The ERCO Ercoupe is an American low-wing monoplane aircraft
that was first flown in
1937. It was first
manufactured by the Engineering
and Research Corporation (ERCO)
shortly before World
War II;
several other manufacturers
continued its production
after the war. The final
model, the Mooney M-10,
first flew in 1968 and the
last model year was 1970. It
was designed to be the
safest fixed-wing aircraft
that aerospace engineering
could provide at the time
and the type continues to
enjoy a faithful following.
The ERCO 310, which included
a fully cowled engine, made
its first flight in October
1937 at College Park
Airport and was soon renamed
the "Ercoupe". The
easy-to-fly design included
unique design features,
including a large glazed
canopy - with almost as much
visibility as a bubble
canopy - for improved
visibility. The prototype
310 featured an ERCO-made
inverted four-cylinder
engine, the ERCO I-L 116,
which was quickly dropped
due to its high
manufacturing cost compared
to the new Continental
A-65 horizontal. Lacking
rudder pedals, the Ercoupe
was flown using only the
control wheel. A two-control
system linked the rudder and
aileron systems, which
controlled yaw and roll,
with the steerable nosewheel.
The control wheel controlled
the pitch and the steering
of the aircraft, both on the
ground and in the air,
simplifying control and
coordinated turning and
eliminating the need for
rudder pedals. A completely
new category of pilot's
license was created by the CAA for
Ercoupe pilots who had never
used a rudder pedal.
The Ercoupe was the first
aircraft certified by the
Civil Aeronautics
Administration (CAA) as
"characteristically
incapable of spinning." The
high-winged General Skyfarer obtained
the second certification by
licensing the ERCO
technology. The first
production Ercoupe, serial
no. 1, NC15692 built in 1939
was donated to the National
Air and Space Museum. In
1941 that aircraft,
designated YO-55, was
used in US Army Air
Force testing.
The two-seat ERCO Ercoupe
415 went on sale in 1940. LIFE magazine described
the aircraft as "nearly
foolproof" and showed
pictures of a pilot landing
with his hands in the air.
Only 112 aircraft were
delivered before World
War II intervened,
halting all civil aircraft
production. By mid-1941
aluminum supplies were being
diverted to war-related
production, so ERCO decided
to manufacture Ercoupes for
military use by using wood
as the principal building
material. The substitution
of wood resulted in a
heavier but quieter
aircraft, because the wood
absorbed vibrations from the
engine and airflow. Ercoupes
were flown during the war by
the Civilian Pilot Training
Program for flight
instruction, and the Civil
Air Patrol used
them to patrol for German
submarines.
Source:
Wikipedia