TUAREG 309 - Mehari was designed by the Aeronautical Engineer PhD.  Paulo Iscold, and some of his notable achievements include:

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      . Designing Record-Breaking Aircraft: Iscold designed the CEA-308, CEA-309 Mehari, and CEA-311 Anequim. The CEA-308 set four world records in 2010, and the CEA-311 Anequim set five world records in 20151.

 

      . Red Bull Air Race: He has been a race engineer for the Red Bull Air Race, contributing to the success of teams like Paul Bonhomme’s, which won the World Championship in 20151.

 

      . Academic Contributions: At UFMG, he modernized the aeronautical engineering facilities, including building a subsonic wind tunnel and a hangar.

 

      . Glider Records: In 2020, he broke three U.S. soaring records with a glider he designed2.

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The history of TG-309 Mehari begins inside of an university environment, where the knowledge and the passion of young students are mixed to reach the best results everyone looks for. The Center for Aeronautics Studies of the Federal University of Minas Gerais (CEA/UFMG), in Brazil, was the place where it all started.

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The students were used to do everything, from design to manufacturing, but always looking for the expertise and opinions of those who would fly the aircrafts. The prototypes were also built taking into consideration the whole team experience.

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It was March 2003 when the construction of two prototypes, named CEA-309 Mehari, began. It was all financed by a Brazilian air show team called Tuareg Aerobatic Team, which is still led by Marcos Geraldi.

The prototypes took about six years for the full development, including many tests and flights. Throughout these six years we have had more than 30 aeronautical engineering students involved on the prototypes constructions, from fabrication of composite parts, wood and metal, as well as the installation systems.

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The first CEA-309 Mehari’s flight occurred in June 2009, where the test pilot, sponsor, and the biggest project motivator was Commandant Marcos Geraldi. The first flight took 15 minutes, with no aerobatics, only to learn and feel the prototype behavior.

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From the first flight until today, the Aircraft has gone through a lot of improvements, won many national titles under the Marcos Geraldi’s belt and was present in a lot of air shows. More than 15 years from the first flight were enough to reach a point where everyone who has the knowledge and understanding about acrobatics will say, undoubtedly, that TG-309 Mehari is a fine masterpiece.