The ercoupe history, a little plane.

[gustavo_ercoupe]

 

Hello everyone

 

I thought share the story of my "vintage" small plane that may be interesting to someone who want to read it.

 

I know few in Australia and New Zealand. (In my post presentation I put pictures of them.)

 

Here I wanted to present the story of the first plane spinning incapable, first plane without rudder pedals

 

and first aircraft with tricycle landing gear

 

 

 

The Ercoupe was the first aircraft certified by the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) as "characteristically incapable of spinning." The high-winged General Skyfarer obtained the second certification by licensing the ERCO technology.[7] The first production Ercoupe, serial no. 1, NC15692 built in 1939 was donated to the National Air and Space Museum. In 1941 that aircraft, designated YO-55, was used inUS Army Air Force testing.

 

 

 

In 1931, aeronautical engineer Fred Weick was assistant chief of the aeronautics division of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). In 1934 he asked permission to build an aircraft based on the 1931 Stout Skycar, using fabric instead of aluminum covering, and control modifications based on NACA research. Weick and a group of co-workers designed and assembled the experimental aircraft with a group of his colleagues who worked on the project in their spare time and paid for it themselves. The resulting aircraft, known as the W-1, featured tricycle landing gear, a parasol wing, and a pusher propeller configuration.

 

 

 

Fred Weick listed the W1 design goals that were tested in later seminars:

 

 

• Tricycle landing gear with castering nosewheel, steerable if desired
   
   
  
• Suitable longitudinal and lateral stability with limited up-elevator deflection, to prevent loss of control due to stalling and spinning.
   
   
  
• A glide-control flap
   
   
  
• Two-control operation using controls for pitch and roll.
   
   
  

 

 

In 1934 the Bureau of Air Commerce approached Weick's team looking for standards for a competition for a safe and practical $700 aircraft. In 1936 the winner of the competition was the Stearman-Hammond Y-1, incorporating many of the safety features of the W-1. Two other winners were the Waterman Aeroplane and a roadable autogyro, the Autogiro Company of America AC-35. The W-1 was not intended for production to qualify as a competitor, but was purchased by the Bureau for continued experimental tests in spin-control safety.After the prototype W-1 underwent a forced landing, an updated W-1A was built by Fairchild, incorporating leading edge cuffs.

 

 

 

Weick left NACA in 1936 and joined ERCO's fledgling aircraft team as chief designer, primarily to continue improving his aircraft design. Focusing his efforts on a number of design issues, primarily simplicity and safety, Weick strove to create a reasonably priced aircraft that would not stall or spin.[citation needed] Retaining the tricycle gear for ease of maneuvering on the ground, and limited stall-spin features, Weick switched to a low-wing monoplane configuration in his new model, powered by an engine in tractor configuration.

 

 

 

The two-seat ERCO Ercoupe 415 went on sale in 1940. LIFE magazine described the aircraft as "nearly foolproof" and showed pictures of a pilot landing with his hands in the air. Only 112 units were delivered before World War II intervened, halting all civil aircraft production. By mid-1941 aluminum supplies were being diverted to war-related production, so ERCO decided to manufacture Ercoupes for military use by using wood as the principal building material. The substitution of wood resulted in a heavier but quieter aircraft, because the wood absorbed vibrations from the engine and airflow. Ercoupes were flown during the war by the Civilian Pilot Training Program for flight instruction, and the Civil Air Patrol used them to patrol for German submarines.

 

 

Postwar sale

 

 

A full-page Ercoupe advertisement, February 1946

 

Although World War II had interrupted production of the Ercoupe, general aviation manufacturers were enthusiastic about the prospects of a postwar aviation boom. Thousands of men and women were trained as pilots by the government, and the hope was that they would want to include flying in their civilian life. Production of the model 415-C resumed in 1945, and in 1946 alone 4,311 aircraft were produced and sold at a cost of US$2,665. This was the same price as in 1941. At its peak, ERCO was turning out 34 Ercoupes per day, operating three shifts per day. The aircraft was aggressively marketed through unconventional outlets such as the men's department of the Macy's department store chain.

 

 

 

 

[Marty_d]

Are the rudders coupled to the aileron controls?

 

 

[pmccarthy]

 

 

 

 

 

[bexrbetter]

I had a thought to just grab an Ercoupe, strip it and just copy it as a complete matched hole kit upgrading to modern bits as required - just the "copy" part runs a nerve down my spine, something I can't be proud of.

 

oh and by the way, "er" is number 2 in Chinese, seems appropriate for 2 seat coupe.

 

 

[facthunter]

Might seem like a good idea but there are so many things you couldn't do with it. It's never been my cup of tea, as a concept. I'm an active rudder man. Nev

 

 

[Vev]

Are the rudders coupled to the aileron controls?

Hi Marty,

 

Yes the ailerons and rudders are linked in the standard configuration.

 

However the rudders aren't quite like a normal rudder, that is, they are more like a drag and work something like the Long-Ez rudder. When you turn, the inboard rudder progressively pops out and the outboard one stays basically straight.

 

They are a lot of fun to fly.

 

Cheers

 

Vev

 

 

[gustavo_ercoupe]

My little bird

 

 

 

 

[Marty_d]

Beautiful aircraft. I like the diagonal wing ribs.

 

 

[Vev]

There's a lot of interesting features on the Ercoupe. Whilst the lack of a rudder gets plenty of attention, the twin tails are even more interesting when you understand their purpose.

 

Because there is no rudder control on take off, you can't feed in right rudder to counteract the torque and prop wash. Fred Weick answer was to give it twin tails which sit outside of the influence of the prop wash and the force that is normally applied on a single centreline tail ac. As a consequence the aircraft more or less stays straight during the take-off roll and doesn't require any rudder correction.

 

You simply steer it like a car and when you reach V2 pull it off the ground cleanly, it will weathercock and fly away without fuss.... simple!

 

Another interesting thing I hear people ask is what if you want to side slip .... that's easy too ... have a guess how, it might surprise you!

 

Cheers

 

Vev

 

 

[Marty_d]

You've given the game away elsewhere Vev...

 

David,Actually you can side slip an Ercoupe ... you simply sick your arm out the window which causes the ac to yaw a little and you get another 500" min of decent.

 

More seriously, there are later models of the Coupe that came with rudder controls or alternatively there is an STC to allow you to fit controls to early models. I have decided to keep my as it was built 65 years ago.

 

I must admit, if you only fly an Ercoupe you could develop bad habits in a conventual ac ... personally I fly several ac and get plenty of stick and rudder exposure to keep me honest.

 

Cheers

 

Vev

[Vev]

Doh ... it's true the internet remembers everything!

 

Cheers

 

Vev

 

 

[gustavo_ercoupe]

some pilots say in Argentina something like: "the Ercoupe is a good gaucho plane"

 

(like the piper j3, or the taylorcraft), landing well in the mud, on earth, or on the track

 

They came to our pampas back in 1945

 

They flew our skies for seventy years and we still have many of them flying.

 

In my opinion, we have different types of aircraft:

 

Some are used for instruction, others serve for acrobatic, and others to travel with our lady "taking the afternon tea", and this is the case hahaha...

 

The Ercoupe is made to fly long distances with elongated legs comfortably (no pedals)

 

And you will not untraining; on the contrary, the airplane will help you land correctly

 

and will help you to have excelent take off, and in the air... enjoy flying coordinated

 

(no more stick and ball)

 

It is an old vintage airplane, a little slow ( 100 mph) , but noble

 

greetings to all !

 

(and sorry for my english)

 

if you want to see something else I invite you to my facebook

 

Ercoupe Erco | Facebook

 

 

[gustavo_ercoupe]

[facthunter]

Good effort Gustavo. Your enthusiasm is obvious. The a Piper Tri-Pacer had a similar system.

 

As I said in my post. I am an active rudder person and consider it an underused control. The Ercoupe is probably a safer plane for some people. If it isn't there you can't muck it up. May you have tailwinds, except in finals. Nev

 

 

[Vev]

I enjoy flying my Ercoupe and have a few hundred hours in her. She turned 70 this year and is still like a new aircraft.

 

Every time I go out in her with a clear sky, in the late afternoon and the top down I come back with a smile.

 

Nothing I have ever flown lands as nicely as the Coupe... Even in bad conditions and a howling cross winds she just settles peacefully with out fuss.

 

Cheers

 

Vev

 

 

[gustavo_ercoupe]

fly with open cockpit

 

enjoy the wind

 

feel the air

 

see smiles on all faces sitting beside me

 

take your hand and turn slightly

 

feeling in the arms of God among clouds and return to earth

 

again and again, and again and again

 

lol that's a Ercoupe !!

 

 

[gustavo_ercoupe]