CAP Ercoupes

[wuzafuzz]

I've always been fond of the Ercoupe for some goofy reason.  The weekly email from FlightAware included a picture of an Ercoupe.  Before you know it I clicked my way to a Wikipedia article on Ercoupes.  I was surprised to read Civil Air Patrol used some for submarine patrols in WWII.  My guess is those were member owned planes but the reference in the article isn't linkable.


"By mid-1941 aluminum supplies were being diverted to war-related production, so ERCO decided to manufacture Ercoupes for military use by using wood as the principal building material. The substitution of wood resulted in a heavier but quieter aircraft, because the wood absorbed vibrations from the engine and air flow. Ercoupes were flown during the war by the Civilian Pilot Training Program for flight instruction, and the Civil Air Patrol used them to patrol for German submarines.[8]"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ERCO_Ercoupe

Incidentally I chuckled at the photo of the JATO Ercoupe.  Who knew?