Re: [COUPERS-FLYIN]

[Dan Hall]

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Hi Dr Beeman,

I've landed in 90 degree direct cross winds of up to 20 gusting to 27 knots, and I'll agree with Ed & Harry. 

 

The rudderless Ercoupe will straighten out of the crab best, with the nose wheel held OFF of the ground. 

 

The CG of the airplane is in front of the main gear, so call it centripetal force (or momentum, velocity vector, or whatever).  The bottom line is that the Ercoupe will & does straighten out parallel to the flight path over the ground before the nose gear ever touches down. 

 

However once on the runway the nose gear is absolutely REQUIRED to counteract any cross wind component and keep one from 'cutting daisies'.  

 

Best regards,

Dan Hall

N3968H

1947 415 CD (no rudders)

1,300 hours and no daisies damaged....yet! 

 

----- Original Message -----

From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]

To: Ed Burkhead ; Cflyin

Sent: Sunday, October 15, 2006 8:26 PM

Subject: RE: [COUPERS-FLYIN]

If you land an Ercoupe on the mains in a crosswind and wait "...until the coupe itself swivels straight down the runway..." please tell me specifically what force will cause the aircraft to "swivel straight down the runway"?

The answer is there is no magical force available to an Ercoupe or a spam can for that matter. A spam can uses rudder to counteract the crab just before touchdown, but a rudderless Ercoupe must use the runway itself to counteract the crab, for if the Ercoupe pilot tries to take out the crab before touching down, he'll simply fly away from the centerline.

The only counterforce to a crosswind crab that a rudderless model of the Ercoupe possesses is the force exerted through the nose wheel touching and counteracting the cocked main gear. This is what the POH calls for and this is all there is. There is no automatic swivel straight down the runway and if you wait for it before planting your nose wheel you'll be cutting daisies.

Dr. R. Beeman

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Ed Burkhead <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Oct 15, 2006 10:58 PM
To: Cflyin
Subject: RE: [COUPERS-FLYIN]

----[Please read http://ercoupers.com/disclaimer.htm before following any advice in this forum.]----

 

Good comments, yourself, Harry.

 

I’ll take mild exception to this paragraph Harry wrote:

> To successfully land a coupe you must keep the nose

> wheel off the ground until the coupe itself swivvles straight

> down the runway, THEN LOWER THE NOSE, AND LOSE

> LIFT......RESULTING IN LITTLE IF ANY SIDE STRESSES

> ON THE NOSE GEAR AND ENGINE MOUNT ( NOSE

> GEAR IS ATTACHED TO ENGINE MOUNT).

 

I would revise it to say:

For an ideal landing in a Coupe, you must keep the nose

wheel off the ground until the Coupe itself swivels straight

down the runway, THEN LOWER THE NOSE, AND LOSE

LIFT......RESULTING IN LITTLE IF ANY SIDE STRESSES

ON THE NOSE GEAR AND ENGINE MOUNT ( NOSE

GEAR IS ATTACHED TO ENGINE MOUNT).

 

 

We all know of gobs of successful Coupe landings in which the nose gear DID touch before the aircraft turned to line up with the direction of travel.

 

A minor quibble.  Harry’s right about his described landing being the right way to do things, if you can.

 

Ed Burkhead

http://edburkhead.com

ed -at- edburkhead???.com          (change -at- to @ and remove "???")

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