----[Please read http://ercoupers.com/disclaimer.htm before following any advice in this forum.]----
Hi Mike,
I think one possible reason for the 'outcast' reputation of the
Ercoupe might be that when it was
first introduced it was so 'different' than anything else on the market.
It had two vertical fins (twin
tailed), it had the traditional tailwheel mounted on the wrong end of the
plane, which made the twin
tails stick up in the air making them much more noticable. Then, of all
things, that funny looking
thing didn't even have any rudder pedals. Now anyone who knows anything
about airplanes would obviously
know that this strange looking thing will never fly. It will not be safe
and it will just kill a lot of
people. It'll never last!!
Well, fifty plus years later, it is still one of the best and safest
planes in the air. Yes, a few
people have been killed in them, but as in most plane crashes, it's
'usually' pilot error when it all
gets sorted out. One of the tails didn't fall off, it wasn't caused by
the lack of rudder pedals and it
'definately' wasn't caused by a 'spin' that the plane or pilot wasn't able
to get out of. After all, if
it won't go into a spin you don't have to worry about getting out of it.
Duhhhh....... I'm no rocket
scientist, but even I can figure that out! There are probably a lot of
other reasons, but I think these
are the main ones.
I'm old enough to remember when the Ercoupe was first released. The
first time I saw one land at my
hometown airport I fell in love with it. I thought it was about the
cutest airplane I'd ever seen.
I've loved them over the years but didn't get my first ride in one until
1986 when a friend of mine took
me for a ride in his. When we got back on the ground after about a 15 or
20 minute flight I wrote him
a check for the plane and the hangar. That's the same one I still own.
I nearly didn't buy it when I discovered that it had no rudder pedals
as I used to love to 'slip' in
on final approach. My friend told me that there was a 'pedal kit' that I
could get if I really wanted
to convert it. He suggested, however, that I should fly it for about 30
days first and make sure I
really wanted to convert it. I agreed and did as he said. By the end of
a couple of weeks I had
changed my mind, I still don't have rudder pedals and wouldn't even
consider adding them. Why
'sabatage' a superior system????
Perhaps if someone would take a person for a ride who 'hates' coupes,
we'd gain another 'couper' to
our community. It certainly worked on my way of thinking.
Name one other plane that gets as much attention when landing on a
strange field. Oh, I know,
Staggerwings and War Birds are nice too, but just a little out of my
budget. I'd love to have a P-51,
but it would cost me more to operate and maintain it each and 'every year'
than I have invested in my
plane and hangar. Then there's the initial investment.... It's about a
million dollars more than I can
afford. Really!!!
Bob Saville
N3396H 415C
Eugene, OR
Mike Dean wrote:
> ----[Please read http://ercoupers.com/disclaimer.htm before following
any advice in this forum.]----
>
> I had this talk with Syd Cohen 'bout a month ago. While every plane has
> it's ardent admirers, and every plane has people who don't particularly
> care for it, I can't think of any plane that attracts such vicious
> hatred as the 'coupe. And I don't, for a minute, understand why.
>
> I'm not like the rest of you, with tons of coupe experience, (Or even
> pounds, for that matter.) but the couple of times I've been able to get
> my hands on the yoke of one I found it to be an absolute thrill.
>
> Of course I've always been attracted to it. It's such a neat looking
> plane. Add to that the fact that I'm still a low time student pilot. So
> maybe I'm too stupid to have given the hatred a fair chance to develop.
> Well...tough luck. It's too late now. I'm hooked.
>
> Mike Dean
> :-)
>
> -----Original Message-----
> He's obviously never ridden in one. Was he even a pilot? Does he own a
> plane?
>
> Bob Saville
>
> Gene Davison wrote:
>
> -----Original Message-----
> My bad experience was when one person told me that all Ercoupes should
> be used as planters in the front yard. Now that bothered me!
>
> Gene '36H
>
> To leave this forum go to: http://ercoupers.com/lists.htm
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