A Challenge From Brazil - The Speedy Record Setting CEA-308
Monday, June 27, 2011 at 04:48PM 
Record setting CEA-308: 223 mph on 80 hp (photo: CEA308Record.wordpress.com)
Here's an article by my friend Elliot Seguin, a project engineer and flight test engineer at Scaled Composites. It's on the Brazilian CEA-308 aircraft and the world records it set in December 2010 in the class for internal combustion powered landplane with a takeoff weight of 661 pounds or less. The article was originally written for the Scaled employee newsletter.
This good looking little airplane may be the most exciting thing to happen in record setting in the last few years. This one off homebuilt recently took the time to climb to 3000m as well as the 3km, 15km, and 100km speed records for its weight class. It was built by students of the Center for the study of Aeronautical Engineering at the Federal University of Minas Gerais in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, directed by Professor Paulo Iscold.
The CEA-308, Pilot Gúnar Armin, and Professor Paulo Iscold
The design phase started in 1999 as Paulo’s undergraduate project. The construction of the design started in 2000 and used wood and steel for the fuselage with white foam formed in between bulkheads and stringers which was carved to shape and covered with fiberglass. The wing is built-up wood ribs and a wood spar; like the fuselage the spaces between the wood parts were filled with white foam which was carved to shape and covered with fiberglass.
Early CEA-308 2 cycle engine installation - records were set with the Jabiru engine
The first flight was flown in 2002, powered by a Rotax 532. The intention was to do initial flight test with the 532 and install a 100hp Hirth 3701 (3 cylinder, 2 cycle) for the records. Early in the flight test program the Rotax 532 failed, while the pilot was able to save the airplane, the engine was lost. As a result, the project was shelved from 2002 until 2005 when Gúnar Armin (former Brazilian Aerobatic Champion) took interest in the project. At this time, the Hirth was still the engine of choice, but an undisclosed problem procuring a suitable engine forced the team to look into other engines. The Jabiru 2200 was selected and one was bought used, and installed in the airplane.
The Jabiru 2200 80 hp engine installation in the CEA-308
The Jabiru installation has been on the airplane ever since. Paulo did not say what happened to the exotic custom three bladed propeller they had designed and built for the Hirth. The records (all of which were in the C-1.a/0 weight class) were set on the 1st and 3rd of December 2010 and all attempts were flown by Gúnar on Craig Catto propellers. The first flight of the day was the time to climb to 3000m. This was a Russian record and it stood at 13min 40 sec held by Mikhail Markov in a MAI-89 (Rotax 532 USSR 8/6/90). Mr. Armin’s attempt was successful (8 min 15sec), his record also eclipsed the American record (9 min 36 sec) held by Brian Dempsey in a Sonerai (VW 1600 Easton MD 2/19/89). The second record was the 15 km speed record which Gúnar set at 204 mph, previously 181 mph also held by Brian Dempsey in his same Sonerai on the same date and location. The final record set on the 1st of December was the 100 km speed record set at 202 mph, previously 184 mph set by Charles Andrews in the Monex (Aero Vee, Fond du Lac, WI 8/3/82).
Professor Paulo Iscold and several of the students that helped build the CEA-308
The most impressive record setting attempt was on the second day of flying. On the 3rd of December the team tackled the 3km speed record, the gold standard for speed records. The record stood at 218 mph set by a BD-5B in Zeltweg Austria (8/28/99). Sadly, the American record is slower still at 213 mph set by Mike Arnold’s famous AR-5 (now hanging in the Hiller museum). The CEA-308 took the record at 223 mph, thereby setting four records in two days of attempts.
Mike Arnold's AR-5 - it set a record of 213+ mph in 1992 on just 65 hp
Paulo says his Jabiru had two leaky cylinders and he therefore could have gone faster. Paulo says that he is waiting for a retort before taking the time to raise his records. Do you hear the challenge? This is an impressive undertaking by several motivated individuals, and perhaps speaks to a level of education that can be acquired in a Brazilian engineering school? Certainly the C-1.a/0 weight class is the most economical class to attempt to build a record setting airplane for.
Where is the Mojave bid for the record? What are you working on this weekend?
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peatjudin e3d3fd1842 https://socialkeko.com/jumbdarsigndag
peatjudin e3d3fd1842 https://socialkeko.com/jumbdarsigndag