Letter to the editor: ‘The Ercoupe flies beautifully in crosswinds’

Several weeks ago, I put together a photo essay of some of the many hundreds of cool aircraft I saw at EAA AirVenture, an annual air show in Wisconsin that counts itself as the largest in the United States. One of the planes I mentioned was the Ercoupe, an unusual model from the middle of the 20th century that dispenses with the foot pedals normally used to control the rudder; instead, the Ercoupe controls it automatically based on the pilot’s aileron input. I also mentioned that the odd configuration could cause trouble in a crosswind landing where rudder authority is critical, but reader (and Ercoupe owner) Rich Green wrote in to disagree:

Hi Chris — your article on 14 interesting aircraft at AirVenture was great. You mention that the Ercoupe is tricky to land in a crosswind but that is not accurate. Ercoupe drivers often fly in crosswind conditions that ground Piper, Cessna, Beech, and others with rudders. The Ercoupe flies beautifully in crosswinds — I am a CFI [certified flight instructor] and own a restored Coupe. Just wanted to share a view from someone who flies one.

All the best,
Rich Green, CFI

I’ll have to defer to Rich on this one. Thanks for writing in!