Aircraft model
ENGINEERING & RESEARCH ERCOUPE 415-CD
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The Ercoupe as built by its originator, the Engineering and Research Corporation, whose initials give the aeroplane its name. It is a two-seat, low-wing, twin-tailed all-metal aircraft with tricycle gear and, in original 415-C form, no rudder pedals at all: the rudders are interconnected with the ailerons and the elevator travel is limited, so it is flown with a wheel and throttle and cannot be stalled conventionally or spun.
It was designed decades ahead of its time as an aeroplane anyone could fly safely, and whether that is a virtue depends on the buyer. It genuinely cannot be spun and it lands in a crab without drama. It also cannot be slipped, so crosswind technique is unlike anything else and pilots moving in or out need retraining. Many have had conventional rudder pedals retrofitted under supplemental type certificate, which changes the handling entirely — establish which configuration a candidate is in. The all-metal airframe avoids recovering costs but corrosion in the wings and centre section is the inspection priority. The 415-C qualifies as a light sport aircraft, which underpins its value.
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Put ENGINEERING & RESEARCH ERCOUPE 415-CD side by side with up to two other models.
- ENGINEERING & RESEARCH ERCOUPE 415-CD
What it is
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | tricycle |
| Engines | 1 |
| Engine | Continental C-85-12F |
| Horsepower | 85 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | CAR3 |
| Production start | 1946 |
| Production end | 1947 |
| Endorsements required | — |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 90 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 300 nm |
| Service ceiling | 13,000 ft |
| Climb rate | 550 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 44 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | — |
| Landing over 50 ft | — |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 510 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 366 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 1,260 lb |
| Empty weight | 750 lb |
| Usable fuel | 24 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 4.8 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $23,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $35,000 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | 1,800 h |
| Overhaul cost, low | $22,000 |
| Overhaul cost, high | $32,000 |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 75 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 31 |
| Median year built | 1947.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 0 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 0 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 0 · thin base (low)1 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 0 · thin base (low)2 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 1 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 3.23 · thin base (low)3 |
| Airworthiness directives | 0 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | low |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 31 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 31 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 31 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 1-2 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | —1 |
| Severity | —2 |
| Access | —3 |
| Support | 3.4 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 0.1 of 105 |
- Accident record: class median 25 · 181 models in class.
- Severity: class median 5.
- Access: class median 987.
- Support: class median 72.
- Liquidity: class median 20.59.
- Each of the five categories places the model within its peer class, from 0 (the worst of the class) to 10 (the best): a position among comparable models, not a grade. The overall score is the sum of the categories shown that are scored, out of 10 for each (50 when all five are); it is given only when at least 4 of the five are scored, and it can be set against another model's only when both are in the same peer class and scored on the same categories.