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The following article was originaly an email to my EAA-chapter 972 in Texas when I was very happy to fly again. The email was converted by Tom Southern with "Frontpage" and had the honour to be published in their monthly Newsletter (April 2002). It was also published on their Website. After this my son decided to rewrite it once more. Now he thinks it is okay, (son: honestly, I'm not, but after all I'm a perfectionist...) but judge it by yourself.

Hi Ya'll,

Here are some pictures and notes about the long way of renewing an annual license. The last annual license of my little Ercoupe here in Germany was in 1996. In 1997 I disassembled the plane and stored it in Bavaria in a barn, - much cheaper than a hangar place! And during this time the engine was operated in an Ercoupe of a friend. At least Tom Southern, Don Walker and John Douglas know Harry Schmidt. My health program with a new hip was 'a little' more complicated than planned. 99 % of such surgeries are a complete success, - but I was the 1 %. So my insurance had to pay  8 more surgeries. And nearly one complete year my breakfast was served me in a hospital bed. Followed by a couple of years on crutches and a lot of muscle training and rehabilitation as most of you remember. But at any time I want to renew the annual license of that little Ercoupe.

finished plane

So I looked for a new hangar-place and found it in a military shelter in eastern Germany, a soviet leftover. Until 1989 it was the home of a Mig29, now the place is safe enough for an Ercoupe. Some hangar-pictures were published in the EAA972-newsletter last year. At first I collected again all the airplane-parts. One friend gave me a special trailer for this model. On the picture there is the fuselage by itself, but the trailer is build to transport a complete Ercoupe, including both wings under the fuselage. At this time the wings were stored in another place and collected at another time.

transporting a plane

There was also a unique AD to confirm: Some Ercoupes are flying since 1938, most since 1946. But now the FAA found out, that an Ercoupe is only able to fly with 2 x 16 = 32 (Thirty-two!) inspection holes under the wings! So I had to cut all the Inspection holes in the ceconite. And because it was a bitter cold winter, I made it in a heated room. So I could work with Poly-Tak, -brush etc much better. The room was not big enough for both wings. And there is another safe and easy way to transport Ercoupe-wings. Simply put a partly filled air mattress on the roof of a car and drive slowly. The wing root and the wingtip were also fixed with some ropes to the carbody. I tested this already in Texas when I gave up my hangar in Gilmer and moved my Aircoupe to my farm. Who said: one project is enough?

another idea for a wing-transport

Now one more part was missing: any engine. In the meantime the old engine had two forced landings and was not running good anymore. Harry said something like "it's scrap, but I will give you 1500 bucks for the old engine". I had another opinion and overhauled the engine at a certified engine shop of a friend. It cost me 2000 US$ until the engine was running powerful and smooth again. Then I sold it for 6000 US$. During all the last years my friend at the engine shop and me, we collected parts for a new O-200. During my last visits in Texas I took with me to Germany four new Millenium cylinders and a lot of parts from Rick Roman and Fresno Airparts. In the meantime, my friend gave up his engine shop. The last certified engine he overhauled was mine. And he also delivered the engine to the plane and installed it! All together my new zero-time O200 cost me $7,000.  The picture is only showing the first function-test of the starter. I really don't dare a test run with such a mess around and in such unsafe environment.

function test of the starter
Do you see another dangerous condition on this picture?
Read ahead!

After the engine was installed, there was an awful amount of small things to do. To test the engine, the brakes. And to renew the baffles which is an awful time consuming job. On this picture you see: even under the panel there was some work.

working under the panel

But you see more. First: a prop is an excellent hook for thermo shirts. This was a warm day. Under the panel and with temperatures around the 50F. So, an extra thermo shirt was not essential. And second: I converted one exhaust channel with a floor in between. And now electric power is available in this corner of the hangar. Each of the both exhaust channels are 12 ft wide, 16 ft high (2 floors!) and more than 20 ft long until they are joining. Later there will be an excellent living area on top of the workshop! - later. Now I'm very happy that I closed the end of the former exhaust channel with plywood and construction foam. So the temperatures during the winter are as low as usual in Germany, with peaks down to -20 Celsius = Zero Fahrenheit. You can't see it, but there is no additional wind-chill. And all together 1500 Watt halogen-light will warm you too, at least a little. Next winter, my workshop will be more comfortable. On some weekends my girlfriend Jutta and me, we worked Friday, Saturday and Sunday, each day until midnight. And now sentence to Bart and Charlene: Congratulations, now you know what live will serve you if you have a project. And I hope you have one, because it will make live worth to live.

The picture on top of the page shows an Ercoupe, which has already the annual license. And it was a long way. Because I want to get the inspection by the same inspector as last time in 1996, I had to fly to his place. Before this, he visited the plane on his way to his holidays and was asking the German aviation administration (LBA) for a special permission to fly the plane to his place. This flight was a special adventure: at first I flew to the next airfield where such a rare fluid as avgas was available. 6 Minutes in the air, - after more than 2 years without any practice. And a landing in a strong crosswind. Two times "missed approach" because each time the wind lifted one wing. And in order to level the wings, the plane turned and shot from the paved runway. Than I asked for grass and barely hold the plane in the direction of the grass-strip. There were several reasons for these two preceding missed appoaches: Maybe my missing practice and the crosswind of about 10 mph. But the real reason you can even see on a picture before!

An Ercoupe was the first sport plane with a nose wheel. And this nose wheel is steered together with the ailerons, not the rudder! A real safe way to land in crosswind is: ailerons neutral and approach with a drift angle to compensate the crosswind. Not a hanging wing!  After flaring of, push the hand wheel forward so the plane is getting definite and good contact with the ground, but let the ailerons (and the nose wheel) here freedom. And because the landing gear is real rigid and has the right construction, it will turn itself from the drift angle and stay in the direction of the runway.  That is proven also for very strong crosswinds.

But why I was shooting twice out of the runway? Because the nose wheel was not exactly straight when the ailerons where neutral. Have a look at the picture with the starter test: Imagine the ailerons are neutral: do you see that the nose wheel is not straight inline? Well, at the airport where I filled up my tanks with avgas (6.70 US$/US Gallon!), and then I asked also for a wrench 9/16" and readjusted the nose wheel easy and fast.

The next leg of the flight was not "6 minutes", but 241 Miles. And my only tools for navigation was my watch, the compass and four sectional maps. I had no GPS or something else. Because I expected a strong headwind I computed the gas and found out: I will need a little more than the wing tanks, the fuselage tank will be just broken on. So I started. The navigation was not the problem. But during flight, it turned out the headwind was even much stronger. To make a short story: I arrived with a nearly empty tank: maybe 1/2" of fuel was resting in the last tank. Good enough for maybe 10 minutes but not 11 minutes. And I landed only very few minutes (2 or 3) before my prepared decision "its better to land before the last drop is burned". The total flight time to the last destination was 4 hours and 6 Minutes. Due to the headwind I used a high power setting. I must add: during the last part of that flight, when I was using the last tank, there were no open airfields along my route or shortly behind.  And sometimes I had a strong heartbeat: If I had made any mistake in my fuel-computation or if I will not find the destination at once or any other shit will happen: I would gain troubles.

Now the annual license is done for one year more. Not only due to the low ceilings, but because there where too much snow showers (one can be too much) during the next days I returned my brave little plane one week later and went back this time with the railway! Next week I paid a friend the fuel and he flew me down, to pick up this Ercoupe. Now the weather had changed and I had I strong headwind again. But finely the plane reached his home base, and his owner is sweeping of the dust from an old Garmin 100. Which means a new internal battery and a new soldered accupackage.  Maybe it's a little easier to navigate.

I also renewed my medical check last week. So the spring and the summer can come. And spring is coming. Since Eastern a lot of brushes are blooming, not only Hamameles and Forsythies which are first. We even had already one BBQ-party. ... But only inside my hangar and dressed with warm underwear and thermo shirts. This year I will visit Texas during September. Jutta has no other time for her holidays. And maybe that's the balance for this bitter cold winter in Germany.

cul, Ernst

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