The Erco 415 Ercoupe was designed by several engineers at the
National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) in response to a Bureau
of Air Commerce design competition during the mid 1930s for an
easy-to-fly, safe airplane. The Engineering and Reseach Company (ERCO)
was founded to develop the design.
The 415 utilized a two-control system with a control wheel linking the
rudder, ailerons and nose wheel. The wheel also controlled the
elevator. This arrangement eliminated the need for rudder
pedals!
The first production Ercoupe was manufactured in 1939. Several
companies built nearly 6,000 Ercoupes or their variants over a period of
almost 30 years. In 1941, the U.S. Army evaluated the Ercoupe under
the designation YO-55 for observation and target drone roles.
