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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 planes.
A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing confi ...
sports aircraft
A light-sport aircraft (LSA), or light sport aircraft, is a fairly new 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 restrictio ...
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 lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is expres ...
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 porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulose fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin th ...
for the aerodynamic testing process. The fuselage was made of
steel
Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant ty ...
tubes, welded with the
gas tungsten arc welding
Gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW), also known as tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding, is an arc welding process that uses a non-consumable tungsten electrode to produce the weld. The weld area and electrode are protected from oxidation or other atmo ...
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 horizontally opposed, air-cooled, four, six and eight-cylinder engines including the only FAA-certif ...
, 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 Systems
Harman Becker Automotive Systems GmbH, commonly known as Becker, is a manufacturer of automotive electronic equipment. It is part of the car division of the American manufacturing company, Harman International Industries, a subsidiary of Sou ...
FIBRAER 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, cap ...
, 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
Low-wing aircraft
Single-engined tractor aircraft
T-tail aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 2009