----[Please read http://ercoupers.com/disclaimer.htm before following any advice in this forum.]----
Ralph,
Well done and well written. What an experience the full moon night
flights
can be in an Ercoupe, speaking of which...
The 46th annual Cactus Antique Fly In was fun. I flew from SoCal on what
turned into a sparking Friday night (a front had just passed through), and
for the last 30 minutes of the flight was heading almost straight for the
rising full moon. I landed just after dark and joined Maynard Smith and
Steven Stewart for dinner. Saturday I was very busy talking to the many
passers by all day and cleaning the Coupe. It was great fun however I
missed lunch and had very little time to walk and chat with the other
pilots
& Ercoupers that were there. As I recall the event had 3 Ercoupes based
at
the field and 5 Coupes flew in, for a total of 8 Ercoupes in & around the
display area. There may have been more parked elsewhere although I never
had the opportunity to go look. I departed Saturday around 4:30 PM with
Maynard in formation for the return flight. We had Flight Following for
our
'Ercoupe Flight'. Maynard broke off and headed home (north) about 30 or
40
minutes out, and I was on my own (with LA Center) for balance of the
return
trip to SoCal. It turned dark before I arrived in the Palm Springs area.
No worries through, the full moon was rising behind me lighting my way,
snow
shimmering a ghostly white on the mountain tops made then easy to see and
beautiful. I had clear night skies all the way into the LA Basin for the
flight back to Chino.
I'm sure someone from the AZ Ercoupe Group will have more to say about the
event. It was my first time, having been weathered out in the LA Basin
the
last 3 or 4 years. However the Cactus Fly in, is great good fun and very
much recommended. There were some gorgeous antique planes on display!
I plan to attend the Oceanside BBQ lunch from 12:00 to 3:00 on Saturday
April 3rd. Weather permitting I also plan to fly up to the Half Moon Bay
Dream Machines Fly In and Antique Car event on Sunday April 25th. Hope
to
see lots of Ercoupes and Coupers at both. Ralph, I hope we can hook up
at
Half Moon Bay (will Maria come along?).
Take care,
Dan
N3968H
EOC Region 7
When once you have tasted flight, you will forever
walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward,
for there you have been, and there you will always long to return.
- Leonardo da Vinci
----- Original Message -----
From: "R M Finch" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "'Ercoupe Hangar Flying'" <[email protected]>
Sent: Sunday, March 21, 2004 11:20 AM
Subject: [COUPERS-FLYIN] Another Coupe Convert
----[Please read http://ercoupers.com/disclaimer.htm before following any
advice in this forum.]----
This month my BFR is due, so I located an instructor on my home airport
(University Airport, Davis, California) and arranged an appointment.
Instead of a simple BFR we decided to do the Wings program, so we'll do
three flights altogether.
The instructor, Don, had never flown in an Aircoupe but was interested in
trying it. I took a couple of minutes before engine start to explain the
principles of Coupes and the particulars of my Alon. Then off we went to
a
practice area for maneuvers.
Don flew the plane for a few minutes on the way out. It didn't take him
long to discover the relatively stable yet sporty handling, and the
slightly
out-of-trim condition of my Alon. He was very impressed with the
visibility--he is used to Cessna 152s and 172s, so the bubble canopy of
the
Alon is amazing in comparison. He asked if I ever flew at night under a
full moon. Yes, I replied, and flying over N. California's Sacramento-San
Joaquin Delta and San Francisco Bay is a favorite course, with the full
moon
shining off the waters.
He had me do some power-off and power-on stalls, if you could call them
that. I held the yoke completely back, full power on, and it stalled for
a
second, dropped the nose, and recovered by itself. No bad habits as to
dropping a wing. Of course it would easily fly at 45 mph IAS at nearly
full
power without losing altitude and very controllable in turns both ways.
Next were steep turns, both directions. Fortunately I was able to
maintain
altitude until at 360 degrees we hit our own turbulence, something I
didn't
expect since steep turns are not my strong point. Again, with the bubble
canopy, it is a fantastic view in turns. I let Don try a turn in both
directions and with each maneuver his impression of the little Coupe
increased.
After some ground maneuvers it was time to return. Don asked if the plane
could be flown with canopy open--sure, said I, up to 100 mph. So we
unlatched our two sides and slid the canopy back, Don holding onto my
sectional. Some air blasted around, the noise increased, and I added
power
to compensate for the drag, but with the temperature in the low 80s it was
a
pleasant way to head back home.
The landing wasn't one of my better ones, but the trailing beam gear made
it
seem better than it was. Don had a great time and I think we have another
proponent of our Coupes and their remarkable attributes.
Ralph Finch
N6359V
==========================================================================
==
==
To leave this forum go to: http://ercoupers.com/lists.htm
Search the archives on http://escribe.com/aviation/coupers/
==========================================================================
====
To leave this forum go to: http://ercoupers.com/lists.htm
Search the archives on http://escribe.com/aviation/coupers/
<<attachment: winmail.dat>>
