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I don't think it's a personal decision at all. If God (Fred) had intended the Coupe to have pedals, it would have them. I can't think of any advantage pedals would give you that would offset the weight disadvantage. Plus, Being somewhat size limited, think of the shorter foot room you'll have if you put the pedals in there. This is a carefree aircraft. Put the canopy down, put your elbow out in the airstream, and enjoy the flight. Pedals will do nothing but detract from the enjoyment of flying this little airplane. Larry ----- Original Message ----- From: "William R. Bayne" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "COUPERS - FLYIN" <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, February 27, 2003 9:55 PM Subject: Re: [COUPERS-FLYIN] To rudder or not to rudder ----[Please read http://ercoupers.com/disclaimer.htm before following any advice in this forum.]---- on 2/27/03 6:04 PM, Larry Hutchinson at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > I am about to purchase a "coupe" and I just > found out it does NOT have rudder pedals. Now I know that should not come as > any big surprise but in the back of my mind I was convinced I needed pedals. > You see while I'm not exactly a green horn when it comes to airplanes I have > never had the fun of flying in one of these fine machines. I guess what I > need to know is it really all that big of a deal? Is it worth the investment > in time and money to convert or should I just leave well enough alone and go > fly the thing. > Yo, Larry You've already made the important decision, to buy a coupe! Welcome! Having flown both (but mostly the two-control), I offer the following: 1. Landing: If you're landing at speeds that these small rudders (which deflect 20º outside and only 3º inside) are effective, you're probably landing faster than the "book" recommends; differiential aileron action does most of the work at low speed. I know of no factory-published demonstrated crosswind capability advantage with pedals (the "bottom line"?). 2. Turning: The Ercoupe is better coordinated in the "two-control" configuration (without pedals) for turns than you will normally achieve by separating and individually controlling your rudders. (honest!) 3. Cruise: With mixture, speed and trim set hands off in smooth air, I really appreciate maintaining heading with foot action, hands in lap, behind head, or around stewardess. In really rough air, a two-control coupe "wallows" a bit in coordinated corrections; whereas with separate rudders, wings can remain level while pedals correct minor gust-induced heading changes. On the other hand, if I had a single-axis course or heading tracking autopilot to engage, I would not want the (financial and weight) penalties of the pedal installation. Were I in your place, I would operate the aircraft "as-is" for a year, try to find a fellow couper with the pedals to ride with and observe, and only then make an informed decision. It's a very personal one. <____|(o)|____> William R. Bayne (copyright 2002) ========================== 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/
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