Flight, March 30, 1939

STILL MORE SIMPLICITY
The Latest Weick Design : An All-metal Low-wing Monoplane with Tricycle Undercarriage and Control Interconnection

   FOLLOWING the machine which he designed to the specification of the U.S. Bureau of Air Commerce, Mr. F. E. Weick has now produced another which, though comparatively conventional in appearance, is intended as what is so inaptly known as a fool-proof aeroplane. Mr. Weick is chief designer of the Engineering and Research Corporation of Riverdale, Maryland, U.S.A., and this concern has now put the machine into production.
   The E. & R.C. monoplane is a two-seater, side-by-side, low-wing machine of all-metal construction. The fuselage, which is of monocoque structure, has a sliding cabin enclosure which can be opened or shut to suit the weather conditions and the whim of the occupants. Otherwise the new Weick tends to be unconventional. It is a tractor machine with a fairly normal tricycle undercarriage, but the ailerons and rudder have been interconnected and are operated by wheel control. The machine has been designed so that it is impossible, in the ordinary course of events, to raise the nose to the stalling angle either with the engine on or off. If, however, the machine is forced into a stall, the design of the tail surfaces is such that the results are reputed to be harmless. The test machine proved to be unspinnable.
   The engine, which is a four-in-line inverted air-cooled unit, has been produced specially for the machine, and is to the design of Mr. H. E. Morehouse. He has concentrated on providing absolute reliability and the unit has recently completed a 400-hour full-throttle test.
   The specification of the E. & R.C. 310 is as follows: Span, 30ft.; length, 18ft. 6in.; power loading, 19.19 lb./h.p.; wing loading. 7.8 Ib./sq. ft.; weight empty, 650 lb.; all-up weight, 1.100 lb.; maximum speed, 101 m.p.h.; and cruising speed. 90 m.p.h. The engine, which is also built by the E. & R. Corporation, develops 55 h.p. at 3,000 r.p.m. at optimum altitude, and weighs 2.58 lb./h.p. at maximum rating.

Flight, September 1940

A TWO-CONTROL AMERICAN
Engineering and Research Corporation's Ercoupe

  THE rather novel two-seater Ercoupe, which has ailerons, rudder and nosewheel all mechanically coordinated, has now reached the production stage, it is announced by the Engineering and Research Corporation of Riverdale, Maryland.
  A side-by-side cabin aeroplane, the Ercoupe has twin fins and rudders and is powered with a single Continental A-65, rated at 65 h.p. at 2,300 r.p.m. It holds approved type certificate No. 718 from the Civil Aeronautics Board.
  The makers claim that the Ercoupe will not spin, and the co-ordination of ailerons and rudder has been arranged so that they are both operated by turning the control wheel. This should make for easy piloting as, no doubt, will the nosewheel undercarriage. In fact, the claim is that only four hours' instruction is needed before going solo.
  Use is to be made of the Ercoupe in an experiment in the Civil Pilot Training Programme. This aeroplane and the Stearman-Hammond - which is designed according to the same general ideas - will be used for the training of 60 pupils so that the claim as to whether these "simplified control" aircraft really simplify flying may be put to a proper test. Three groups of 20 will be trained at the Baltimore School of Aeronautics, the Brinckerhoff Flying Service (College Park, Maryland) and Palo Alto Airport, California.
  The following technical particulars of the Ercoupe are given:-
   Span ... 30ft.
   Length ... 20ft.
   Height ... 5ft. 11 in.
   Wing loading ... 7.9 lb./sq. ft.
   Power loading ... 17.3 lb./h.p.
   Empty weight ... 690 lb.
   Disposable load ... 608 lb.
   Gross loaded weight ... 1,125 lb.
   Tankage ... 14 U.S. gals.
   Maximum speed at sea level ... 110 m.p.h.
   Landing speed ... 35
   Service ceiling ... 14,000ft.
   Rate of climb ... 600 ft./min.
  The wing section is of the NACA 43013 series and the centre plane is of aluminium alloy stressed skin. The main planes have a single spar of aluminium alloy and are fabric covered. The tail unit, of completely cantilever construction and with twin fins and rudders of very efficient looking design, is not fabric covered but is of stressed skin construction.