Legal Control Yokes

Don't let record keeping keep you from becoming an Ercoupe owner. Legal is whatever someone with authority will sign off. Since you have access to an IA looking at potential Ercoupes, ask him what it would take to correct modifications that might technically make the plane unairworthy due to improper documentation. Every classic plane you look at will have a skeleton or two in the closet. It might be as simple as him filing a 337 form so he is comfortable signing your annual. If the yokes are from a Forney or Mooney, then legality should not be an issue since those planes were designed/manufactured under the same Type Certificate. It is just a matter of making sure they were installed correctly, and record keeping.

Larry and Super are correct.

The previous owner had installed a pair of Mooney yokes in my 415C - there was no 337 *but* he was a DAR so he basically signed of on whatever he felt like doing. However, it didn't have the shorter control shafts and were very uncomfortable to pull fully aft. Fortunately the old pretzel control wheels were in the parts bin so I switched back to original.

Hi. Have been flying for 53 years in most makes & models but 0 hours in Ercoupes.
In my quest to buy an Ercoupe, my IA has expressed concern that many of the Coupes I've considered do not have the standard kidney shaped control yokes but rather many varieties of different yokes.
His concern is that many of the sellers cannot produce the legal documentation/logbook entries (STC, Field Approval, 337 etc.) to confirm that the non-kidney shaped yokes as installed are legal. As a result, my question is, what are the legal requirements concerning nonstandard yokes especially since the approved kidney shaped yokes are available from Univair? Thanks for your responses to this newbie and it's great to be on board!