Two and a half years ago, John Roach from Northern Illinois bought an Ercoupe 415C for the express purpose of flying it as a sport pilot. Certain models of the "Coupe," as its owners affectionately know it, are the only tricycle-gear, all-metal, standard category airplane meeting the light-sport aircraft (LSA) definition.

"I have a feeling [the Ercoupe] would sell for $5,000 to $10,000 more than what I paid for it," Roach said. "There’s only so many of them out there, and of the ones out there, only so many of them that are really in good flying condition. The prices are going up."

"It’s funny, it used to be that the later models, the ones that had the 1,400-pound and 1,450-pound gross weights, they got the premium price. The whole thing is turned around now."

The reason for the flip-flop in values is that the later models, with their higher gross weights, do not meet the LSA definition and, under the LSA rules, cannot meet the spec even if they are modified to another model configuration.

More than 4,000 415C and 415CD models of the Ercoupe, the ones that do qualify for LSA, were produced in the post-WWII heyday of light airplane manufacturing. But with the usual attrition typical in any airplane fleet, along with all the airplanes that have disqualifying modifications, the Ercoupe market is much changed from what it was before the LSA rule was final.

One challenge with flying the C and CD model Ercoupes has been the certified gross weight. The airplane, like most production airplanes, gained a few pounds over time. The engine got bigger, electrical systems were added, and fuel quantity was increased, all of which resulted in a higher empty weight. However, the gross weight of 1,260 pounds did not change—the useful load just went down.

The LSA definition allows for a 1,320-pound gross weight, and a supplemental type certificate (STC), available just before EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2007, increases the gross weight of a C or CD model up to the LSA maximum.

"Now I don’t need to find a skinny flight instructor," Roach said. "I just did my flight review, and we had to take 10 gallons of gas out of the airplane. That’s two hours of flying in this plane."

Sixty pounds of gross weight increase, the amount provided by the STC, will allow Roach to keep those 10 gallons of gas in the plane.

In addition to the paperwork, the only change required to apply the STC on Roach’s plane—his is a fairly late serial number—is to reduce the elevator’s upward travel by 4 degrees. Earlier serial numbers may require additional changes.

A common problem with Ercoupes, one that has diminished the fleet over the years, is corrosion. Syd Cohen, an active member of the Ercoupe Owners Club and leader of an annual group flight to EAA AirVenture said, "Fred Weick designed this airplane. He would come to our conventions, and every year he would say be really, really careful about corrosion."

"[Weick said] when they built these they figured that these airplanes would be superseded by better airplanes within 10 years. They never dreamed they would be flying 50 and 60 years later," Cohen added.

Cohen did say that with proper maintenance and quick attention to any problems that crop up, the planes are easy to keep in good airworthy condition.

Univair Aircraft Corporation owns the Ercoupe type certificate and is producing a number of specialized parts. One example is an extruded aluminum wing spar cap, replacing the original that is prone to internal corrosion. While the new parts are not inexpensive, they do make it possible to keep the classic planes flying.

The Ercoupe is unique in that it does not have any rudder pedals. Rudder and aileron operation are interconnected and work to prevent the pilot from ever getting into a cross-controlled situation, one that could cause the airplane to spin. In its normal configuration the Ercoupe has a very mild stall and will not spin.

"When we fly Young Eagles it’s surprising how many kids want to fly in this machine," Roach said. "It’s easy enough to fly that when I get them up a couple of thousand, trim the airplane, and hand them the yoke, I can point out a water tower and say let’s go there, and they can steer it just fine.

"This is the best light-sport aircraft you can find. It’s safe, fun to fly, you can roll the windows down in flight…it’s just a fun machine."