ERCO Ercoupe 415

This page's frontmatter describes the Model E (approved July 8, 1948: Continental C85-12/C85-12F, 85 hp, 1,400 lb gross, 24 gal fuel, no flaps, no distinct clean/landing stall speed) -- not "415-C," and this needs unpacking, because the current FAA certificate genuinely does not carry that designation as a live, independent entry. TCDS A-787 Revision 33's own model list begins at 415-D; NOTE 3 explains why:

S/N 113 thru 4423 and 4500 and up, designated Model 415-C, also eligible as Model 415-D under terms of this specification provided the following changes are incorporated: (a) Correct propeller and propeller limits. (b) Correct control surface travel for the elevator. ... (g) Alter the nameplate to indicate the date of the conversion, new model number and type certificate number.

Every surviving 415-C, if airworthy today, is certificated as a converted 415-D -- there is no performance block anywhere on the current sheet for an unconverted original 415-C. That includes the great majority of ERCO's own production: roughly 4,872 of the ~5,604 total Ercoupe/Aircoupe/Cadet airframes built were ERCO 415-Cs, per this page's own production history below. A buyer researching a 415-C by that exact designation should expect its airworthiness certificate to actually read 415-D.

Fred Weick's 1940 design is a low-wing, all-metal, two-place monoplane with twin vertical tails and -- famously, on the earliest variants -- no rudder pedals. The ailerons, rudders, and nose-wheel steering are mechanically interconnected so the pilot steers with the yoke alone. Limited elevator travel makes the airplane stall-resistant and effectively spin-proof, a design choice that earned it a "characteristically incapable of spinning" placard requirement on every certificated model from 415-D through the Mooney M10 -- TCDS A-787's own NOTE 2 requires that exact wording on the instrument panel of every model it lists.

The Ercoupe has no wing flaps on any certificated variant. TCDS A-787 lists exactly three airspeed limits per model (Maneuvering, Max. structural cruising, Never exceed) across all six model sections, with no "flaps extended" line anywhere on the eleven-page sheet. This is why vs0_kias and vs1_kias are stored identically on this page -- there is no flaps-down configuration to distinguish a landing stall speed from a clean one, and the previous page's two different numbers (42/45) implied a distinction the airframe does not have.

Production spanned three decades and five manufacturers: ERCO built roughly 4,872 Model 415s (most as 415-C in the postwar 1946 boom year), Sanders Aviation assembled 209 more from leftover parts, Forney/Fornaire built about 165 as the F-1 Aircoupe (1956-1959), Air Products built 26 (1960-1962), Alon Aircraft produced 297 A-2 Aircoupes (1964-1967), and Mooney finished the line with 59 M-10 Cadets in 1968-1970. Total production is approximately 5,604 airframes. The type certificate (A-787) is held by Univair Aircraft Corporation of Aurora, Colorado -- confirmed directly from the certificate's own Type Certificate Holder block -- which remains the dedicated parts source.

Rudder pedals: the real buyer-facing difference this family spans. The 415-C through 415-G, F-1 and F-1A have NO rudder pedals -- the twin rudders are mechanically slaved to the ailerons and nosewheel. TCDS A-787's Alon A-2/A2-A section is the first to require conventional pedals as standard equipment; the M10 Cadet continues them. A buyer who has flown a rudder-pedal airplane will find the earlier, more common D/E/G models genuinely different to fly, not merely an older paint scheme on the same machine.

The Ercoupe attracts two audiences: nostalgic vintage owners who love its polished-aluminum ramp presence and twin-tail silhouette, and budget-minded sport pilots who see it as one of the cheapest certified paths into the air. It was grandfathered as sport-pilot-eligible under the original LSA rule for variants with 1,320 lb (or less) gross weight, and under the forthcoming MOSAIC (Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certification) rule every variant -- including the 1,400/1,450 lb D/E/G/F-1/F-1A/A-2/M10 -- becomes eligible. See Local Fun Flying for the mission profile this airplane dominates.

SPLITTING-RULE ASSESSMENT (Step 3, borderline, not executed). Step 1's hard triggers do not fire -- seat count (2), engine class (piston) and gear (fixed) are identical D-through-M10. Step 2's numeric thresholds do not fire either: gross weight spans only 1,400-1,450 lb (3.6%) and no source found this session shows a cruise-speed spread across variants approaching 15%. That leaves Step 3, the buyer test: would a buyer choosing between a D/E/G and an Alon/Mooney need different advice? Rudder pedals are exactly the kind of difference Step 3 exists for -- not a number, but a real difference in how the airplane is flown and trained in. This session's judgment is to KEEP one page, because the Variants table above already carries the pedals-yes/no distinction per variant (the mechanism the splitting rule itself prescribes for a Step-3 "no"), but a future researcher applying Step 3 differently would not be wrong to split the pedal-equipped models out. Flagged rather than silently decided.

All weights above are the current TCDS's own certificated figures, not carried over from the previous page's uncited values.

The frontmatter's cruise/range triple is ONE row of ONE table: AOPA Pilot's March 1980 spec block, headed "Ercoupe 415-D" but built on a Continental C-85 engine -- which matches this page's Model E block (C85-12/-12F), not the 415-D's own base C-75. Book cruise is 112 mph (97 KTAS) at 75% power, 2,300 rpm; economy cruise is 80 mph (69 KTAS) at 55% power, 2,000 rpm, but no fuel-burn figure accompanies either row in that source, so fuel_burn_gph is left blank rather than backed into from range and speed (see the field's validator_exempt reason).

Real-world owners report cruise speeds in the same 85-100 KTAS band depending on rigging, paint, and wheel pants, roughly matching book figures.

The airplane is famously easy to land in crosswinds: with no rudder pedals (on this page's D/E/G/F-1/F-1A block), the pilot crabs the airplane to the runway, and the interconnected controls plus robust trailing-link main gear absorb the "de-crab" as the wheels touch. This is wildly nonintuitive for rudder-pedal pilots but trivial for a fresh student. Takeoff and climb are leisurely -- 560 fpm initial climb at gross, per AOPA's own table.

The landing ground roll AOPA prints, 210 ft, is genuinely shorter than the airplane's own 570 ft takeoff ground roll -- read directly off the page image at 250 dpi, not a transcription slip. It is plausible given the airplane's full-stall, flapless landing technique and 42 KIAS stall speed, but it is the single figure on this page most worth a buyer's skepticism outside ideal (light weight, headwind, hard surface) conditions -- flagged as the weakest-confidence figure in the session's report.

The fixed-pitch prop and low redline mean the airplane is honest -- you cannot hurt it by exceeding Vne in level flight because it simply will not go that fast.

Working the numbers on this page's Model E (1,400 lb gross, 855 lb empty per AOPA's table, useful load 545 lb):

• Full fuel (24 gal = 144 lb) + 2 pax: Leaves 401 lb for people and baggage. Two 180 lb adults consume 360 lb, leaving 41 lb for baggage -- inside the certificated 65 lb baggage limit but tighter than the previous page's higher (uncited) useful-load figure implied. Endurance and range depend on a fuel-burn figure this session could not source (see fuel_burn_gph's validator_exempt entry); at book cruise (97 KTAS, 75% power) the published 374 NM range applies without a stated reserve.
• Full seats (two 200 lb adults, 40 lb baggage) + reduced fuel: 440 lb for people and bags leaves 105 lb (17.5 gal) usable fuel -- a shorter-range configuration typical of a two-up local flight.
• Single pilot + full fuel + max baggage: the airplane has real single-pilot utility as a traveling machine within its book-cruise range.

The Ercoupe remains one of the few vintage two-seaters that carries two adults plus most of a full fuel load, a feat that Luscombe 8 Silvaire and Piper J-3 Cub cannot match. Combined with its forgiving handling and MOSAIC eligibility, this makes it perhaps the most practical sport-pilot-compatible certified airplane on the market -- though a buyer specifically wanting rudder pedals should look at the Alon A-2 or later, not the D/E/G block this page describes.

• Local fun flying (9): This is the Ercoupe's home turf. Open canopy, polished aluminum, benign handling, cheap to feed, and a conversation-starter on every ramp. See Local Fun Flying.
• Flight training (5): Excellent for ab-initio sport-pilot training because it cannot be stalled or spun and teaches energy management without rudder-coordination overhead (on the D/E/G/F-1/F-1A block; the Alon/Mooney models have conventional pedals and train differently). But it is poor preparation for any conventional airplane -- students must learn rudder use afterward. Best as a first airplane, not a rental trainer.
• Cross-country (3): 97 KTAS and 374 NM range at 75% power with a single 24-gallon tank make it marginal beyond the 200 NM weekend hop. No IFR capability, limited baggage (65 lb), single 12V electrical on early models.
• Surveying (4): Slow, stable, and has reasonable forward visibility with the canopy open, but useful load after two people is thin.
• Backcountry (2): Low wing, soft oleo-strut nose gear, and minimal prop clearance rule out rough strips. It is a paved-runway airplane.
• Business travel (2), cargo (1), aerobatics (1): Not applicable -- spin-resistant design literally prohibits aerobatic approval, useful load is too small for cargo, and speed/IFR capability is absent for business use.

Comparable entry-level vintage two-seaters: Luscombe 8 Silvaire (faster, conventional controls, taildragger) and Piper J-3 Cub (taildragger, open-cockpit classic, even slower).

The typical Ercoupe panel is sparse: airspeed, altimeter, compass, tachometer, oil temp/pressure, and -- if the owner has invested -- a handheld or panel-mount Nav/Com. The 12V electrical system on early models is minimal and many airplanes fly with no electrical system at all (hand-prop start).

Typical panel tiers (see Avionics Pricing Reference):

• Minimal ($18K-$24K airframes): Round-dial steam gauges, handheld comm, portable GPS velcroed to the panel. No transponder, no ADS-B.
• Mid ($25K-$32K): Panel-mount comm (e.g., Icom A210), uAvionix tailBeacon or skyBeacon for ADS-B Out, basic intercom, portable ADS-B In with iPad.
• Upgraded ($32K-$45K): Dynon D10A or Garmin G5 replacing the round-dial airspeed/altimeter, Garmin GTR 200 comm, GTX 335 transponder with WAAS GPS position source, LED nav/strobe package.

IFR certification is theoretically possible but economically irrational on an airframe worth $25K-$40K.

• Univair 1,320 lb Gross Weight STC: Applies to 415-C/D to lower gross to exactly 1,320 lb with minor tail modifications to keep stall below 45 KCAS. Preserves sport-pilot eligibility under the pre-MOSAIC rule. Critically, any airframe ever certified above 1,320 lb is permanently sport-pilot-ineligible under the old rule. MOSAIC eliminates this concern -- see MOSAIC (Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certification). This is an STC and, per runbook rule 32, is absent from the TCDS by construction; its absence from A-787's own text is not evidence it does not exist.
• Rudder Pedal Conversion STC: Adds conventional independent rudder pedals to 415-C/D/E/G/F-1/F-1A. Does not affect LSA eligibility and many owners install them for training compatibility. Approximately $2,500-$4,000 installed.
• Metal Wing Conversion STC: Replaces fabric outboard wing panels on prewar 415-C with all-metal panels matching the 415-G. $6,000-$9,000 installed; eliminates fabric recovers and inspection concerns.
• C-85/C-90 Engine Upgrade STCs: TCDS A-787 NOTE 4 itself documents converting a 415-D's base C-75 to a C-85 -- a certificate-sanctioned upgrade, not merely a field STC. Converting further to a C-90 (matching the F-1/F-1A/A-2/M10 engine) adds roughly 400 fpm climb and 5-8 knots cruise per period reporting.
• Sliding Canopy Modification: Retrofits the sliding-canopy arrangement from the G/Alon/Mooney to earlier airframes. Primarily cosmetic/comfort; $3K-$6K installed.
• uAvionix tailBeacon: The dominant ADS-B Out solution for Ercoupes due to simple installation and ~$2,200 kit cost.

Parts availability is good thanks to Univair's dedicated Ercoupe product line -- confirmed as the certificate holder directly from TCDS A-787. Univair stocks thousands of line items including original-tooling metal skins, frames, gussets, fuel shutoffs, and control hardware. The Ercoupe Owners Club (ercoupe.org) is an active community with a well-regarded technical forum and parts-swap network.

Mechanic familiarity is "common" rather than "universal" -- any A&P can work on the Continental engine, but the interconnected flight control rigging is unique and often mis-rigged by mechanics unfamiliar with the type. Owners typically seek out a type-club-recommended shop for annuals.

Annual inspection cost: typically $1,500-$2,500 at a shop, or lower owner-assisted with an Ercoupe-familiar IA. See Maintenance Ecosystem. (annual_cost_estimate: 6500 is carried forward from the previous page -- a cost-model output computed by the supervising session, not re-derived here.)

Expensive items:

• Engine overhaul: national specialty-shop pricing per reference/engine-overhaul-pricing.md, ~$18,000 for a C-85
• Fabric wing recover (415-C, if applicable): $16,000-$24,000 for both panels
• Windshield replacement: $1,200-$2,000
• Wing spar inspection / repair: variable, potentially $5,000+ if corrosion found

This session found two asking prices ($26,000-$27,900) that sit close to the existing price_typical_usd of $27,000 -- reassuring but too thin a sample (2 uncertain data points, platform and date not independently confirmed) to justify narrowing the existing band (see ercoupe415asking). Baseline 1946-49 415-D/E/G with mid-time C-85, ADS-B Out, compliant ADs, and fair paint/interior: approximately $25,000-$28,000.

Adjustments (see Aircraft Valuation Methodology):

• Fresh engine overhaul (0-200 SMOH): +$8,000 to +$12,000
• Run-out engine (near or past 1,800 TBO): -$5,000 to -$8,000
• Fabric wings still original (415-C): -$3,000 to -$5,000 relative to metal-wing conversion
• Wood spar (prewar 415-C): -$5,000 to -$10,000 unless documented recent inspection
• Rudder pedal STC installed: +$2,500
• Alon A-2/A2-A: +$10,000 to +$18,000 over baseline (sliding canopy, 90 HP, rudder pedals standard, newer airframe)
• Mooney M10 Cadet: +$12,000 to +$22,000 (rarest variant, swept tail, collector appeal)
• ADS-B Out already installed: +$2,500
• Fresh paint and interior: +$4,000 to +$7,000

Price tiers by condition:

• Project / non-flying: $8,000-$15,000
• Run-out, flying, AD-compliant: $18,000-$24,000
• Average 415-D/E/G driver: $24,000-$30,000
• Nice with upgrades: $30,000-$38,000
• Excellent Alon A-2 or Mooney M-10: $38,000-$50,000

• AD 94-06-09 (Aileron cracks): Recurring inspection of aileron balance weights and hinges for cracks and excessive free play. Originated from a 415-D in-flight breakup attributed to possible aileron flutter. Inspection required every 100 hours or annually.
• AD 2011-09-xx (Wing spar): Inspection of lower wing spar caps for corrosion and cracks on wood-spar prewar variants and in the spar attach area on metal-wing airframes. Pre-buy must confirm compliance.
• Wooden wing spars (prewar 415-C only): Early 1940-1942 airframes used wooden main spars; these require careful inspection for rot and delamination and are the primary reason to avoid unrestored prewar serial numbers.
• Fabric wing panels (415-C postwar): Outboard wing panels on 1946-1947 415-Cs are fabric-covered. A recover runs $8K-$14K per side if needed. Inspect for fabric tension and tape condition.
• Nose gear oleo strut: Prone to leaking seals and wear -- a common squawk but cheap ($200-$400) to service.
• Control interconnect rigging: The ailerons, rudders, and nosewheel are linked by cables and pushrods that require periodic rerigging. A poorly rigged Ercoupe develops heavy stick forces and crabbing ground track.
• Continental A-65/C-75 parts: Mags and carburetors for 65-75 HP Continentals are getting scarce; many owners upgrade to a C-85 during overhaul purely for parts availability -- and per NOTE 4 this is a certificate-sanctioned conversion, not an off-book modification.
• Corrosion on wing center section: Water intrusion at the canopy and wing walk area causes hidden corrosion on the carry-through structure. A pre-buy inspection must open this area.

The Ercoupe is a favorite of underwriters: fixed gear, fixed pitch, benign handling, spin-resistant, and a low hull value that limits loss exposure (this session did not obtain a fresh quote -- see typical_hull_insurance_annual_usd's validator_exempt entry). Historical AOPA Insurance quotes have run $550-$750/year for hull and liability on a ~$25,000 airframe flown by a low-time sport pilot -- among the cheapest GA hull rates available. A higher hull value (Alon A-2 at $45K) and a student pilot may push it higher. See GA Insurance Underwriting.

Underwriting quirks:

• Some insurers require a checkout with an Ercoupe-experienced CFI due to the nonstandard control interconnect on the pre-Alon models.
• No retractable gear, no high-performance, no constant-speed endorsement requirements -- it is the simplest possible underwriting profile.
• The spin-resistant placard requirement (TCDS A-787 NOTE 2) reduces loss-of-control claims relative to conventional two-seat trainers.