Scare Coupe - Part 2
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- Опубліковано 7 лют 2023
- Jeff gets to fly the Air Couple for the first time, and a handful of skilled, career pilots also try their hand (not their feet) at the rudderless airplane.
Jeffrey Kent: @splitcell_aviation
Daniel Wotring: @aviatorgopher
Production: splitcellent.com
Music: epidemicsound.com - Розваги
too bad it is done by a couple of idiots who have nothing to do but to say how good a pilot they are. The Ercoupe is easy to fly, it has no vices, and if you fly it as intended, it will handle a larger cross wind than any other General Aviation plane, oh, I have flown all those "big" planes as well, T-6, BT-13, T-28, DC-3, Tiger Moth, and I have never wanted to step on a rudder pedal when flying my Ercoupe, The only thing hard to do in a Ercoupe is formation flying, since you do not have rudder controls to do cross overs and station keeping, but it can be done. .
Ha! The irony of this comment is quite amusing. You claim that all we do is boast about our skills and type ratings (when we in fact don't) but then go on to publicly list all the "big" airplanes YOU'VE flown. Then you chastise us for our natural, human reactions to the coupe's unique flight characteristics but also point out its limitations in formation flight (when we did just that... in episode 1). That said, thanks for watching and engaging with us. It really is kind folks like you and constructive criticism like this that keeps us goin'!
A little psychopathy maybe? The Little man who never got the attention he seeked so all he does is put down others to feel better about himself. Enjoy that world you live in “shoot the guns of history”. Feel sorry for those that have to suffer around you. I had a smile on my face this entire video. Keep them coming Airspeed & Altitude!
@@airspeedaltitude
G'day,
Yay Team !
I too thought that bloke's opening line was unduly corrosive...; apparently he may have Bin-Projecting - ie venting his Anxiety and Insecurities by accusing others of all the Emotions which he feels, but regards as being unacceptable...(?) !
Anyway, from what I underconstumble the Ercoupe and the Piper Tri-Pacer were contemporaneous - products of the Post WW-2 mania for putting a "Flying Flivver" into Everyman's Backyard Shed, the theory being that Joe CitiZen wanted to go flying but 3 Controls for 3 Axes was a bit beyond the abilities of an Average Bloke...; so the Tri-Pacer had/has it's Rudder Cables and it's Aileron Cables linked with Bungee-Cords... (though most people quickly disconnected the feature...) - so it had it's Pedals insitu and they could be used for Sideslips or Formation-keeping, if a Flyer was in the Driver's Seat...(!).
The Ercoupe did away with the Bungees and Pedals entirely....
And, in the event, BOTH Aeroplanes totally failed to sell particularly well....
It turns out that ever since Bleriot figured out his "Cloche"-mounted Joystick for Lateral and Pitch with Rudderbar for Yaw...; EVERYBODY who goes to go flying expects and prefers, and more or less demands, a CONVENTIONAL set of Controls on their Sky-Chariot.
My own experience of flying without Pedals was in the 3rd Prototype Skycraft Scout, in which I made my first Solo - it had an all-flying Finless Rudder and all-flying Stabilators both actuated by the Joystick..., and a big Whack of Dihedral on the High-Wing.
Spiral Dives killed a few of the people who flew the 12 Production Mk-1 Scouts, as did single-swaged Drag-Wires letting go under the increased vibration of the 12 Hp Engines (whereas the 8 Hp of the 3 Pre-Production Prototypes didn't vibrate sufficiently hard as to pull the Steel Cable through the single Swages...!).
The 18-Hp Mk-2 Scouts continued to be 2-Axis Control, as the Type's Designer (Ron Wheeler) insisted that Roll Control wasn't necessary and having it available only confused people who wanted "a pure Minimalist experience" of Flight.
So, ALL the other Ultralight Aircraft Designers produced far Far FAR better-flying Aeroplanes, the Mk-2 Scouts continued to lock themselves into unrecoverable Spiral Dives, and Ron Wheeler's Sales figures fell off a Cliff.
So then the Mk-3 Skycraft Scout came out, about 1983 or '84, with either an 18 Hp Fuji-Robin, or a 35Hp Rotax-377 ; and it finally featured Rudder Pedals..., with WING-Warping Cables connected to the Joystick, and a Fibreglass Nose-Pod Fairing, and even a Float-Kit for those keen on drowning - after messing up their attempt at alighting...(!).
But the rest of the Market had moved on, and Wheeler went out of business - apparently spiralling into depressed Pit of Denial regarding his responsibility for leading those droves of the gullible to go up and trap themselves in a Death-Spiral...; by flying with 2-Axis Controls plus Dihedral, and then trying to Turn AND Descend - both at the same time...(which was Strictly VERBOTEN ! for good reason).
I personally never got my Scout high enough for a Spiral Dive to become any kind of a pissabolity, but flying behind a Lawnmower is a bit like that...
To fact-check me on all the above, please feel free to backtrack moi, to my
"Personal Aeroplanology..."
Playlist...., whereinat you may find 2 Clips about my Scout, there's last year's
"National Transportation Museum ; Visiting My First Aeroplane...!"
and when I started the Playlist 11 years back I put together a sort of doccumentary Slide-Show using old Photos and Magazine Articles to nail down the timeline..., filmed on a Potato but it's a good yarn...
"The 8-Hp, 1975, Red Baron Skycraft Scout...; World's 1st Legal Minimum Aircraft !"
I was it's 3rd owner, it was my first Aeroplane, it took me for my first Solo when I had 25 min's Dual in a 65-Hp 1946 J-3 Cub, and 10 min's in a 1936 DeHavilland DH-87b Hornet Moth....; and so EVERYTHING else I've ever flown was really Really REALLY Easy to fly, because to levitate behind 8 Hp with a Single-surface Aerofoil and no Instruments requires ABSOLUTELY ZERO Slip, Skid, or Yaw to avoid snowballing the Drag and failing to maintain Altitude.
If one learns on a "piece of Shite" then afterwards, Everything Else turns out to be really really easy...!
I once met a Champion Sailplane Pilot, who practised by flying an old Wood and Linnen Slingsby, for days before going out in his massive new shiny expensive Composite Sailplane, to compete.
Because if he could maintain Height in an old Wood and Canvas Glider then he could go wherever he felt so inclined...; once aloft in a sleek smooth lump of Glassfibre...
So, does playing with the "ScareCoupe" make you-all better Pilots when you get back into a Normal Hairygoplane ?
One wonders...
Such is life,
Have a good one...
Stay safe.
;-p
Ciao !
@@WarblesOnALot p
@@harrymarso7512
G'day...,
So,
Did ye do
Thy
Homework...;
And backtrack me
To
Factcheck moi...?
One
Wondurrz...
Such is life,
Have a good one...
Stay safe.
;-p
Ciao !
Owned one N2448 and enjoyed every flight. Used it to fly back and forth to work from Highgate VT accros Lake Champlain to Plattsburgh NY. Flue many search and rescue missions with the Civil Air Patrol accross Vermont. Great plane and a joy to fly! Like most pilots, I had it for sale on the bulletin board at the airport with a rediculous price. Farmer walked in one day and asked if I still had my Ercoupe for sale. He pulled out a role of bills and counted out the price I had on the board and asked for a bill of sale. Worst mistake I ever made. Now you know why I don't still have it!
We love everyone sharing stories like yours, and we really appreciate you taking the time to watch and to leave a comment. It's always hard to let go of a machine that you truly loved. We've all been there. But at least you got to enjoy it while you had it. Cheers!
Super easy to fly. Controls interconnected. Ailerons go up but very little down so little or no adverse aileron yaw. That is why it doesn't need rudder.
I owned A 1968 Alon A2A. It did have rudder peddels. In fact I got my private license in it. 90 up Continental in it .
Decades ago I knew two brothers who owned a 1966 Alon. As best as I can remember, it had rudder pedals as well.
My dad and his 2 buddies bought one of these back in the '60s. One of his friends was confined to a wheel chair resulting from a jeep accident during the Korean War and was able to learn to fly in this airplane. I was 14 at the time and learned to fly this plane while riding with my dad. They sold it before I was able to get a pilot's license.
I love this story. My (Jeff's) grandfather is a Korean War vet, so this hits close to home. I love that one of your dad's veteran friends was able to enjoy aviation because of what this unique airplane offers. Thank you for sharing this story and for watching our stories!
A nice little factoid, the Ercoupe did see service in the war, so my 1947D was my poor man's war bird. Nice video guys.
Awesome! Did not realize they saw any service. Feel free to send us any other info on that - we always welcome cool historical info. Thanks for watching and for commenting!
It's not weird for a coupe. Anyone who starts with a coupe, think other planes are weird! Love the livery. beautiful!!
For sure! Well said! Thanks for watching!
Fun videos. The Ercoupe is a great little plane...Mine had rudder pedals. They didn't have much authority but they kept your feet busy, I hope to own another some day. Whoever owns this beauty should get "Dismount at rear" sticker so people won't dismount over the fuel tanks as Jenny did. It could get expensive. Looking forward to Part 3
Gotcha. Thank you for the heads up on that. Appreciate you watching and sharing your insight!
I loved mine
I want to see pilots with open/intelligent minds trying this plane out.
When I was about 18 my father bought one. The first thing he did, was pull the wings off, tow the Ercoupe all the way across town (Fresno CA.) To a crop dusting outfit he worked for. Where they commence to put in rudder pedals and brake pedals. The whole reason for no rudder pedals in this airplane is because you cannot spin this airplane without them. That was the main selling point for this airplane. Rudders were interconnected with the ailerons. And were purposely made not to be able to spin the way it was configured. Most trainer type airplanes you really need to stomp on the rudder pedal in order to spin them. So the whole reason for this was to make it much safer airplane. But actually think they made it more dangerous. JMHO. This is definitely not a trainer airplane though. You don't want to get close to stall speed because you have no rudder pedals to keep the wings level. Just ailerons. No it won't spin. Yes I got a little bit of time in it. He would fly from Fresno to Las Vegas. Straight over the Sierra Nevada's. You know it always kind of reminded me of driving in a Volkswagen bug.
Wow! Flying one over the Sierras must have been a thrill. Thanks for sharing your story and your insight. We appreciate you watching!
In the early 70's I had an opportunity to fly in an Ercoupe with a friend. It was one with rudder pedals. I admit I knew nothing about the craft at the time, except that many pilots made fun of the Ercoupe. I thoroughly enjoyed my joyride, and will always remember that little craft.
Awesome! Thanks so much for sharing and for supporting our channel!
Awesome
YOU are awesome for watching and for commenting!
My favorite story about the Ercoupe is it's use as a trainer for the first crop of Boeing 707 pilots.
Apparently the chief test pilot, Tex Johnson (the guy who rolled a 707), as my understanding of the story goes, the Ercoupe and the 707 have one important characteristic in common: landing crabbed in a crosswind. You couldn't slip the 707 onto the ground or you'd scrape an engine.
Awesome! Knew about Tex rolling the 707, but did NOT know that Ercoupes were used to train the first crop of pilots. Makes sense! Great story. Appreciate you watching and leaving a comment!
I've been recreational flying for fifty years and the Ercoupe has always fascinated me. Never had a chance to pilot one, but would love too some day. Looks like a lot of fun.
Well we hope you get a chance to do it! It's worth it! Best of luck and blue skies to ya!
So... Daniel fixed my tailwheel technique in three flights. The third we were having a blast, and I walked away a better pilot... "I'm not a looser" is the trick! ;-) Hearing it again in a cockpit made me laugh out loud. And... I'll vouch for his tailwheel and instructional skills... Just an amazing instructor. The rest of these clowns are INDEED accomplished pilots in the military and civilian world. But yeah. Still clowns!
Always good to hear from a fellow member of the circus, LOL! "You are not a loser. You are not a loser. You are not a loser." Thanks for watching and for leaving such a nice comment!
Super safe, if you know its characteristics. It was so flyer friendly it could be sold from a catalog, Sears or JC Penney. Beautiful night flights.
This Ercoupe is a visual work of art..! A flying sculpture of aeronautic design..! Isn't it just lovely . .
Honestly, I just liked looking at it every time I walked into our hangar.
@@airspeedaltitude Absolutely, yes, can fully understand..! :) ..i grew up around masses of GA light aircraft as a little boy (my father was a still-flying former WW11 Liberator pilot) and every single weekend for close to two decades there were all these masses of different light aircraft all around me.. the second only other light aircraft type that captivated a small boy's heart in those days was the early long nose wheel 310 which (in my eyes) combined the awesome tall straight vertical tail fin of the 180 'hot-rod' and the elegant long nose gear of (what seemed to me) of the ME262.. and TWO of the awesomely slim-nacelled 0-470's of the grunt machine 180! What could possibly be better than that!!! The whole package looked awe-inspiring to me. It looked to me that the designers at Wichita had taken the 180 and made it twice as good and twice as beautiful! And what could be better than that?? The early short version B727?? Hmm . .the 600mph 'pocket rocket' of the '80's RNZAF..! :)
Just now seeing this - glad you guys are having fun! Wanted to make one clarifying (possibly really important) point: the coupe does stall. The placard is to let you you that it is "incharacteristically incapable of spinning" (pardon the spelling). The wings will stall all day long. ANd, in a 3-control coupe, you can get it to stall aggressively! But, unless you do something like, i dunno, hang a piano off it, it won't spin.
Just got here from # 1....still chuckling
We like to make folks chuckle. It's what we do! Thanks for being a repeat customer!
I owned A 1946 ERCOUPE In the 1980S it had the rudder pedal conversion kit and was great on take off correcting for the torque of that 85HP Continetal! Wish I still had it! 4.5 to 6gal hrs. Fred Wicke designed it in the 30s also designed the Piper Cherokee!
It is truly remarkable that this airplane has endured over the years. Thanks for watching and for commenting!
Me: 68
Grew up in a Ercoupe family.
Dad, mom owned 3 during their lifetime.
Scare Coupe got its name not from its performance.
But more importantly the first corrosion related wing departures in the early 1970's.
I'm talking about pre war and post war ( 1946) center section and aft spar wing root . Ercoupes were left in the weather with continual rain running into the near impossible to inspect areas. The first AD finally came out from FAA after several fatalities.
Stall, spin proof and the claim " Safest Airplane In the World" has been the logo touted forever. And continues to attract poorly trained pilots who get pulled into thinking the Ercoupe is easy and forgiving. Then the old power plant quits. The do stall and spin with out recovery.right into the ground. Dead on Arrival with a fire to spotlight their ignorance and poor training.
Ask me about a Oakdale California Ercoupe pre buy that failed my sniff test.
The same plane lost both wings, tail section at 1800 AGL. Killing the 23 year old CFI. And 17 year old female on impact a few months after I walked, even warning the next buyer Not to buy it.
Read Ercoupe accidents on NTSB. And it only goes back to 1986.
Lots of accidents, causes, critical condition survivors and deaths.
Safest Airplane until you overspend the VNE or radically rock the wings.
Ercoupe is old. And it's NOT Aerobatic.
Period.
I would never board any Ercoupe or the latter Alon without absolute maintence records and proof as to the engine, fuel system and wing center sections current condition. And honestly, I'd still probably walk away.
generalaviationnews.com/2020/06/05/crash-claims-two-after-ercoupes-engine-loses-power/
I love the coupes
My Ercoupe is a 1946 base on KWHP
I’m glad you guys got the Ercoupe experience
Great videos
Whiteman! We're neighbors! Very cool. Thank you for watching and for commenting! We'll look out for ya!
I learnt to fly on a Forney F1A Aircoupe 60 years ago almost to the day - it had rudder pedals and clam-shell canopy so it could be flown any time “open cockpit”. As a measure of its docility Iand simplicity I went solo at 4.10 and that was after a.40 minute detail in a DHC-1 Chipmunk to cover spinning and stalling as the aircoupe wouldn’t do either - I tried to no avail! I am now retired after a 45 year professional career!
We love hearing stories like this. And comments like these are why we make the videos. Thank you for watching and thank you for leaving a comment!
Big smiles, what can you say?
No kidding about ‘foot confusion’ in Coupes sans pedals; docile bird but ‘footless’ flying takes a bit of getting used to.
Had the chance to eventually fly one with pedals, and it was tons of fun. Not a lot of authority in the pedal-rudder control, but having rudders unyoked to the ailerons certainly allowed more ‘granular’ control of yaw, which I, like all of the pilots on your great video who usually fly rudder pedaled aircraft, found far more ‘natural’, and appealing .
Great little ‘plane when she has pedals!
Appreciate your comment and for corroborating what we experienced. There's nothing "wrong" with the airplane, but we have to laugh a little at some of the folks who are getting upset with us because we're having a genuine reaction to suddenly flying an aircraft without rudder pedals. No offense to Fred Wicke, the coupe, or the thousands of guys that fly them. It just feels foreign to us. Imagine putting someone who has only driven automatic transmissions into a car with a 5-speed manual? It doesn't mean automatics suck or that manuals suck, it's just a mental and physical hurdle to get over. Anyway, we definitely value your comment and thank you for watching!
Now I wanna try one
Do it! They are a one-of-a-kind airplane!
It's "stall-spin proof" not "stall proof.". Stalls are straight ahead. The airplane does NOT fall off on a wing. All turns are coordinated due to aileron-rudder linkage.
Looks like a mini B25. Beautiful.
Indeed! It's definitely a product of its time and place, yet it remains timeless.
The leather helmet was a treat , pity he didn't have the canopy open. Not sure if you can fly the Alon with the canopy open? The Ercoupe has slide down windows which make it great for open cockpit flying😁
Our beloved Chris rocks the leather helmet like no other! With regard to your question, looks like there's some interesting chatter about that here: www.ercoupe.org/index.php/forums/alon-m10-specific/949-flying-with-canopy-open?start=0
Alon can be flown with the canopy open (slid back) up to 100mph. The Ercoupe with clam shell type canopy can be flown open at any speed. I fly my Ercoupe with Canopy completely open most of the time, except for takeoff, as it carries about a five mph drag penalty. But I’ll still probably have it open a few inches at the top.
I'm loving what I've seen of your content so far!! Looking forward to what you'll be putting out in the future!! I'm an aspiring pilot and find this sort of content inspirational.
Thank you so much! Honestly, it's comments like yours that inspire us to keep going. And we hope YOU keep going when it comes to your pilot aspirations!
It’s got the V tail bonanza wiggle wag.
I have flown Ercoupe both with rudder paddles and with rudder peddles added. Honestly scary no rudder peddles. But after the conversation kit is great plane
A lot of people feel the way you do. A lot of folks love the factory models too. We'd definitely like to try one with a rudder kit and see what happens...
2 for 2! Another great video! I need to get my scarecoupe out of the hangar!
Thank you so much! And you totally should!
Jeff the beard is on point brother😁
Yes, yes... I'm the Michael McDonald of pilots...
How fun I love it!!!
Thanks, we love it too!
Imagine this airplane came about at the same time as the Piper Cub, but dismissed because it was too easy to fly.
Yeah, the Ercoupe came out in '37 and the Cub in '38, so you could be right. Would be interesting to know what the perspective was at the time. Thanks for watching!
My father was flying my grandfathers Ercoupe at age 14 and soloed on his birthday at age 15 in 1947. We were all Minnesota farm boys.
For many years here in Ohio we had a group of waist down handicapped flyers that this aircraft was made for. ( the designers didnt know it ) .
But you would see many of them flying around going to breakfasts or flyins.
It was great seeing a whole other normally nonflying individuals hop in and go punch holes in clouds.
So if you know someone who cojld benefit from an Aercoupe let them know they can go fly
Glad you called that out! We stumbled on a few historical photographs of couples that showed folks with these sorts of disabilities getting to enjoy aviation. What a unique (and noble) opportunity the coupe offers for individuals who would otherwise not get to enjoy what we all do. Thanks for watching and for commenting!
I've heard they were called spinproof but not sure if they wer ever called stallproof
Correct, though others have commented that this claim can lead to the perception that it can't stall, which of course is bogus. Any airplane can stall. Thanks for watching and for leaving a comment!
I learned to fly in an erocoupe . Good flying planes just takes a little getting used to. You want a good scare fly a challenger II with full enclosure. The front will weathervane very easily because with the enclosure the front surface becomes larger than the rudder and vertical stabilizer combined. Just don’t panic. It my cause you to cross control.
Yeah, that's pretty much our consensus. There's NOTHING wrong with an Air Coupe... it all comes down to how the pilot grasps the difference. We feel that the overarching theme of the "Scare Coupe" series is to be mindful any time you transition to a new aircraft. The Challenger II looks interesting indeed. Thanks for watching!
I wish y’all had an Ercoupe guy/gal there to give some tips/explanations. It would have made a huge difference. Looks like y’all had fun regardless
For sure. But I'll tell ya, we are getting a lot out of these comments... a lot of couple flyers providing some nice feedback. We did have fun regardless, and we took it very seriously despite the fun that was had. Thanks for watching!
I'm digging this channel, just wanted to mention that the Ercoupe is spin proof not stall proof due to inability to uncoordinate the rudder. This is why, in it's day there was a special pilot license eligible for this plane, much like the modern day sport license. There were two airplanes that qualified for the license. Name the other spin resistant airplane?
Ah man... you got us there on that second airplane. But yes, we were aware that a special cert was available for the coupe (and we call that out in episode 3). And yes, to clarify, we are aware that the claim was "spin" not stall proof, though I think this idea does foster some confusion around non-coupe pilots. There is a perception that it's stall proof when we ALL know that no airplane is stall proof. Thanks for watching!
@@airspeedaltitude The other Airplane is the Stinson 108. The spin protection is in the wing slots in front of the Ailerons. The one thing I can say about this feature is it promotes bad habits as you have roll control deep into the stall! Another feature for stall protection is the elevator travel is limited by the flap position. You have less authority with the flaps up. Kinda cool 😎
Stearman Hammond
@@drreed917 Interesting choice, true it gave proof of concept for the likes of the Ercoupe. It's too bad the Y-1S never caught on.
@@FreedomfixerFlying I have a vague memory that the tripacer had intergrated controls too......?
Haven't flown a coupe but i'm thinking the reason the nose hunts around in yaw is because you can't lead the ailerons with the rudder like a conventional plane.. so it's always a little behind on the yaw control..
Yeah, that's an accurate explanation. It definitely makes you want to over-control the airplane. But it's something we are sure that one can overcome with plenty of practice!
"It's not an airplane, it's a toy." It's just as much an airplane as a P-51. They both have an engine, wings, and tail surfaces. The physics that keep the P-51 from falling out of the sky are the same as the ones keeping the Ercoupe from falling out of the sky.
They're all toys, and we're darn lucky to fly any of 'em. But well said, sir! Well said, indeed. The Air Coupe is an amazing little machine, no doubt. Thanks for watching!
Name Calling people idiots immediately disqualified you from any consideration in my mind that anything you claimed was true.
@@michaelpilot1000 ????????
You must be new to hyperbole and humor. Welcome!
Just getting my fixed wing license and have an option to pick a 1946 up. Would yall recommend it for my first plane?
I need to see if this plane has been modeled for FS2020. Can't fly real planes, as I'm legally blind, but would love to check this plane out in the sim, to see if all it's quirks have been reasonably, accurately modeled in. Thanks for the videos. :)
Good question - let us know if you find out. Thanks for watching!
As I understood it she can be stalled but not spun - although the stall is a non0-event and I wouldn't be amazed to hear of someone who did spin it somewhere, when I was training rudder work was literally bashed into me so not having rudder especially in crosswinds would be a liability for me low to the ground
Yes, you are correct, though there is a good amount of misleading literature and 80 years of word-of-mouth out there, such as this Plane & Pilot article: www.planeandpilotmag.com/article/ercoupe-aircoupe/ - but the informed consensus seems to be "spin proof, not stall proof." And, yes, close the ground without rudder pedals was interesting for us!
The Ercoupe is silly, stupid, simple, to land. Just touch down center line wings level, then lower the nose and steer. It doesn't get much easier. The only thing it will do is develop a high rate of sink power off (no flaps!), like a Cherokee. Make sure you have enough air speed to round out and flare. Yes, it's 'weird' (in a good way!) not to have to deal with rudder pedals, and rudder pedals are completely unnecessary in an Ercoupe - really! There is nothing wrong with the Coupe that a few take-offs and landings by the pilot won't 'fix'. I had 400 hours in regular airplanes, instrument rating and commercial license before I purchased my Coupe N3968H (1999 to 2009). I put over 1,300 hours on the Coupe. Loved it and sold it for an RV-6A and am building an RV-8 (3,300+ hours and FFI formation carded these days). I still have many very fond memories of flying the Coupe. A great little airplane. Find one in good shape (no corrosion & good engine), and just go fly !!!
Gotcha! This is why it's great to hear from an experienced Ercoupe/Air Coupe pilot. This is the EXACT type of conversation we wanted to start. Episode 3 gets into the idea of just landing the airplane and trusting the landing gear to do its job. Thanks again for watching and hope to see you back!
@@airspeedaltitude Here's a short video of a recent rehearsal of ours over Lake Mathews.
ua-cam.com/video/EiGtHnix0uI/v-deo.html
eurocoupe is a kick to fly,,, you just fly it like it wants, not like what you want to force it to do, it will win,,
you learn it does not,,, deal with it
hundreds of hours in one, total blast to fly
That seems to be the general consensus among coupe flyers. Actually, your phrasing of "you learn, it does not" can definitely be applied to any airplane. After more time, we definitely think we'd grow to love it. In fact, we're considering revisiting in future episodes. Thanks so much for watching and for leaving a comment!
Thank god not every GA plane is an Ercoupe. I wouldn't have hours of fun watching "aviators" ground looping tail draggers on UA-cam.
LOL!
Yeah, i have a little time in an aerocoup - ground effect in this little monster makes a Comanche feel like a Sirrus
Wow! Haha! Thanks for watching and for commenting.
Hope that goofball is not a commercial passenger pilot.
What is the useful load on this plane? It looks like a tight fit
470lb if memory serves correct (shot this a while ago), and yeah it was a bit tight - good thing we like one another ;-)
The Alon, as in the video, has a gross weight of 1450. Useful weight, of course, depends on the empty weight and that will vary with every single plane. Roughly 450 useful for a good average. I reckon this plane was over gross with two guys in there if the wings were even half full.
But the plane can easily handle the overage. Just gotta watch your DA.
That airplane has two rudders....
I would have to imagine you SHOULD NOT fly with landing crosswinds. There’s no way to actually correct for the crab so every time you land you would be sideloading the gear. That can’t be good. Or do you literally kick left aileron /rudder at the last minute before touchdown?
It's not a rudderless airplane. It's a rudder pedal-less airplane.
Literally, the easiest airplane on the planet to fly. And stop saying it’s not supposed to stall. Every airplane will stall. It’s not supposed to spin.
spin proof was the claim, not stall proof.
Indeed, but we're not the only source of the confusion: www.planeandpilotmag.com/article/ercoupe-aircoupe/
That said, thanks for watching and for commenting!
That is a very nice Air Coupe, but I'd say this is seeing a problem where none exists. You'd still be flying taildraggers if Fred Weike had never been born. Fred was a genius and far beyond most Pile its. It is a wonder you two have not done a mortar shot by now. The painful part is listening to the inane commentary, TBH. Trim for takeoff, trim for cruise and trim for landing. That is SOP for the Ercoupe. These guys give Pile its a name, not sure if it is good or bad.
The issue is certainly not the airplane. In fact, we love the Air Coupe! This is more about the difference in muscle memory and skill sets that pilots have developed to fly other airplanes. Our reactions are in good faith and we take our airmanship seriously despite how they may be perceived. Thank you for watching and for commenting too - we will definitely be aware of your thoughts in future productions! As for my voice over narration, well... we can't all be Morgan Freeman! Blue skies.
I barely made it through Part 1 and give up on this one quickly. Lots of drama for the video, not much substance. I guess all the real Ercoupe pilots just don't know how to fly a real plane.
Thank you for your business. And for missing the point entirely. Fly safe!