CA
