Go to Barnstormers.com and look at their "Light Sport Aircraft" category. I spotted at least 4-5 airplanes that met your criteria and were asking <$40K, and that was just on page 1 (of 21 pages!)... There will be something there to catch your wife's imagination. Don't be afraid of the homebuilts - just get someone who knows the type to do the pre-buy inspection for you.

Rans S-6 gets my vote.
https://www.trade-a-plane.com/search?ca ... e=aircraft
https://www.trade-a-plane.com/search?ca ... e=aircraft

Just to close this thread, I thought I should post what we just put into prebuy tonight.

It is a 1945 Ercoupe 415c with under 3000 total hours, complete restore in 2010, around 350hr SMOH no corrosion, and a pretty paint job to boot....the wife is pretty happy....

I got lucky since tomorrow is our anniversary and since I bought her an airplane, I dont even need to buy flowers....

I know you bought her a plane so you could save the cost of flowers.

Perfectly logical aviation thinking.

Honey you won't believe how much money I saved us with (fill in the blank) purchase, now we will have to live under the railway overpass but we saved so much!

Looks like a real clean plane.

Fred, I think that's a great choice and based on a photo I'm inclined to think you got a good one - there don't appear to be much if any wrinkles in the fuselage skin just forward of the wing. That happens when you get to slow at the and run out of elevator. Just drill into her head, 80mph - takeoff, cruise, and land, all at the same indicated speed.

You know I'm loving your choice! Way to go, and what a great looking 'coupe.

Congratulations!

great choice…

you must love her and she must love you!!!

Great looking plane. Just curious - where does the rest of the canopy hide? Is it temporarily removed, or does it retract in some really slick way?

retracts into the side walls. Roll down the windows and hang your arm out in the breeze. There is no better plane for summertime fooling around than a coupe

Hmm. Not meaning to pick on Jeff, but that advice appears to contradict everything I can find documented about Ercoupes. The factory manual (not a true POH, much less an AFM) appears to recommend rotating at or above 60 mph, and flying the approach at 60-70 mph. Cruise speeds discussed are significantly faster than 80 mph, as well. (More like 90-95 mph.) Minimum controllable airspeed appears to be well below 50 mph (one pub discusses a "burble" at 3 mph above the 45 mph minimum airspeed, but it is NOT an authoritative source - just one person's "flying handbook" built on his personal experiences).

So I have to ask: What is the source of YOUR recommendations?

It would seem to me that trying to keep the plane on the ground until it reached 80 mph could be dangerous, and use a LOT more runway than necessary. But even worse would be trying to approach at 80 mph (10-20 mph faster than the factory recommended 60-70 mph) would inevitably result in VERY long landings while trying to scrub off all that excess airspeed, and bringing with it the distinct possibility of PIO (pilot-induced oscillation).

To the OP: Please do your wife (and you) a huge favor, and get in touch with the Ercoupe Owners Club (http://www.ercoupe.org/) and solicit advice on type-specific training and operation from that knowledgeable source. Don't listen to me, or anyone else who isn't familiar with the type!

PS - Have fun! That airplane looks really fun to fly, and I know you'll enjoy flying in summer with the canopy open! Very cool and "classic" LSA!

At OSH there was a LSA from a Tchécoslovaquie Co if I remember with a 80% scale C182 replica. Nice little plane with a bigger cabin than any LSA I have seen before.

+1 on the Ercoupe. Kathy bought one to get her sport pilot rating and I taught her to fly in the airplane. Agree with all the comments above except "80 mph." Climb and pattern at 70 mph, cruise at 105 mph with C85/O-200 crank, effectively a C-90. It cruised at 95 mph with the original C-75.

Added plus: the Ercoupe has more ramp appeal that any LSA out there. Kids are drawn to like an ice cream truck. Your wife will be the belle of the ball where ever she goes.

PM me if you want more info. Better yet, swing by Texas and we'll give your wife a ride in the Coupe!

flying and repairing ercoupes

the biggest reason it won't stall (not totally true but we'll paint with a broad brush) is that the up elevator travel is limited. When you get too slow on landing, you run out of elevator and the nosewheel goes thunk and you get those wrinkles in the fuselage skin just forward of the wing leading edge. Most ercoupes have those wrinkles. The point that you run out of elevator just happens all at once, it's not gradual. It's probably not something you ever have seen on another airplane because even when airspeed is decaying to where it loses effectiveness, you can always pull back more.

Although I'm usually beating the drum that most people land too fast, on ercoupes it's the opposite. The airplane lands plenty short so just some over the fence at 80 and give yourself a nice, nose high touchdown with plenty of elevator power. It's doubly important in a crosswind because when you touch down in a crab and the trailing link mains snap the nose from a crab to a straight track, you don't want that nosewheel on the ground. That's why later ones for the double form nosewheel, it'll take more side load when that happens.

as far as cruise speeds, you gave to remember that these have different engines. Most commonly discussed numbers being around a 75hp plane. if you put in an O-200 you can go over 100mph

This plane is a blast to fly, you find your self actually looking at things on the ground again cause you are sol slow and low and it seems so darn stable.

But after putting about 12 to 13 hours on this little Ercoupe I wanted to post my findings regarding the speeds that were discussed here.

-I found rotate be best approaching 70mph (especially at gross) it will rotate at 60 but pops off the ground at 70.

-Cruise in this little thing is about 95-100mph at 2200 RPM

-landing is a little tricky if under 70mph dropping 500FT/MIN. It will develop a sink rate that is not cushioned by ground effect and the only way to arrest it is by ample use of throttle otherwise it is a hard landing. so 75-80 over the fence is the sweet spot and produces a nice ground effect and greaser landing every time in about 700-800ft of runway. to a full stop.

Unfortunately my personal squak list is a mile long getting it up to my standards both visually and mechanically under the hood. But after today I should have it down to small things like engine rubbing front cowl creating a little vibration, oil pan leak, and changing out some hoses and cleaning up wiring.

What a hoot this little plane is though, I always land with a smile on my face.

You are very lucky to have a wife that is willing to learn to fly. I envy you.
Congrats on the purchase. She must be so proud to have her own airplane... Beats everything else, and this plane is a classic.