----[Please read http://ercoupers.com/disclaimer.htm before following any advice in this forum.]---- At 02:00 PM 12/6/2002 -0700, MAGIC VAC wrote:
Just for the record, when I was looking to buy my Coupe, I read every published report I could find. Without exception, the procedure that was given to lose altitude fast, was to cut all power, and pull full back on the yoke. And then, when enough altitude was lost, push forward on the yoke to give you enough speed to land safely. Even a 'sink it' advocate like yours truly would be terrified by that approach. The first thing I noticed about Ercoupes is that, like other thoroughbreds, they don't respond well to a ham-handed rider. Indeed, most pilots who are learning to fly the Ercoupe seem to yank the yoke out by the roots in the flare (172 or Cherokee style) and, absent an experienced Couper in the other seat, can end up running out of airspeed, altitude, and ideas about 15 feet above the tarmack. If you want to generate some well-controlled sink, do so by gently decelerating the plane, observing what's happening outside your windshield, and when you're done push the nose over decisively (but not like a Val attacking Ford Island) to bring the speed up about 5 MPH more than you would otherwise and about 50 feet above the point where you want it to stop sinking. This is a light plane with light control forces and needs to be handled with a light and precise touch, by a pilot who learns to look outside and observe what she's doing. Do that, and you'll be unlikely ever to get into trouble because the airplane will just do what you want it to do. In this, the Ercoupe is like the Bonanza. It feels good because you don't have to muscle it around in the air. On the other hand, if you don't learn to make gentle and careful inputs, you can get hurt. Greg ========================================================================== ==== To leave this forum go to: http://ercoupers.com/lists.htm
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