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By Stefan Fanselow This is not a story about an international flight of a coupe. It is a recollection of my finding an Aircoupe Mooney M10 Cadet, buying it in the US, shipping it to Tokyo, Japan and flying it here for the fun of it. After living and working many years in Tokyo, I grew tired
of always having to travel to the US when I wanted to go flying. General
aviation is not really well developed in Japan. There is no infrastructure to
rent an airplane, instruction is far and between, and the existing fleet is not
always in good shape. Almost needless to mention that prices are prohibitive
(nothing is cheap in Japan, anyway), with charges of up to the equivalent of USD
500 -- for one hour in a C172. As much as I love flying, that's too much by a
wide margin. I soon found out that in order to fly a plane one would need to
seriously look into ownership. Going through the magazines I had subscribed to for the
past years, I established a few "parameters," what an airplane I
wanted to fly in Japan should be able to do, and which elements were not
necessary: 1. I rarely would fly with more than one additional person, so a two-seater was perfectly fine most of the time. 2. Avgas is expensive here (USD 2. a liter -- that's a little more than a quart!), so I needed a plane with good fuel economy. 3. It should have a simple design and engine, easy to understand for mechanics who are not used to work on complex airframes and engines all the time. 4. Parts supply must be guaranteed, as well as advice had to be available in case of need. 5. There was no need to fly fast, as Japan is limited in space anyway. Long cross-countries were not expected often. 6. All runways at GA airports are about 2000 feet only, so I needed a plane capable of taking off and landing safely at such distance, necessary safety margin included 7. Last, but
no least: It must have personality. Rare and new things are always fascinating
for Japanese, so I wanted something not seen all too often. For a while I was toying with the idea to buy a taildragger
such as a C 120/140, a Cub or a Pacer. For reasons I have not really found out
yet, there are virtually no conventional gear plane in Japan. However, after
having a look at some models generally available, I wanted something "a bit
more substantial". Nothing wrong with those airplanes, I just found out
that that's most likely not for me, at least not while I am living here. Any serious research into classic and economical airplanes
pretty fast leads to the Ercoupe family. A few articles on AvWeb and a search on
the Internet, and I was seriously looking at this option. The final
"kick" came when I became aware of the discussion group Tom
Laird-McConnell had set up and was managing. I quickly became convinced that if
a substantial group of pilots and owners is speaking so enthusiastically about
their aircraft, it must be a good ship and safe for me to look into buying one.
Also, right here I had found the forum for technical advice, which is just
indispensable for any overseas airplane owner, together with sources for parts
and maintenance. Starting to look around more seriously, I also established
early on that I rather would be looking for a Aircoupe / Alon / M10 model. This
is absolutely nothing against the Ercoupes in the family. I just could not see
me flying and maintaining a 55-year-old airplane in a location like Japan. Also,
I wanted a metal wing plane, as it was not sure that I could indeed get hangar
space, which is scarce and expensive. Soon afterwards, I got seriously interested in two
airplanes, which were offered, one of them right through the Coupers Online
Community. Both were in California, so (comparatively) easy accessible for me. I
made a quick decision, took a Friday and the following Monday off, and bought a
plane ticket to San Francisco, and from there on to Sacramento. Steve Dold, a former member of the discussion forum, had
offered his 1970 Mooney M-10 for sale. What attracted my interest most was the
low time the plane had (850 TTSN), the four new Millenium cylinders it came with
and the nice, IFR capable instrumentation. Weather is not always perfect in
Japan, and whereas I did not anticipate flying the Coupe into serious IFR, it is
nice to know that in case of need it is possible to also cross a region of low
weather. Steve and I spent two days together, flying the airplane,
inspecting it, and talking aviation stories. I immediately liked the little
Mooney. The next day I rented a C182 and flew down to Apple Valley, an airport
where quite a number of Coupes are kept, as I got to know later. There, I met
with Dotty Ray and her husband Paul. Dotty was at that time also considering to
part with her pristine Alon A2A, and we spent some very pleasant time together.
I flew her bird in the company of the mechanic who took care of it, Bruce, and
got to know the handling qualities of a spin-and stall proof airplane for the
first time. Knowing that the topic is sensitive in this community, I'd
rather refrain from discussing the pros and cons of each design. Suffice to say
that I personally like the flying characteristics of the Mooney Cadet very much,
while admitting that I do not really have sufficient experience in traditional
coupes without rudder pedals. Having returned to Japan and looking at the many pictures I
made from both planes, the decision was not an easy one. The price was about
equal, and I guess the low time of the Cadet gave me the push finally into that
direction. I am happy to report, however, that Dotty later told me that she felt
almost relieved that nobody purchased her airplane, and she decided to keep it
and fly it. Steve and I began to discuss details via e-mail and quickly
found agreement. I wanted a thorough annual to be done on the plane, thus giving
me peace of mind about what I was buying, and also keeping me legally ready to
fly for one year before I had to arrange for an annual inspection in Japan. Via
the Coupers forum we found a repair facility in Redding with experience in
coupes, and Steve was kind enough to fly the plane there for its inspection. We had agreed that all items which came up during the
annual as "safety relevant" cracked spinner plate, tires) would be
borne by him, all "cosmetic" improvements by me. Also, I used the
occasion to have a panel-mount GPS installed instead of the Loran, as that
system would be not usable in Japan. Four weeks after the short trip for the
first visit, I had to go to Europe on business. From Japan, the flying time is
only a few hours longer if one goes via the US, so I decided to again fly to San
Francisco and then on to Redding. The little Mooney only needed the final
touches. Steve, a CFI himself, took me through a couple of hours of
familiarization, and then she was mine. I guess it would be pretty impossible to attempt to FLY the
plane to Tokyo, given its low endurance and the inhospitable terrain between
Alaska and Japan. Therefore, the only option was to remove the wings, put her
into a container and ship her over by boat. From the shipment of my other
airplane, a C172, to Hawaii, I still had contacts to a company at Hayward, CA,
airport specializing in these matters, and I decided to fly her down from
Redding to Hayward myself and hand her to the shippers. I must say that I had never before enjoyed a trip so much
as this three-hour ride from Redding to Hayward. Except the first 30 min after
departure from Redding, when the visibility was low due to the many wildfires,
which seems to plague the American west every year, the conditions were superb.
I was cruising at 6000 feet over California, enjoying the landscape under me.
The plane was performing magnificently, and I loved every minute of the ride. We
reached Hayward all too early. Hayward Tower got a little surprise when they saw
my groundspeed on their radar screen and wanted to confirm that "N947V, is
your type of aircraft really a Mooney", but I guess they understood when
they saw me finally on the runway. I handed her over to the shipping agent, and
then had to climb on board of the big airliner bringing me to Frankfurt. Early November customs called me in Japan and informed me
that the container with the airplane had arrived. The weeks before I had been
really busy arranging everything needed for the aircraft. Friends recommended me
Ami Airfield, a nice small general aviation airport north of Narita
International Airport, right under its approach path. I had found a capable
Japanese mechanic, and also got liability insurance with worldwide coverage. Now
all we needed was the airplane, and hopefully it had survived the long sea
journey well.
Finally, after more than a week of work on the plane, it
was ready to fly for the first time in the skies of Japan. All of that happened pretty exactly one year ago. The
airplane has given me many hours of fun and joy sine then, and turned out to be
exactly what I needed and wanted for flying here. It is a head-turner wherever I
go, as it is the only model of the entire Ercoupe family in this country.
Everybody envies me for only 5-gal/hr fuel consumption, and compared to my
Japanese flying friends I usually only need a few minutes longer to reach our
destinations. Japan, and especially the Tokyo Metropolis and its outlying
islands, make a great flying environment, and we regularly cross over Narita
International Airport, having a good look at the airliners taking off and
landing only 1000 feel below us. Air traffic control is very accommodating here,
and it is a real joy to fly. There were no mechanical problems throughout the year, and
the few additional parts we needed were readily available from Skyport. Lee has
proven an invaluable asset to the Coupers community. As I only can fly during
the weekends, I decided on a 25 hrs oil change interval, and also have the oil
analyzed by Howard Fenton in Tulsa. So far no obvious problems have occurred.
The first annual in Japan is come up in October 2000, and we passed with flying
colors. The only downside I would see is the tight weight limitations on the Coupe. At a bit over 1000 pounds empty weight for N9547V and a total gross of 1450, there is not much room for full fuel AND a passenger. My Japanese girlfriend is (at 100 lbs) the max I can legally carry. As I am also a Flight Instructor, at some times I just wish that the plane would allow a bit more weight in order to carry a heavier person next to me. Density altitude effects are clearly noticeable in the hot and humid Japanese summer, too. However, I consider these a very acceptable price to pay to have such an excellent and fun to fly airplane in Japan. __________ Stefan Fanselow has established a web site about the Mooney M-10, with more pictures of the airplane and the flying environment. Please go to www.hpo.net/users/sfanselow/m10 http://www.hpo.net/users/sfanselow/m10 for details. |
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The airplane arrived, and I took a few days off from work
to attend the assembly process. What better way for a new Coupe owner to really
got to know his new pride and joy than to be present when she is being put back
together again? My mechanic was very accommodating, and so we turned this into
an "owner assisted assembly". Having read about the corrosion problems
in older aircraft a lot by then, I also wanted to use the chance and apply a
good treatment of ACF-50, and for that it is best if wings and other surfaces
are off. The shipping agent also had to take the tail and the wheels off in
order to fit the coupe into the 20" container, so we were looking into a
pretty solid assembly job before the plane was ready to fly again.
I was (and still am) impressed with the accuracy and
dedication of my Japanese mechanic, Mr. Kaneko. Right at the beginning he told
me that he would outright refuse to work with the old bolts and nuts to put the
aircraft together again, so I ordered a complete set of the necessary hardware
from the US. Also, it became pretty obvious during the assembly that some
additional work was needed in order to put her back into a really good
condition. We discovered that one wing tank must have a hair crack, as was
obvious from the black stains of fuel seeping out. The play in the ailerons was
way too much to be acceptable, and somewhere in the engine compartment there was
a small oil leak in need of attention. Also, one brake line needed a look, as it
seemed to seep brake fluid. The nose gear strut did not seem to have been
serviced properly in a while. Well, what I thought would be a job over a weekend
turned out to take eight full days. We completely removed, serviced and
reinstalled the steering column (tough job), replaced all aileron pushrod end
pieces with new ones, installed a new gasket to the starter pinion gear on the
engine and replaced half the brake line to the right main gear.