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Chris, be advised that many of the skins on a Ercoupe are compound curves, which in the factory are made with a hydroforming press. Also, many of the internal parts are cast aluminum and then machined, and others, such as the spars, are extruded aluminum, then machined. You think a kit plane is out of your budget? To build an Ercoupe from plans would probably cost over $100,000 plus labor, seeing you would have to make or have someone make everything. As far as legality, I don't think you would have a problem. It would definately be a homebuilt, and homebuilts can be any shape you want them to be. Good luck, but I would advise that you keep your eye out for a good Ercoupe for sale. Good ones can be purchased for around $20,000, and are ready to fly. Syd Cohen Region 5 Director Ercoupe Owners Club Wausau, WI [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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