| 75 TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ERCOUPE | Friendly flyer Flying a top-down, two-seat classic BY THOMAS A. HORNE WITH ITS ROUND, ROLY-POLY LINES; diminutive size; and slide-down canopy; the Ercoupe is a crowd magnet for young and old alike. It's a friendly looking airplane that would seem right at home with a smiley face painted on its cowl. This stands to reason, because the Ercoupe was designed to have good manners. Back in 1939 a young designer named Fred Weick came up with the Ercoupe as a way to win a safety prize, which he did. VIDEO EXTRA View the video. PHOTOGRAPHY BY MIKE COLLINS AND CHRIS ROSE 84 | AOPA PILOT August 2015