Syd Cohen at Ercoupe Alley.  Photo by Phil Weston

In stark contrast to the headlining mass arrivals of Bonanzas, Mooneys, and Cessnas each year at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, other smaller groups of owners welcome the opportunity to fly together and arrive together, too.

Fifteen years ago, Syd Cohen hosted the Ercoupe Owners Club national convention at his home field in Wausau, Wisconsin. The meeting ended just as EAA AirVenture was beginning, so the next place to be, obviously, was Oshkosh.

"I talk to lots of different pilots and they say, ‘You fly into Oshkosh? That’s just crazy, I wouldn’t do that.’" Cohen said, "I said, ‘No, it’s not. I’m going to lead you guys in. Follow me, do what I do and listen to the controller, do what he says—it’s not bad at all.’"

"And if we all arrive together, we get to park together," he added.

Twenty-five copies of the unique airplane made the trip that inaugural year. Since then, Cohen has kept up the tradition every AirVenture; nine Ercoupe examples made it into the 2007 caravan. They departed Juneau, Wisconsin, at noon this past Saturday and arrived here at EAA AirVenture a short time later.

Although there is a published procedure for mass arrivals, Cohen’s group is typically too small to bother with the formality. The published Fisk visual flight rules arrival is used, and Cohen simply informs the controllers of how many are in the flight. According to Cohen the controllers are always more than accommodating to the group.

No special qualifications or experience are required to fly with the Ercoupes.

"We just brief to stay in trail," Cohen said. "We like to stay 700 feet or so apart. I also tell them to climb a little if they get into the wake turbulence of the guy in front of them. Nobody needs to navigate, just follow."

"We try to go as slow as the slowest guy. Not all Ercoupes are the same; some are draggier, depending on all they have hanging on the airplane," he added.

Cohen organizes the annual flight through the Ercoupe Owners Club magazine Coupe Capers and its associated e-mail list. He’s also organized flights into Sun ’n Fun, but the distances involved tend to make those groups a bit smaller. Four Ercoupes made that flight this year.

Cohen will host the national convention again next year in Wausau. Given the experience of 15 years ago, he expects next year’s group will be a large one.

The Ercoupes are parked in Ercoupe Alley, which is Row 91 in the Antique and Classic area.