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Rob, Your points are valid and worth discussing. I do not think any Coupe owner will argue that being sure their airplane is safe is important. I do feel that the way we make sure it is safe is open to discussion and constantly cutting holes in the airplane may not be the best way. I think (hope) the "conspiracy theories" you refer to were people joking (they should use "<g>" so they are not misinterpreted). The issue in this case is whether the airplane that prompted the SB was typical. Many of us suspect it was being used to train mechanics because it was in too poor shape to fly. I do know that the "swiss cheese" AD revealed my wings were in perfect shape. I have a second coupe dissassembled in my hangar and the wings on that one are perfect as well. Clearly some coupes suffer corrosion more than others. At some point we have to decide if our airplanes (or all old metal airplanes) need to be totally deskinned every fifty years! I hope not. Also to pretend this is an Ercoupe issue and not an old airplane issue is a mistake. If it is just about corrosion - how about Navions? or other metal skinned airplanes from the same period? Clearly some Coupes have been taken care of less well than more expensive airplanes because of their relative value but I do not think my airplane is one of them. I am not sure more holes in my airplane will prove anything. I would like more than a sample of one before I start cutting. BTW, it is nice that we can discuss this without hiding. I suspect the entire discussion would be much less heated without the silly moniker. While there are some flame artists in the group, most people mainly care about flying safe and enjoying their Coupe. I have checked out in all the Cessnas up to a 206, a Cherokee 6 (pig) and a Bonanza AT26. None were anywhere as fun to fly as my Ercoupe (the Bonanza was close in a different way though <g>). I am planning on buying a family airplane soon but I would never get rid of the Astrocoupe. It is what flying is all about for me. But I sure don't want anything bad to happen to me in it. We just need to find the best way to make sure our airplanes are safe without destroying them in the process or going bankrupt. David Abrams TRUTH TELLER wrote: > Maybe I will, though in fact, I think if people would read what is > already there in the Articles section they would find much of what I > say. These folks can go on about the safety of their planes but as I > said before, most have not inspected enough to know. Take my aircraft. > > It looked okay through the holes but eventual disassembly for covering > found plenty of corrosion in the area where the ailerons bolt on. We > should not fight AD's that are coming along on the corrosion. Some > peoples' conspiracy theories about the AD's strike me as pretty goofy. > These planes are old and will require more and more care as time goes > by. Just saying we feel they are safe when we cannot really determine > if this is the case will not help matters. Acting like the plane won't > hurt you because it's your friend is foolish. Rob D. ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?aVxiLm.aVzvvT Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
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