What is an Aerocopy?

[HFS]

I'm trying to track down an Experimental aircraft finished back in the late 1980's - it is called an Aerocopy, and I have no idea what it is. Can anyone help me?

Thx

HFS

[rwanttaja]

I'm trying to track down an Experimental aircraft finished back in the late 1980's - it is called an Aerocopy, and I have no idea what it is. Can anyone help me?
Might you be thinking of "Aerocomp," instead?

http://www.aerocompinc.com/airplanes/CA6/ca6-1.jpg

Ron Wanttaja

[HFS]

Nope - Aerocopy S/N 105 has a Continental A-65, completed in 1987 - was before AeroComp's time.

HFS

[rwanttaja]

Nope - Aerocopy S/N 105 has a Continental A-65, completed in 1987 - was before AeroComp's time.
Cool. I didn't find any in the current FAA active-aircraft database, but I found one on the Deregistration list: N3XN was S/N 105, and was taken off the rolls in 2013. It was built by and registered to Bill Stratton of San Antonio, Texas.

However, I think the "Aerocopy" name is wrong: There are "Aeroncopy" aircraft on the rolls, and they've got serial numbers similar to N3XN.

In addition to N3XN, Aeroncopy N14553 (S/N 103) and N3XC (S/N 104) are also on the deregistered list. They were ALSO registered to Bill Stratton, however, he was not listed as the manufacturer. A company called AARRCO is.

Two "Aeroncopy" aircraft are still listed on the active rolls. AARRCO N14552 is S/N 102, registered in Brome, Texas. N106DC is S/N 101, with David Conoley listed as the builder, also registered in Texas.

Digging online indicates that this is probably a replica of an Aeronca C-3. There was apparently an article about them in EAA's Vintage Airplane magazine, around 2002, written by Buck Hilbert. Here's what a C-3 looks like:

http://www.fiddlersgreen.net/aircraft/Aeronca-FlyingBathtub/IMAGES/Aeronca-C3-Title.jpg

Ron Wanttaja

[FlyingRon]

Note, there's no real "wrong" name in homebuilts. You're free to invent any name you want for your plane when you take it through certification. Some people parrot the manufacturer or designer's name for the bird (sometimes adding their own name) and some use a completely fanciful name. This caused some consternation for the FAA when they were thinking about issuing ADs for certain kits a while back.

[rwanttaja]

Note, there's no real "wrong" name in homebuilts.
Not just homebuilts. There are only 211 "Piper J-3" aircraft in the FAA database (using appropriate wildcards, of course). But there are over 4,400 "Piper J3" aircraft. That dash makes all the difference.

Yet just about everyone refers to it as the "J-3".....

Ron Wanttaja

[HFS]

Ron -

Thx for all your hard work! I got as far as the N-number and the original builder but could not make the connection with the airplane being a "clone" of an existing manufactured a/c.

David

Not just homebuilts. There are only 211 "Piper J-3" aircraft in the FAA database (using appropriate wildcards, of course). But there are over 4,400 "Piper J3" aircraft. That dash makes all the difference.

Yet just about everyone refers to it as the "J-3".....

Ron Wanttaja

[Eiron]

Just as a side note, I believe that Bill was the president of the Liason Pilots Association a number of years ago. Don't know if his L-1 is still there in San Antonio.
Eiron