Bob Fry wrote in message ...

Again, not necessarily. This is more individual preference. A
Coupe's rudder are not too effective, so even with pedals you can't
slip it much. Plus, those Coupes that came from the factory without
pedals, then had them added, have an odd trait: You still steer on the
ground by turning the wheel. Confusing as hell I think.

The one I put a few hours on was a '66 or '67 Alon, one of the last
ones built, with 90 HP. Had factory rudder pedals that steered the
nosewheel on the ground. Had a brake bar above the pedals that
activated both brakes, so no differential braking.

It wouldn't surprise me if the Alon Aircoupe is the most efficient
non-modern certificated airplane around for its engine (90 hp). With
my cruise prop I get 100 kts cruise, that's not much less than a
beatup C-172.

Exactly. It would outperform a Cessna 150 in every way possible
except perhaps for useful load. Took off quicker, climbed much better,
and cruised 10 or 15 kts faster, all on 10 less HP. Very easy to land.
But I found the seats uncomfortable and the noise awesome. No
mufflers. And those rudders were mostly for decoration.
Might be a good airplane but you won't get much respect in the
pilot lounge. Some clubs used to use Ercoupes to drive the pilots out
to their real airplanes :-) There were a lot of nicknames: Burpcup,
Airpoop, and so on.
Dan