First flight in our "new" Ercoupe...

Now imagine crossing the Sierra Nevadas in something like that :-) Our
140 had a cruise prop. I did cross the Sierra Nevada in it. It took
about 100 miles distance before I had sufficient altitude after leaving
Sacramento!

Cool trip...

I don't think I'd have the patience to climb the Ercoupe to 11,000 feet,
though. It would take all day, at least in summer.

We flew back from Waterloo, IA (ALO) to Iowa City (IOW) yesterday, and never
went above 2500 feet. (I've not flown the 'Coupe above 3000 feet yet.) We
were coming back from having some avionics and pitot/static system work done
up at McCandless Aviation (a great avionics shop, BTW), and had to shoot the
gap between a couple of lines of storms. Bucking a Southerly headwind,
with a ground speed of a whopping 70 knots, "shooting the gap" is a whole
different thing than I'm used to in the Pathfinder -- but it worked out
fine.

You've just got to be patient!

And what a gas, to be flying down I-380 with the "top down" -- 2000 feet
above the traffic. It's sure fun on a hot summer day!
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
Ercoupe N94856
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

On 2008-07-11, Jay Honeck wrote:
I don't think I'd have the patience to climb the Ercoupe to 11,000 feet,
though. It would take all day, at least in summer.

It does take all day, and you've got no option when crossing mountains!

We flew back from Waterloo, IA (ALO) to Iowa City (IOW) yesterday, and never
went above 2500 feet. (I've not flown the 'Coupe above 3000 feet yet.)

I typically flew the C140 at 1000-1500 feet - except in the height of
summer where I'd get it a bit higher for cooler and smoother air. Often,
with the windows open. I really miss the C140!

What I wouldn't like, though, would be having to keep it polished where
I live now...that just wouldn't work. I just miss flying altogether at
the moment - but the engine is nearly finished on the Auster. That's a
different type of 'antique flying' altogether - 160 hp in what's
essentially a Taylorcraft airframe! The Auster is at 1000 feet by the
time we reach the end of our 3500 foot runway - low climb speed with a
good rate of climb!

--
From the sunny Isle of Man.
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