Hi Mel, I bought a set of main skis from a Cessna 140, they where model Federal 1500. The nose ski came from a man in Lady Smith, WI.. It to was a Federal 1500 ski but it had a big pedestal for the nose fork to keep the prop out of the snow. It was made in the 40s just for the Ercoupe single nose fork. I had a duel fork so I would have had to modify it. The Federal Ski Co. was I think from from Minneapolis, MN. I don't know if their still in business or got bought out by someone. Some of the WI or MN coupers would know. I think alot of them have been around skis. The Champ was fun on skis. You could land on lakes and fields. Skis are alot of work, you need people around to help you move the plane on the ground when you land. They are hard on the airplane also. You have no cushion when you land on hard packed snow or ice like you do with tires. You blow alot of snow and ice on the tail surfaces. I don't think the Ercoupe or any low wing plane is a good plane to put skis on. With deep snow you may hit the wings with a drift on take off or landing. You would be putting alot of pressure on the nose fork and controls with side load in a turn with that big nose ski and even if you pull the plane out for take off with out turning it you may get side load on the nose ski when landing with a crosswind. Even the champ was hard to turn on skis, you have no brakes with skis so you had to use rudder to blow the tail around. To blow the tail around you would put full stick forward and full power the tail would raise and when you pushed the rudder it would kick it around. Even doing it this way you needed a couple hundred feet to turn around. I sold the skis to a man with a Ercoupe in WI. If you want a set of skis check Trade-Plane, run a want ad in the coupe capers and check with the WI wing. I think the man I sold them to was in it. Theres some nose skis still around and like I said the mains where Federal 1500. You could check Wag-Aero they may have a ski like the 1500. The 1500 stand for the gross weight of the plane. So a 1500 ski would hold 1500 pounds on snow a Federal model ski 2500 would hold 2500 pounds on snow. A set of skis now days should sell for $1500 - $2000. gene
mbn wrote: > Gene: Where did you get the ski's for the coupe? Thanks Mel > ----- Original Message ----- > From: V. Childs <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sent: Monday, October 18, 1999 10:22 PM > Subject: slippery stuff and hangar talk > > > I agree, the take off is much more work than the landing in a strong > > crosswind. The ercoupe is no good on ice. You can't keep it strait with > > the nose wheel on ice. If it starts to go of center you have no rudder > > to bring it back and the nose wheel will slid. I almost lost one that > > way. I had a champ on skis and it was ok on ice but you have rudder to > > keep it centered. I had skis for the ercoupes but I sold them. I was > > afraid the nose ski would be to hard on the controls if you turned and > > you might hit the prop if it came up to high (Like if the cable broke). > > The aircoupe is good on snow with out skis anyway. I landed on a > > mountain pipe line airstrip west of Albquerque, NM 5000' paved at 5900' > > elevation just ahead of a snow storm. There were no buildings on the > > airstrip when but I saw a office trailer about a half mile away so I > > walked there. It got dark and started to snow about one hour after I > > landed. There was a Indian in the trailer who worked for the pipe > > line. I told him I had to put down because the snow and spend the > > night. He said I could sleep on the couch. I knew it was to cold to > > start the plane in the morning if I just left it so I got up every hour > > and half, walked the half mi in the light snow and start the plane, let > > it run for 10 min., (to keep the oil thin). Walk back to the trailer try > > to sleep (light sleep). I did this over & over till morning. It was a > > cold clear morning. It only snowed about 3''. I brushed the snow off > > the wings, and thought, I have less then half fuel, I'm by myself, Its > > about 5 degrees out here I'm going to try and take off. If I don't get > > speed fast enough by half way I'll abort and try to get someone with a > > plow to make a path. That would not have been a easy task. I'm in the > > middle of nowhere low on money coming back from Vegas!!! I took off. > > The Alon got us off in about 4000'. We had breakfast in Albquerque. I > > bought this plane in 1979. I put over 2500 hours on this one. I will > > have this plane till I die. With memories like these I could never sell > > it. gene > > > >
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