Don asks:
> Does anyone have any experience with a total
> airframe recovery system (Parachute)
> on an Ercoupe?
Don,
There has never been a whole-airplane parachute recovery system installed on
a Coupe, yet.
The problems are:
1. Weight - it costs about 25-30 pounds for the chute and airframe straps
and that comes out of the gross weight of a plane that doesn't have much
useful load to spare.
2. Attachment - It would probably require that straps be run down to the
main spar and attached to it, somehow, without weakening the spar. And,
you'd want to run the straps without making a really ugly infestation of
straps outside the airframe. I can't easily visualize how to run them
inside the cockpit.
3. There's not a lot of need as so few Coupes have accidents in which a
parachute would save the day.
The advantage:
Two types of accidents make a whole-plane parachute useful.
1. Airframe failure - we've had darn few of these. In most, there's been
some evidence of aerobatics as a causative factor. DON'T DO AEROBATICS IN A
COUPE - EVER! and this will eliminate almost any chance of airframe failure.
If in turbulence, slow down. I've been in extreme turbulence and, by
slowing down to 75 mph, the forces on the plane were reduced to a gentle
(but large amplitude) rock and roll, with no threat to the airframe.
2. Caught by continuing VFR into IMC conditions.
a. My simple cure for this is DON'T DO IT! Take extra care so you
don't get caught. Know the weather. Watch the weather. Watch the
humidity, watch the dew point spread, watch the temperature change trends
and you won't get caught by sudden fog below you.
b. Because I always like a backup plan, it's nice to have one gyro
instrument, either a real gyro or a modern, solid-state electronic
equivalent. Know how to use this to descend through a cloud layer or, if
descending through fog, to get to the ground in a level attitude. PRACTICE
using anything you count on.
I've known several IMC fatal accidents over the 31 years I've been
involved with Coupes. They are a great tragedy. In my early days I was not
sufficiently careful about avoiding IMC and sometimes went "to just take a
look." A couple of times I found myself without outside visual reference
for too many seconds. After those experiences, I just stopped - ever -
going to "just take a look." If there was doubt, I'd not go.
I did found that you can still do long distance VFR travel in a
Coupe if you pay attention to the weather and are willing to detour a state
to the side if needed.
So, all in all, no one has gone to the weight and cost penalty of installing
a parachute on a Coupe. If you do so, let us all know how it turns out.
Ed Burkhead
http://edburkhead.com/Ercoupe/index.htm
