Checked out in an Ercoupe today

jrh

jrh

Well-Known Member
This afternoon I had the pleasure of getting checked out in a 1946 Ercoupe 415C. What a plane! Classifies as an LSA, 85 hp engine, no rudder pedals, and a great view.

It's based at my local airport and rents for $45/hobbs hour dry, which is the cheapest way to fly in my area. The checkout was 1.3 hours and cost a total of $110, including a really nice old instructor for $25/hour. It only burned 5.1 gallons in 1.3 hours.

We did some slow flight, steep turns, attempts at stalls (Ercoupes are inherently stall-resistant and spin-proof), 5 stop and goes, and a simulated emergency landing. It took a bit of getting used to not having rudder pedals, but after a couple times around the pattern I had it figured out pretty well. The hardest part for me actually wasn't landing in a crab--it was taxiing on the ground. If I wanted to turn right, I kept stepping on the foot brake, instead of turning the control wheel, because I'm so used to stepping on the right rudder.

Anyhow, now the problem is finding a way to keep from going broke flying the thing! It's cheap, but I'm addicted ;)

Anybody else have time in Ercoupes?
 
Hey, sounds like fun! Never flown an Ercoupe myself but wouldn't mind trying one, especially at 45 bucks an hour. You can hardly rent a go-cart for that much.

Am I wrong or wasn't it one of the first production
General Aviation aircraft with a tricycle gear configuration?
 
Alchemy said:
Am I wrong or wasn't it one of the first production
General Aviation aircraft with a tricycle gear configuration?
Click to expand...

That's correct. I guess it looked pretty revolutionary back in the day, with its tricycle gear and low wing design, sitting next to a bunch of high wing tailwheel designs like the J-3.

I think I also read somewhere that the same guy who designed the first Ercoupes went on to design the PA-28 Cherokee line for Piper.
 
First light airplane I ever flew in was my granddads polished aluminum 1946 ercoupe. Open canopy cruising out over the corn fields in Iowa. Twin tails and metal yokes made me think I was in a b-24(I was 6). They actually sold that airplane at Sears for like 2500 bucks when it first came out. I believe his had the rudder pedal mod on it but i can remember.
 
No rudder pedels?

jrh said:
...no rudder pedals...
Click to expand...
I'm not familiar with this plane, so please forgive me...I'm a little confused?!? What did you use to control your vertical axis/yaw?:confused:

Nice looking plane by the way...
 
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