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The CEA-309 Mehari is a Brazilian single-seat,
monoplane
A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple wings.
A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing con ...
sports aircraft
A light-sport aircraft (LSA), or light sport aircraft, is a category of small, lightweight aircraft that are simple to fly. LSAs tend to be heavier and more sophisticated than ultralight (aka "microlight") aircraft, but LSA restrictions on weigh ...
developed by CEA.
Design and development
In 2003 the project was started, with the participation of numerous engineers and students. The
wing
A wing is a type of fin that produces both Lift (force), lift and drag while moving through air. Wings are defined by two shape characteristics, an airfoil section and a planform (aeronautics), planform. Wing efficiency is expressed as lift-to-d ...
and
empennage
The empennage ( or ), also known as the tail or tail assembly, is a structure at the rear of an aircraft that provides stability during flight, in a way similar to the feathers on an arrow.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third ed ...
assembly was first made of
wood
Wood is a structural tissue/material found as xylem in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulosic fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin t ...
for the aerodynamic testing process. The fuselage was made of
steel
Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon that demonstrates improved mechanical properties compared to the pure form of iron. Due to steel's high Young's modulus, elastic modulus, Yield (engineering), yield strength, Fracture, fracture strength a ...
tubes, welded with the
gas tungsten arc welding
Gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW, also known as tungsten inert gas welding or TIG, tungsten argon gas welding or TAG, and heliarc welding when helium is used) is an arc welding process that uses a non-consumable tungsten electrode to produce the ...
process.
The airplane has received a
Lycoming engine
Lycoming Engines is a major American manufacturer of aircraft engines. With a factory in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, Lycoming produces a line of Flat engine, horizontally opposed, air-cooled, four, six and eight-cylinder engines.
The company ha ...
, and its propellers are from
MT-Propeller
MT-Propeller Entwicklung GmbH, founded in 1980 by Gerd Muehlbauer, is a manufacturer of composite propellers for single and twin engine aircraft, airships, wind tunnels and other special applications.Purdy, Don: ''AeroCrafter - Homebuilt Aircr ...
, and the avionics are from
Harman Becker Automotive SystemsFIBRAER a Brazilian aeronautical company, supplied all the hardware.
The first flight took place in
Conselheiro Lafaiete
Conselheiro Lafaiete is a city of the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. It was known as Queluz until 1934, when it was renamed by decree, as a tribute to Counselor Lafayette Rodrigues Pereira.
It is situated 96 km south from Belo Horizonte, c ...
, on August 5, 2009.
Specification
See also
References
External links
* {{Citation, url=https://demec.ufmg.br/cea/cea309.htm , place=
BR , trans-title=TÃtulo de Trabalho , title=CEA-309 Mehari , language=Portuguese , publisher=
University of Minas Gerais
2000s Brazilian sport aircraft
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Aircraft first flown in 2009
Single-engined piston aircraft