Do you own your own airplane? Wacha got?

BaltimoreBill said:
Just my li'l ol' Ercoupe. It's in pretty nice shape and I've been having a blast with it since I purchased it last September. Here's a shot of it on the ramp at KMQS (Chester County Airport, PA) one Saturday in November while on a lunch-run for a $$$ hamburger. But at less than 5 GPH, those burgers aren't all that expensive. :D
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Nice looking Ercoupe! Something I was thinking about the other day, how do you slip to land, or can you? How about cross wind landings?

John
 
John Baker said:
Nice looking Ercoupe! Something I was thinking about the other day, how do you slip to land, or can you? How about cross wind landings?

John
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Some Ercoupes have rudder pedals (they all have rudders!) but I think rudder pedals were an aftermarket thing. Without them you just land in a crab if there's a crosswind and the plane straightens out itself. I think you must use the stick to steer on the ground but it seems like that might preclude placing the ailerons in the proper position for taxiing in the wind. How is that dealt with Bill?
 
Jodel D-11. Picture at left. I can't figure out how to post pictures from my own files, but have no trouble copying and pasting from the 'net.

Dan
 
John Baker said:
Nice looking Ercoupe! Something I was thinking about the other day, how do you slip to land, or can you? How about cross wind landings?

John
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The Ercoupe has very beefy trailing link gear - like a 747. You land in the crab and enjoy the amusement park thrill as the gear straightens you out on the runway. :)
 
lancefisher said:
Some Ercoupes have rudder pedals (they all have rudders!) but I think rudder pedals were an aftermarket thing. Without them you just land in a crab if there's a crosswind and the plane straightens out itself. I think you must use the stick to steer on the ground but it seems like that might preclude placing the ailerons in the proper position for taxiing in the wind. How is that dealt with Bill?
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I'm not Bill but as an Ercoupe pilot I can tell you you're right, Lance. On the ground you "drive" with the yoke and yes that does result in your ailerons being "backwards" from what you'd normally want in a crosswind. Not a problem, generally, because the airplane's wings have no-lift AOA on the ground (if the plane's gear is properly maintained to create the right tail height). If the airplane for some reason wants to lift its upwind wing, say on rollout, the solution is to pin the nose down and drive. It is a hard habit to get into at first because we're all taught to keep our nosewheel light in a tri-gear plane.

See http://ercoupe.org/ercoupers_faq.htm
 
wabower said:
Aside from that, would you say they're pretty much the same?
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:blush:
There are other amazing similarities ya know. The wingspan of an Ercoupe is less than the height of the cockpit on the 747.
 
'71 Piper Cherokee 180. Awesome 1st plane, which I ended up keeping for the last 9 years...

The OP of the thread asked if we are considering acquiring or moving up due to the market. Yes... I am hoping to find a nice 6-pl and a partner or two @ 3CK (lake in the hills, IL). The VREF value of our current plane is down a lot, but so are the bigger planes, so it is a good time to trade up.


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skyflyer8 said:
I'm not Bill but as an Ercoupe pilot I can tell you you're right, Lance. On the ground you "drive" with the yoke and yes that does result in your ailerons being "backwards" from what you'd normally want in a crosswind. Not a problem, generally, because the airplane's wings have no-lift AOA on the ground (if the plane's gear is properly maintained to create the right tail height). If the airplane for some reason wants to lift its upwind wing, say on rollout, the solution is to pin the nose down and drive. It is a hard habit to get into at first because we're all taught to keep our nosewheel light in a tri-gear plane.

See http://ercoupe.org/ercoupers_faq.htm
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Kate, thanks for picking up the reins with that answer. I have been at our new (second) home for the last couple of days and internet connectivity is not yet in place.

At first I was a bit "worried' about taxiing in a strong wind. But I have found out that what you said applies. Although I haven't had a wing try to "lift" yet, I understand a tap on the brakes will help to pin the nose gear down. Shortly after getting my 'Coupe and on my BFR ride we did a 22 knot 80 degree crosswind landing with no problem landing, taxiing or taking off. That full-crab landing is a bit strange feeling at first.
mikea said:
There are other amazing similarities ya know. The wingspan of an Ercoupe is less than the height of the cockpit on the 747.
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I do use a bit less fuel - but can't carry nearly as much useful load. :D
 
Just upgraded. 2009 Matrix. Got a nice little gift basket too. Did my week at SimCom and picked up the plane mid December in Vero Beach. WX in Vero: 72 deg, blue skies, light comfy breezes. WX in Philly: below freezing, freezing rain/ice/snow.
 

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Now that is one awesome plane.
 
Well might as well share my plane in this thread....

1963 Ka-6Cr
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flyersfan31 said:
Just upgraded. 2009 Matrix. Got a nice little gift basket too. Did my week at SimCom and picked up the plane mid December in Vero Beach. WX in Vero: 72 deg, blue skies, light comfy breezes. WX in Philly: below freezing, freezing rain/ice/snow.
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Daaaamn. So when are you bringing it to ORF???
 
Just upgraded. 2009 Matrix. Got a nice little gift basket too. Did my week at SimCom and picked up the plane mid December in Vero Beach.
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:arf: droolin.... sweet plane. Wanted to see the fligth from Vero on Flightaware, but can't get back at that far as you've been flying all over with it,... Very Sweet, Congrats!
 
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Rob Schaffer said:
:arf: droolin.... sweet plane. Wanted to see the fligth from Vero on Flightaware, but can't get back at that far as you've been flying all over with it,... Very Sweet, Congrats!
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Flying home I was doing 240-250 ground speed, thanks to winds aloft that at times reached 100kts. Too bad it wasn't a full tailwind!! I was glad to be heading north instead of south.
 
flyersfan31 said:
Flying home I was doing 240-250 ground speed, thanks to winds aloft that at times reached 100kts. Too bad it wasn't a full tailwind!! I was glad to be heading north instead of south.
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What was your TAS and at what altitude/power setting? Definitely a fast bird. The guy who sold me my Aztec replaced it with a Cheyenne. At FL230 on the flight home they were seeing 360 across the ground, but with almost a direct 100 kt tailwind (275 KTAS at max cruise).

He's also put 10,000 lbs (~1250 gallons) of Jet A through those engines in the under a week that it's been flying (70 gph fuel burn). And I thought putting 93 gallons in the Aztec yesterday hurt...
 
flyersfan31 said:
Just upgraded. 2009 Matrix. Got a nice little gift basket too. Did my week at SimCom and picked up the plane mid December in Vero Beach. WX in Vero: 72 deg, blue skies, light comfy breezes. WX in Philly: below freezing, freezing rain/ice/snow.
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Congrats Andrew!!

That is one sweet looking airplane! So when are you running the rides so we can all OHH and AHHH?

Gary
 
flyersfan31 said:
Just upgraded. 2009 Matrix. Got a nice little gift basket too. Did my week at SimCom and picked up the plane mid December in Vero Beach. WX in Vero: 72 deg, blue skies, light comfy breezes. WX in Philly: below freezing, freezing rain/ice/snow.
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Nice Andrew! Did you sell the 182?
 
Ted DuPuis said:
The guy who sold me my Aztec

And I thought putting 93 gallons in the Aztec yesterday hurt...
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Ted,

So the deal went through, then? Congrats!

Now, how long 'til you're rated, and how long 'til the insurance company lets you loose?
 
My Cherokee II Sailplane, completed in 1965.

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Ugliest plane at the field...... Any field I go to.....
 

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Here is my plane. Isnt much but it gets me in the air.
 

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flyingcheesehead said:
So the deal went through, then? Congrats!
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Thanks! :)

Now, how long 'til you're rated, and how long 'til the insurance company lets you loose?
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Good question. I'm not going to bother going for my check ride until I pass 250 TT, and just do CP-AMEL-IA rather than PP-AMEL-IA and then have to retake it for CP. So, it'll probably be a month or two until I'm rated. As to when the insurance company sets me loose, it'll probably be a bit longer, depending on how much I fly it with my instructor in that time period, and how much time they're going to require me to have with him before I can fly it. Either way, I'll be flying it to Gaston's and 6Y9, hopefully with my MEI ticket by then. I've got more than enough time to meet the requirements by then.

For the time being, the Mooney is going to be my primary transport for this reason (since I can fly it by myself anytime), but we're starting up the training. Yesterday was the first lesson, complete with Vmc demos, killing the engine when I push to full power for takeoff, killing the engine once the gear is up, etc. It's a blast. Doing the other flying I've done in other planes (especially the Mooney) definitely makes this transition easier.
 
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A Socata TB20 - this is it parked at Zaragoza, Spain (LEZG).

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I suppose now that I've handed over the check I can post...

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1969 Piper Aztec D. FIKI, 6-7 year old leather interior, HSI, Garmin 340 audio, Garmin 327 transponder, Garmin 150 GPS, dual KX170Bs with glide slope. It's really good at burning fuel. I've had 6 engine failures on it in one hour of flight time so far (pesky instructors).
 
Ted DuPuis said:
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1969 Piper Aztec D. FIKI, 6-7 year old leather interior, HSI, Garmin 340 audio, Garmin 327 transponder, Garmin 150 GPS, dual KX170Bs with glide slope. It's really good at burning fuel. I've had 6 engine failures on it in one hour of flight time so far (pesky instructors).
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OMG! Kent! Ted bought your airplane! :D
 
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