Aircraft model
ERCOUPE 415-C
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The Ercoupe is the odd one out in postwar light aviation: a two-seat, low-wing, twin-tailed aeroplane with a tricycle undercarriage and, in original 415-C form, no rudder pedals at all. The rudders are interconnected with the ailerons so the aeroplane is flown with a wheel and throttle alone, and the elevator travel is limited so that it cannot be stalled conventionally or spun. It was designed and marketed as an aeroplane that anyone could fly safely, decades before anyone else tried that idea.
Whether that is a virtue depends on the buyer. It genuinely cannot be spun and it lands in a crab without drama, which suits some pilots very well. It also cannot be slipped, which means crosswind technique is unlike anything else and pilots transferring in or out need retraining. Many have had conventional rudder pedals retrofitted under STC, which changes the handling entirely, so establish which configuration a candidate is in. It is an all-metal airframe, which 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 is a large part of its current value.
Compare with…
Put ERCOUPE 415-C side by side with up to two other models.
- ERCOUPE 415-C
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 | $20,000 |
|---|---|
| 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 | 1,927 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 624 |
| Median year built | 1946.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 13 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 2 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 20.831 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 14.422 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 135 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 21.633 |
| Airworthiness directives | 1 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | ok |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 624 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 624 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 624 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 1-2 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | 7.1 of 101 |
| Severity | 3.6 of 102 |
| Access | 7.5 of 103 |
| Support | 9.4 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 4.7 of 105 |
| Overall (sum of the categories shown) | 32.3 out of 506 |
These record scores treat ERCOUPE 415-C as one design with the same aircraft registered under other names: it includes 160 aircraft registered under ENGINEERING & RESEARCH; includes 17 aircraft registered under FORNEY; includes 7 aircraft registered under ERCO. Prices are not combined.
- Accident record: class median 29.1 · 174 models in class.
- Severity: class median 9.09.
- Access: class median 974.
- Support: class median 81.
- Liquidity: class median 20.47.
- 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.