ERCOUPE: Fred Weick’s “Safer” Airplane References by Richard Harris

References 60006%2B125%26No%3D30%26Nn%3D4294959792%257CAuth • Avia tion Consumer magazine, Used Aircraft Guide, 1980. or%257CSimpson%252C%2BJ.%2BA • Clarke, Bill, Illustrated Buyer’s Guide to Used Airplanes, 6th • NASA, “Weick W-1A of 1934” photo summary, online Edition, McGraw-Hill, 2006, New York (inlcludes addendum with at: http://naca.larc.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=GPN-2000- detailed report of NTSB study in the 1970s, summarizing NTSB 001238&qs=Ns%3DPublication-Date%7C0%26N%3D4294060006 fi ndings on light aircraft accident rates, by model and type of %2B125%26No%3D30%26Nn%3D4294961869%257CAuthor%2 accident). 57CFox%252C%2BS.%2BW • Ethell, Jeffrey, Used Aircraft Guide, 1979, Charles Scribners & • NASA, Henry, (H. Kieth & Craig E. Murden), “Fred Weick - Great Sons, N.Y. American Aviation Pioneer -- Dies at 93,” Release number 93- • Flying Annual & Buyer’s Guide, various annuals, 1965-1973 50a, July 9, 1993, NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va.; (industry’s chief catalog and data analysis of current general online at: http://crgis.ndc.nasa.gov/crgis/images/5/56/93-50a.pdf aviation aircraft). • Fred E. Weick, head of the Propeller Research Tunnel section, U.S. • Loftin , Laurence K. Jr, Quest for Performance : The Evolution of Patent Number 2110516 (for W-1 aircraft), with offi cial drawings, Modern Aircraft, NASA History Offi ce publication, NASA SP-468, and with cover letter from attorney to inventor Fred Weick, [PDF] NASA Scientifi c & Technical Information Branch, Washington, , as published by NASA, online at: http://crgis.ndc.nasa.gov/crgis/ D.C. 1985. (traces aircraft technical development since World War images/a/a8/US_Patent_2110516_for_W-1_Aircraft.pdf I), online at: http://www.hq.nasa.gov/offi ce/pao/History/SP-468/ • Phillips, William Hewitt, “Journey in Aeronautical Research: cover.htm A Career at NASA Langley Research Center,” Monographs in • Rowe, Frank J. & Miner, Craig. Borne on the South Wind: A Aerospace History, Number 12, (CHAPTER 17: “A Couple Century of Kansas Aviation. Wichita Eagle & Beacon Publishing of Bloopers!”), NASA, online at: http://history.nasa.gov/ Co., Wichita. 1994 (comprehensive history of Kansas aircraft monograph12/ch17.htm manufacturers and Kansas aviation). • NASA, “Weick W-1” web page and photo gallery, NASA Langley • Schamburger, Page and Joe Christy, *Command the Horizon: A GIS (Mary Gainer, Curator), January 24, 2014. online at: http:// Pictorial History of Aviation, 1968, Castle Books/A.S. Barnes & crgis.ndc.nasa.gov/historic/Weick_W-1 Co., N.Y., (exceptionally thorough history of U.S. aviation from • NASA photo caption and image: “ Jet-Assisted Takeoff “ (Ercoupe Civil War balloons to start of WWII, with vignettes written or making fi rst U.S. manned rocket fl ight; July/Aug. 1941; Lt. Homer dictated by pioneer aviators, and extraordinary collection of rare A. Boushey Jr., AAF, pilot) , online at: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/ and historic photos; by two famed aviator/writers; exceptional jplhistory/captions/jato-t.php with larger photo at: http://www. coverage of general aviation history, and Wichita’s companies in jpl.nasa.gov/jplhistory/captions/JATO-browse.jpg and video at: particular). http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/jplhistory/videos/ercoupe.php from “JPL • FAA Aircraft Registry Database, Federal Aviation Administration, History” website, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, online at: http://www.faa.gov/licenses_certifi cates/aircraft_ Calif., (JPL Historian: Erik Conway) online at: http://www.jpl.nasa. certifi cation/ gov/jplhistory/early/wartime.php • NASA, “Aeronautics and Astronautics Chronology, 1940-1944”, AERONCA NASA History Offi ce, January 27, 2005, online at: http://www. • Abel, Alan & Drina Welch Abel & Paul Matt, Aeronca’s Golden hq.nasa.gov/offi ce/pao/History/Timeline/1940-44.html Age , 2001, Wind Canyon, Niceville, Fla. • Thomas, Stanley G. (forward by Ercoupe designer Fred Weick), • Hollenbaugh, Bob & John Houser, Aeronca: A Photo History, *The Ercoupe, 1991, TAB/Aero (McGraw-Hill), N.Y. Aviation Heritage, Destin, Fla., 1995 (by Aeronca’s former • Weick, Fred with James R. Hansen, *From the Ground Up: The experimental shop boss & former design engineer, verifi ed by Autobiography of an Aeronautical Engineer (Navy/NACA phone interviews with them, Feb. 2004) engineer; former NACA research leader, renowned pioneer aerodynamicist and propeller expert, who also introduced tricycle Ercoupe, Weick and Related Items landing gear, modern cropdusters and Ercoupe, and co-developed • Collins, Richard, ed., “Reporting Points” or other safety article, Piper Cherokee). FLYING Magazine, August 2001. • www.Aircoupe.c om • Engineering Research Corp. -- ERCO company brochure: “ The Ercoupe, Alon, Aircoupe, M10 Webring Safest Airplane in the World,” circa 1940s. Ercoupe Owners Club • NASA “Weick Inducted into Hall of Fame NASA,” Researcher Ercoupers Online Community News, Nov. 29, 2002, online at: http://researchernews.larc.nasa. “Those Wonderful ‘Coupes,” by Howard Fried , AvWeb.com gov/archives/2002/112902/Weick.html including, specifi cally: • NASA, “Weick W-1” in Full Scale Tunnel in March 1934. photo Ercoupe - Those Wonderful ‘Coupes - Eye of Experience #23, summary, online at: http://naca.larc.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=GPN- AvWeb-com 2000-001399&qs=Ns%3DPublication-Date%7C0%26N%3D42940 • Ercoupe 415C page, amateur history & overview of Ercoupe/

American Aviation Historical Society Journal, Spring 2014 1 Aircoupe family protection by the authorities, for failing to meet the requirement of • ‘Flying an Aircoupe...’ essay, by David W. Vernon, owner/operator “exceptional historical signifi cance” for “properties less than fi fty of various Aircoupes, including Alon A-2A. years old.” Documents contain factual errors, with very debatable • Essco Aircraft, Manuals & Supplies (for Alon Aircraft, & others), historic comments and conclusions.) AvWeb.com • Maryland Historical Trust (Annapolis, MD), “Maryland Inventory • Arthur, Jack E., President, Ercoupe Owners’ Club, Prole, Iowa, of Historic Properties” documents: “Engineering Research Corp. brief phone inteview 4/23/2014 Main Plant & Airfi eld, Inventory Number: PG-68-22,” 2009 (update • Berge, Paul and commenters, “To Ercoupe is Human...” Hangar and revison of review documents on ERCO factory and airfi eld, Flying Theater website/blog, Jan.22, 2008, (review of criticisms of with detailed exterior photos), online at: http://lifeafterlink.org/ Berge’s article on “Legacy LSAs” in Aviation Consumer, Feb.2008, pictures/erco_hist.pdf discounting the Ercoupe; note additional comments added at • Preston, Edmund, Barry Lanman & Jack Breihan, Maryland Aloft: end of review by outsiders), http://bergefl yingtheater.blogspot. A Celebration of Aviators, Airfi elds, and Aerospace, Maryland com/2008/01/to-ercoupe-is-human.html Historical, Dec.2003 (noted for reference, not seen) • Brown, Eric, Capt., RAF, Wings of the Wierd & Wonderful, • Saletri, Frank Rytenhyde, “THE ERCOUPE, A Touch Of Class,” Chap.7.: “Erco Ercoupe,” Airlife, St. John’s Hill, Shrewsbury, Agony House, Hollywood, California, 1981, limited circulation England, UK, 1983 / TAB Books, Blue Ridge Summit, Penn., USA, (estim. 1,000) (huge book prized as “the Ercoupe Bible,” says EOC 1985 (1st-person pilot reports and general technical assessments of pres. Jack Arthur., citing it in his interview). 36 aircraft, mostly unusual or major WWII / early postwar military • Swanson, Bob (event coordinator), “The Coupe Homecoming aircraft, from several nations, by Britain’s leading test pilot of that Convention,” Vintage Airplane, Vol.28, No.11, Nov.2000, EAA time.) - Experimental Aircraft Assn., (illustrated account of Ercoupe • Carden, Skip, founder, Ercoupe Owners’ Club, Timberlake, N.Car., Owners Club Annual Convention, at College Park Airport, brief phone inteview 4/23/2014 Maryland, June 30-July 3, 2000, pp.10-12), online at: http:// • Center for Archival Collections, BGSU (Bowling Green State members.eaavintage.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/VA-Vol-28- Univ.), Bowling Green, OH, “Ercoupe Owners Club - MS 162,” No-11-Nov-2000.pdf (listing of extensive document archives donated to the Center by the • Wikipedia article & photo: “Alon A-4” online at http://en.wikipedia. EOC. Detailed bibliography of Ercoupe-related articles from many org/wiki/Alon_A-4 sources since the 1930s. Good starting point for further research). http://www2.bgsu.edu/colleges/library/cac/ms/page44232.html Mooney • Davisson, Budd, “Forney Fornaire F-1A Execta: First Remove the • Ball, Larry, Those Remarkable Mooneys, Ball Publications, Mouse Droppings,” pp.13-16, Vintage Airplane, Vol.28, No.11, Indianapolis, Ind., 1998. Nov.2000, EAA - Experimental Aircraft Assn., (account of Ercoupe variant restoration; includes note “The Covers,” pg.2, about cover Piper photo of “Forney Fornair[e] F-1A Execta” and its model history) • Murphy, Tom & Hans Halberstadt, The Illustrated Piper Buyer’s EAA, online at: http://members.eaavintage.org/wp-content/ Guide, 1993, MBI, Osceola, Wis. uploads/2013/02/VA-Vol-28-No-11-Nov-2000.pdf • Weick, Fred with James R. Hansen, *From the Ground Up: The • Freeman, Paul, ed., Abandoned & Little-Known Airfi elds website, Autobiography of an Aeronautical Engineer (Fred Weick, former “Maryland: Central Prince George’s County area,” “ERCO Field, senior Piper engineer, developed Cherokee, Pawnee and other Riverdale, MD,” online at: http://www.airfi elds-freeman.com/MD/ important Piper aircraft). Airfi elds_MD_PG_C.html#erco (detailed, well-illustrated history of • Piper Aircraft Genealogy Chart, Piper Aircraft Co., ca.2001, Vero ERCO Field, with many quotes from former ERCO people). Beach, Fla. • Hoeper, Phil, ed., “Life After Link” website, (ERCO and Link • Piper Cherokee 140,160,180 - Honest Cherokees (AOPA Pilot, company alumni/retirees website. ERCO absorbed by Singer, Dec. 1999). and made a division of its Link simulator business). Particularly • Sullivan, Wade (Cherokee Pilots of the West Coast) “A history of note the “ERCO history page,” online at: http://lifeafterlink.org/ the Cherokee,” General Aviation News, Sept.23, 2010, online at: index.shtml (which mostly links to external sources) and “Past - http://www.generalaviationnews.com/2010/09/a-history-of-the- Brochure” page, scanned from an unattributed “fl yer distributed at cherokee one of the [company] reunions” at http://lifeafterlink.org/brochure. • Sullivan, Wade (Cherokee Pilots of the West Coast), “A history shtml (detailing post-Ercoupe ERCO history). of the Cherokee,” General Aviation News, Sept. 23, 2010, online • Lord, Alexandra M., Ph.D., (Branch Chief, Nat’l Historic at: http://generalaviationnews.com/2010/09/23/a-history-of-the- Landmarks Program), editor, American Aviation Heritage: cherokee/ Identifying and Evaluating Nationally Signifi cant Properties in U.S. Aviation History, especially: “The Everyman’s Aircraft,” pp.109- Light Sport Aircraft 110, Nat’l Historic Landmarks Program, Cultural Resources, • Light Sport Aircraft section of FAA website, Federal Aviation National Park Service, U.S. Dept. of the Interior, Washington, D.C., Administration, Washington, D.C., online at: http://www.faa.gov/ and the Air Force Materiel Command, USAF, Wright-Patterson aircraft/gen_av/light_sport/?print=go AFB, Ohio, and the Nat’l Conf. of State Historic Preservation ...including: Offi cers, Washington, D.C., as revised March 2011, online at: http:// Light Sport Aircraft: Existing Type Certifi cated Models, FAA, www.nps.gov/nhl/learn/themes/Aviation.pdf online at: http://www.faa.gov/aircraft/gen_av/light_sport/media/ • Maryland Historical Trust (Annapolis, MD), “NR-Eligibibiity ExistingModels.pdf Review” documents: “Engineering Research Corp. Main Plant & • Iowa Offi ce of Aviation, online at: Iowa Aviation Bulletin, Fall Airfi eld, Inventory Number: PG-68-22,” 1985 2004, Offi ce of Aviation, State of Iowa, Ames, Iowa, online at: • online at: http://msa.maryland.gov/megafi le/msa/stagsere/se1/ http://publications.iowa.gov/1854/1/Aviation_Bulletin_Fall_2004. se5/018000/018500/018550/pdf/msa_se5_18550.pdf (documents pdf & pictures regarding putting the ERCO factory and airfi eld on the National Register of Historic Places. Extensive details on the property. The documents indicate it was rejected for such

2 American Aviation Historical Society Journal, Spring 2014