Two-Seat Aircraft “Flies More Like A Jet,” Is Made Of Advanced Carbon Fiber Composite Materials
Chuck Barth, vice president of Tarragon Aircraft U.S.A., told the Aero-News Innovation Preview the story of the Tarragon aircraft his company imports, assembles, and test flies in Pekin, Ill.
“The Tarragon aircraft was developed in Latvia in 2012 and first flew in 2017. We got involved with them in 2018 and got involved with them here as the dealer and representative for them here.
“I have been in aviation my entire life and it’s the most amazing airplane I have ever been a part of,” Barth said.
He said there are a couple of neat things about Tarragon. “It honestly flies more like a jet than any propeller-driven airplane I have ever flown. The 200-knot speed is easily attainable and then our stall speeds are extremely low. Right now, our airplanes weigh about 950 pounds empty and 1,760 gross, and about 550 usable, and stalls at 48 knots.
“It was originally designed for a 912 engine and weighing 600 pounds. We have since increased the weight to run the 160 hp 916 engine, which we are running now. Typical cruise speed at 16,000 to 18,000 feet is about 190 knots on 6.7 gallons per hour.”
He said the nuts and bolts of the airplane are “truly amazing. It is a one-piece wing. It is 26-feet long, two spars that carry through providing strength and safety for the pilot. The main spar weighs about eight pounds and (is) rated to carry five tons. It is 100 percent made of aerospace grade pre-preg carbon fiber.
“There is no wet layup on this aircraft. Everything is aerospace-grade pre-preg so we can control how strong this airframe structure is.”
The aircraft uses any kind of fuel: avgas, car gas, mogas, 100 LL, pump gas. “If we have to we can go get anything 91 octane or higher and put it in the airplane and fly it.”
It has a 1,096-nautical mile range, roughly, and total fuel capacity is 42 gallons. It has a ballistic parachute system on it that is built into all of the planes.
“The thing I wanted to talk about most is the manufacturing process It is 100 percent hand-built and made by true craftsmen. The attention to detail is phenomenal. Every part and component is CNC-machined to include the metal, the carbon fiber. Once it goes through production it goes into molds and autoclaves. The airplane fits inside our 30-foot-long autoclave. It goes through a sanding process. It takes about six months for them to build the airplane. And we make about eight to 10 airplanes a year.
“Our paint and finish I would argue is the best in the aviation industry. Come and take a look at the airplane.”
Once it is assembled, they put in full Garmin IFR avionics packages. “It takes us about a week to put it together and another week or so to get airworthy certificates, then we get out and test fly them and deliver them to our customers.”
“MOSAIC is our friend. When it came out the FAA came to us and said, ‘Is this kind of what we are looking at?’ So yes, now a sport pilot can go fly 200 miles an hour with a retractable gear and constant speed propeller.”
