Military Ercoupe???

Thanks “low and slow” I was fairly sure I had seen one in RAF colours in the recent past. I think your photo was taken at a fly-in at North Weald and the other Ercoupe in the picture may have been Belgian-registered. The memory fades!

The one behind is G-COUP

Hi Stieglitz
It looks like both Boscombe Down and Farnborough evaluated this a/c,Capt Eric Brown flew G-ATFP at Farnborough (chap 15 Wings of the Weird and Wonderful).
It might be worth you reading L Curtis’s autobio,even just for the photo of the B36 which landed short of B Down in bad weather and stopped next to a road(and next to a double decker bus!!) just outside the airfield fence…virtually undamaged!!

cheers Baz

[QUOTE=wieesso;1216951]quote: ‘Do you know for which role it was evaluated by the RAF? (Trainer, Tactical aircraft?’

Stieglitz,

there is nearly nothing to add to the last post of baz.
As I already mentioned in this thread (#9) try these docs:
http://www.tinfeathers.com/OldAC/Moore3/VX147_25.jpg
http://www.tinfeathers.com/OldAC/Moore3/VX147_22.jpg

Hi Wieesso
Did you realise that the letter in your 2nd link was written by Lettice Curtis,the famous wartime ATA pilot and author who was a flight test engineer at Boscombe Down postwar because the ministry would not accept her as a pilot.

Thanks Wiesso for all your contributions. Reading them now.

Greetz,

Stieglitz

quote: ‘Do you know for which role it was evaluated by the RAF? (Trainer, Tactical aircraft?’

Stieglitz,

there is nearly nothing to add to the last post of baz.
As I already mentioned in this thread (#9) try these docs:
http://www.tinfeathers.com/OldAC/Moore3/VX147_25.jpg
http://www.tinfeathers.com/OldAC/Moore3/VX147_22.jpg

Martin

If you could find some further info at home about this Bazi, feel free to add it here. This tread has already given me more info than I hoped for.

Thanks all.

Stieglitz

[QUOTE=Stieglitz;1216209]Nice to know ozplane and planemike! So I can be certain about one Ercoupe VX147 which was evaluated for the RAF in 1947. Do you know for which role it was evaluated by the RAF? (Trainer, Tactical aircraft?)

quOTE]

I am not at home so no access to books,but i think the RAE were evaluating the control system(no rudder pedals !!) rather than for a specific role.
Since all military aircraft at that time had a conventional 3 axis control system this a/c would not have been of any use as a trainer.

Cheers Baz

Thanks “low and slow” I was fairly sure I had seen one in RAF colours in the recent past. I think your photo was taken at a fly-in at North Weald and the other Ercoupe in the picture may have been Belgian-registered. The memory fades!

As Ozplane and Planemike both mentioned earlier, VX147 was evaluated at Boscombe Down in 1947 before being rejected as a basic trainer as it was too stable and could not be used for spin training.

About ten years ago G-AVIL was painted in the RAF livery. It currently lives in Kent I think.

The attached pic appears on the G-INFO website. The aeroplane was also featured in Pilot magazine a couple of years ago.

www.ercoupe-be.net

This is a bit of a coincedence – only yesterday my lecturer for Aircraft Operations was telling us about his mate who has an Ercoupe in RAF colours!

Great info Wieesso! Just what I needed! 🙂

Greets,

Stieglitz

‘In 1941, the U.S. Army evaluated the Ercoupe under the designation YO-55 for observation and target drone roles.’
http://www.shanaberger.com/YO-55.htm

“The Army evaluated one standard 415C , calling it the YO-55 observation plane, when the Military was testing other light planes for this role in 1941; it also tested two with 125 HP Franklin engines, and called them XPQ-13 radio controlled targets, but found them unsuited for military work.”
http://www.mail-archive.com/coupers@mailinglist.net/msg00261.html

“In 1941, the U.S. Army Air Force purchased two examples of the Erco Ercoupe 415-C and converted them to radio-controlled drones with the designation XPQ-13. The PQ-13 was not produced in quantity, because the Culver PQ-14 was the superior design for that purpose. However, one XPQ-13 was used for the USAAF’s first tests of JATO (Jet-Assisted Take-Off) rockets to significantly improve an aircraft’s take-off performance. These tests were very successful and led the way for standard application of JATO on many operational aircraft.”
http://www.designation-systems.net/dusrm/app1/pq.html

VX147
http://www.tinfeathers.com/OldAC/Moore3/VX147_11.jpg
and story and RAF photos
http://www.tinfeathers.com/OldAC/Moore3/Moore3.htm

XPQ-13 41-25196
http://aeroweb.brooklyn.cuny.edu/database/aircraft/getimage.htm?id=13956

A substantial report is here
http://www.aerofiles.com/_e.html and scroll down to ‘Ercoupe XPQ-13’

Thanks for this info. If someone has additional info, please feel free to post it!

Greets,

Stieglitz

I think the RAF were looking at it as a basic trainer. I suppose the Chipmunk got the contract?

Another fact on the Ercoupe was it was the first aircraft to use JATO,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:NASA_GPN-2000-001538.jpg

I’m not sure what the US navy role was but the two that the USAF had were used for drone control progams.

Nice to know ozplane and planemike! So I can be certain about one Ercoupe VX147 which was evaluated for the RAF in 1947. Do you know for which role it was evaluated by the RAF? (Trainer, Tactical aircraft?)

Also thanks Scorpion for those USAF and USN additions. What was their task with the USAF/USN?

Thanks,

Stieglitz

Yes the USAF and USN used them,

YO-55 41-18875
XPQ-13 41-25196
XPQ-13 41-39099

Stieglitz……………

Cannot give you an answer for other countries but one in the UK flew with a military serial VX147 ex NC7465H OO-ERU G-AKFC. Was evaluated at Boscombe Down 1947 – 52. Restored to G-AKFC. Crashed at Halfpenny Green 13 Aug 67.

Planemike……………..

I’m by no means an expert on this subject but the Royal Air Force had one on trial as a basic trainer. I seem to remember it was serialled VX 147 and was silver all over with RAF roundels. I believe it was rejected as being too easy to fly. There was one flying in the UK a couple of year’s ago in this colour scheme but whether it was the original I don’t know. I hope this helps.