10 Vol. 9 / No. 12/ December/January 2017/18 Global Aviator
But word has it one aircraft actually
flew in this colorscheme. Three
Ercoupes piloted by either young
teenagers or pensioned military pilots
were operated by the Civil Air Patrol,
searching for German submarines
near the US East Coast back in
World War II. So it might be true.
The pin-up originates form
the same famous calendar that the
boys of the 8th Air Force used for
inspiration back in the days. Rob
got his hands on an old calendar on
E-bay and chose Miss Dolly, which
originates from the same artist
as the original Memphis Belle.
The JATO markings on the
Ercoupe also point to an event that
actually happened: the Ercoupe was
the first airplane ever to be testedwith JATO rocket propulsion. With
a rocket on top of its fuselage it was
towed into the air with a Piper Cub,
after which the rocket was ignited.
The test was both spectacular and
ultimately successful, as since even
nuclear bombers have been fitted with
the system. Nowadays this system
is used by Fat Albert, the Hercules
transport plane of the Blue Angels.Every mans airplane
All in all many interesting stories
can be told about this unique little
airplane. But it all started with a
completely different purpose. The
aircrafts designer Fred Weick, who
was an aerospace engineer with
NACA, designed the airframe witha specific goal in his mind. In his
opinion, everybody with a drivers
licence should be able to fly. The
conventional rudder pedals where
therefore thought to be too confusing,
and removed altogether. At the feet of
the piloot only a single braking pedal
can be found. The rudder was then
mechanically linked to the ailerons
through a bell crank. (see image)
It flies a bit peculiar. Easy
actually, but a coordinated sideslip
on final is no longer an option
for example. Tragically enough,
in the end conversions hit the
market that provided the Ercoupe
with the conventional rudder
pedal system. It couldn't save the
aircraft from commercial failure,Left: Proud owner Rob Maatman displays the
overhauled Continental C-75 boxer engine.
Below: The design of the tailplane and aileron
configuration make the Ercoupe 'unspinnable'.Pilots flying for fun