----[Please read http://ercoupers.com/disclaimer.htm before following any advice in this forum.]----
Hi Coupers,
I'm not going to get into this debate, but I'll make a couple of short
comments and then drop it.
With the large, excellent and efficient ailerons we have, where would
you install the flaps? Out on
the wingtips?
With the small usable 'net weight' that we have in the basic coupe,
why add a bunch more weight
making the best landing system on the market less efficient and much
heavier?
As for looks, yes, mine has some faded paint on it. After all, it's
over 55 years old! Personally,
I'd rather if few and ran good than scrimp on service for the sake of some
shiney paint.
Don't get me wrong, I've seen a lot of coupes that have 'beautiful'
paint jobs on them. In fact, a
couple of years ago I priced a paint job for mine. The quote was more
than I paid for the coupe, 15
years ago and that was with me doing a lot of the labor and prep work!
I put the money into a tip-to-tip annual and recovered the old fabric
wings and only spent about
half of the quoted paint job.
Yes, the paint is still faded, but it sure does run and handle great.
Now I ask you, what's more
important, looks or safety?????
Bob Saville
N3396H, 415C
Eugene, OR
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
> ----[Please read http://ercoupers.com/disclaimer.htm before following
any advice in this forum.]----
>
> Interesting comments about flaps and retractable gear and complex
airplanes..
>
> Both are often desireable on high performance cross country airplanes,
but
> un-necessarly complex for the Sunday flyer.
>
> Weick's idea was to make a safe, simple airplane, that was inexpensive
to
> purchase, maintain and safe to fly. It wasn't very in-expensive in 1946,
but
> he met all the other parameters.
>
> Yes, I have flown complex airplanes, including T-6's, Cherokee Arrows,
300 HP
> six's, Cessna 310,s,and helicopters, etc.. and yes they are all fun.
>
> But it seems to me that if you have retractable gear it's not "have your
ever
> landed gear up, but when are you going to do so"... Piper tried to
prevent
> this with automatic landing gear deployment..a super idea; ---Now
required to
> be made non-working-, because of a lawsuit..., and others just land and
> slide...
>
> As to complexity.... on annuals, the retraction test just about doubles
the
> cost - in time or money....and of course with more complex things, there
are
> more things to fail....and constant speed props are expensive to
maintain,
> too.
>
> Helicopters are great...but LOTS of rotating parts trying to fly off
into the
> ether...When I worked on H-21's, the rotor head life was 25 hours!
>
> Flaps are great, too, but again more complex...even C-152's have
electric
> flaps that fail.... and land no slower or shorter than a 415C
Ercoupe....
> So....more complexity makes one feel more like a PILOT ????
>
> So,...It just seems to make sense to me to have a simple safe airplane,
with
> the least amount of complex items to go wrong....and least cost of hard
> earned money to fix and maintain......
>
> Yes, lots of us small plane owners (Aeroncas, Pipers, Cessnas,
Luscombs,
> Ercoupes, etc.) do not keep our airplanes like new.....maybe cannot
afford a
> hanger space, etc..., and often become neglected as we try to find the
time
> and monies to get them flying again..... Guess we are just not lucky
enough
> to have the resources to let someone else take care of us....And JUST
MAYBE
> we will get the old bird back in the air...for a flight or two around
the
> patch.
>
> Hopefully Soon!.
>
> Fly Safe - Have Fun
>
> Harry Francis
> Proud Owner of a well worn, but Trusty Ercoupe
> Blacksburg, VA.
>
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