Each day, the team at Aircraft For Sale picks an airplane that catches our attention because it is unique, represents a good deal, or has other interesting qualities. You can read Aircraft For Sale: Today’s Top Pick at FLYINGMag.com daily.
Today’s Top Pick is a 1946 ERCO 415-D Ercoupe.
Flying has always involved risk, but it was a particularly dangerous endeavor in its early days. As the decades progressed, so did aviation safety. Still, taking to the sky in small airplanes remained far from a safe activity, largely because loss-of-control accidents have always been common. Aviation history includes a number of designs and features aimed at making small airplanes safer, and the ERCO Ercoupe is among the more successful examples.
Designed during the 1930s by Fred Weick, who would later be instrumental in developing the Piper PA-28 Cherokee, the Ercoupe essentially combined an inherently stable airframe with limited control movements that prevented stalls and spins. The control arrangement also eliminated rudder pedals and the “footwork” that the manufacturer felt was confusing to many pilots. Relatively low power also kept pilots out of trouble. Ercoupes generally ranged from 40 to 75 hp, though a few examples received larger powerplants and many owners upgraded to more powerful engines over the years. The aircraft for sale here has an 85 hp engine.
This 1946 Ercoupe has 2,871 hours on the airframe and 305 hours on its engine since overhaul. Avionics include a Garmin 250XL GPS/Com, GTX 321 transponder, PMA 4000 intercom, and uAvionix AV-30-C instrument.
Pilots who understand the appeal of traveling in a historically significant antique aircraft that is equally at home at vintage fly-ins or on modern airport ramps should consider this 1947 Ercoupe, which is available for $39,000 on AircraftForSale.
You can arrange financing of the aircraft through FLYING Finance. For more information, email [email protected].
- FLYING Magazine: Approachable Aircraft: Ercoupe
- FLYING Magazine: Hawaii Lessons in an Ercoupe
- FLYING Magazine: The Process of Obtaining a Medical Certificate
- Plane & Pilot: Ercoupe
- The Aviation Consumer: Used Aircraft Guide: Ercoupe and Cadet
