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Chris. I talked to a Univair representative a while ago (beginning this year) and asked them whether they would have legal issues with someone trying to built an Ercoupe from scratch. (and plans) They don't . They know it is a project hard to manage. basically they think it is impossible to do. Although I think it is possible to do, I know it is not possible to build an Ercoupe from plans and scratch and save money while doing so. There are quiet a few parts which need professional forming. (Wing tips, tanks, wing root fairing, pieces on the rudders ) top and bottom cowl, rear windows tail cone to name a few. Also the controls are not easy to build (if you want to keep it a 2 control plane) No, I calculated that if you go and the parts needed from UNIVAIR to built a new Coupe You and up paying more than $200000. plus labor. One needs professional help to built a plane like this. That help cost money. Even when you do all one can do himself, you'll end up paying $50000 or more plus labor. You will end up buying parts from salvaged Coupes, like wings and rudders and landing gear, But then you would be better off with buying a good project and work from there. That would reduce the cost for your Coupe to somewhat $25000 to $50000. plus labor. Now one could think, if you buy a good Coupe for $16000 to $20000 , you would be off best. Because you can fly now and not in 20 years and you pay the least amount of money to do so. The only reason to built an Ercoupe is to get it registered in the new Sport Pilot Category or to built a faster, bigger Experimental Coupe. I do not want to discourage you , but I also own the film with the plans . It is more than 400 drawings of little bits and pieces of the pre war Coupe. A valuable found for the historian, but it also shows that the Ercoupe is a plane which would probably sell at around $300000 if made these days in the US. It requires just a lot of special work. There is a reason that Kitplane look squarish and simple... Good luck on your project - if you have something started or done - send pictures, I am very interested. Hartmut N3330H [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > ----[Please read http://ercoupers.com/disclaimer.htm before following any advice in this forum.]---- > > Yes, well I'm planning to anyway, but before I do I > need to figure out the legality of it. I know I can > build just about anything as an experimental aircraft > and I am fine on that as far as the FAA is concerned. > My question is what about the fact that Univair owns > the type certs for the plane that I will be building. > Will I have any legal obligation to them? > > By the way: If you want the background on this before > calling me a nut then read on. If not then just stop > now and call me a nut anyway. > > I've been hooked on flying ever since a kind pilot > invited an awestruck three year old me up to see the > cockpit of a 747 many years ago. It kind of sets the > backdrop for a scene for two summers ago, a 25 year old > computer tech working at an airport, with a week of > complimentary passes to Oshkosh and two weeks vacation. > It was my first Oshkosh and the first time I saw an > ercoupe. Oshkosh renewed my obsession with aircraft, > flying, warbirds, and the usual kitplanes... but left > an odd fascination with an unusual plane out in the > grass. N2546H, perhaps the most simply and elegantly > unique plane at the show. Yes, it was an ercoupe. > > Oshkosh left it's mark, I signed up for flight lessons > the next week. > > I didn't think much about the Ercoupe in my original > fascination with kitplanes, but it seemed to keep > coming up, mostly for financial reasons. When I finaly > set about seriously looking for my own plane it turned > out that an Ercoupe was about the most elegant plane I > could afford. I must thank Steve Christmas for my > first ride in an Ercoupe, and it was a wonderous > flight. But financial circumstances and the loss of a > roommate constrained my budget still further and I was > unable to buy it. I sincerely hope that Steve has > found a good new owner for that plane and , I wish him > the best of luck. > > I was hooked on Ercoupes but by now my budget was > barely up to an ercoupe project. I sought them out > anyway, to little avail. Discouraged, I returned to > looking at kitplanes, then downgraded even that to > looking at plans. Hope eventually started to return, > after all I work at an airport, surrounded by enough > equipment and expertise to roll a new BizJet off the > line every couple of weeks. It also turns out that > quite a few people at work have built, or are building, > kitplanes, some of them from plans. I might not end up > owning an Ercoupe but at least I would end up owning > something, and I would get to actually build it.. > Bonus. > > Then a thought struck me, why not build an Ercoupe from > plans, it doesn't look too complicated and the plans > have to be out there somewhere. I started looking and > found them easily enough, though not at Univair where I > had expected. The CAC archives had Ercoupe plans, from > Engineering Research Co. no less, and it would only > cost $37.50 to get a copy. I ordered the plans without > a second though, I would probably have done the same > even if I didn't plan to use them. So here I am now, > waiting on the plans, wondering if anyone has tried > this before, pondering the legal fineries of it all, > and wondering if it's all entirely sane in the first > place. > > Either way, wish me luck. This looks like the > beginning of a grand adventure. > > Chris Trent > ========================================================================== ==== > To leave this forum go to: http://ercoupers.com/lists.htm ========================================================================== ==== To leave this forum go to: http://ercoupers.com/lists.htm
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