On 9/3/2010 9:05 PM, John Craparo wrote: > if the Edo float tests had been successful so long ago, then the > complete Ercoupe fleet could be legal as S-LSA if they were fitted > with floats due to the 1430 lb top limit for seaplanes... You are probably correct, however....
When a plane is certified for floats it is often given an increased gross weight limit only if the floats are installed. This is because the floats are in fact air foils and reduce the over all load on the structure. For example, the Cessna 140 is certified at 1450# as a land plane and 1556# as a sea plane. So, depending on the gross weight Erco hypothetically arrived at after hypothetically passing all the certification tests, the float equipped Ercoupe may or may not have met the requirements for LSA. -- John Skyport East www.skyportservices.net
