ERCO Ercoupe

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ERCO_Ercoupe

The ERCO Ercoupe is a low-wing monoplane aircraft that was designed and built in
the United States. 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.

In 1931, aeronautical engineer Fred Weick was assistant chief of the aeronautics
division of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). In 1934 he
asked permission to build an aircraft based on the 1931 Stout Skycar, using
fabric instead of aluminum covering, and control modifications based on NACA
research. Weick and a group of co-workers designed and assembled the
experimental aircraft with a group of his colleagues who worked on the project
in their spare time and paid for it themselves. The resulting aircraft, known as
the W-1, featured tricycle landing gear, a parasol wing, and a pusher propeller
configuration.

Fred Weick listed the W1 design goals that were tested in later seminars:

* Tricycle landing gear with castering nosewheel, steerable if desired

* Suitable longitudinal and lateral stability with limited up-elevator
deflection, to prevent loss of control due to stalling and spinning.

* A glide-control flap

* Two-control operation using controls for pitch and roll.

In 1934 the Bureau of Air Commerce approached Weick's team looking for standards
for a competition for a safe and practical $700 aircraft. In 1936 the winner of
the competition was the Stearman-Hammond Y-1, incorporating many of the safety
features of the W-1. Two other winners were the Waterman Aeroplane and a
roadable autogyro, the Autogiro Company of America AC-35. The W-1 was not
intended for production to qualify as a competitor, but was purchased by the
Bureau for continued experimental tests in spin-control safety. After the
prototype W-1 underwent a forced landing, an updated W-1A was built by
Fairchild, incorporating leading edge cuffs.

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 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 units 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.


Role
Light aircraft

National origin
United States

Manufacturer
Engineering and Research Corporation

Designer
Fred Weick

First flight
1937

Produced
1940–1969

Number built
5,685

Unit cost

US $2,665–9,295 (1941)
($43.4 thousand–151 thousand in 2016 dollars)


Variants
Alon X-A4 Aircoupe
Mooney M10 Cadet
Bryan Autoplane

Three model 415-C aircraft were procured by the United States Army Air Forces
for use during World War II.

On 12 August 1941, the first USAAF rocket-assist takeoff was made by a Wright
Field test pilot, Capt. Homer Boushey, using a small civilian-type Ercoupe
aircraft. Subsequent refinements of this technique were made for assisting
heavily loaded aircraft in taking off from limited space. The tests were
conducted between 6 August and 23 August 1941, at March Field, California, using
various combinations of rocket units mounted under the wings of NC28655.

An additional Ercoupe was evaluated by the Royal Air Force for use as a trainer
in 1947. The Ercoupe was rejected as being too easy to fly.


Specifications (Ercoupe 415-C)

General characteristics
Crew: one
Capacity: one passenger
Length: 20 ft 9 in (6.32 m)
Wingspan: 30 ft 0 in (9.14 m)
Height: 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Wing area: 142.6 ft² (13.25 m²)
Empty weight: 749 lb (339 kg)
Useful load: 511 lb (233 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 1,260 lb (572 kg)
Powerplant: 1 × Continental C-75-12, 75 hp (56 kW) at 2,300 rpm

Performance
Never exceed speed: 125 knots (144 mph, 232 km/h)
Maximum speed: 96 knots (110 mph, 177 km/h)
Cruise speed: 83 knots (95 mph, 153 km/h)
Stall speed: 42 knots (48 mph, 77 km/h)
Range: 261 NM (300 mi, 482 km)
Service ceiling: 13,000 ft (4,000 m)
Rate of climb: 550 ft/min (2.79 m/s)
Wing loading: 8.83 lb/ft² (43.17 kg/m²)
Power/mass: 0.13 hp/lb (210 W/kg)



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