AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2024 - 61

The bubble canopy, ergonomically ideal
seating position and cockpit layout, big-screen
avionics, and sublime handling take the best
qualities from a variety of leading aircraft-and
that combination creates an instant sense of
being at home.
The Tarragon is built and licensed in Europe
as an " ultralight, " yet its retractable landing
gear, variable-pitch propeller, and faster-than120-knot
top speed disqualify it from the U.S.
light sport aircraft (LSA) category. The FAA
is actively considering redefining LSA under
its Modernization of Special Airworthiness
Certification (MOSAIC) proposal, however,
and those new rules could allow the Tarragon
and others like it to be flown by here by U.S.
sport pilots.
The Tarragon's semi-reclined seating angle
matches that of an F-16 fighter or high-performance
glider; the optically perfect, side-hinged
canopy is reminiscent of an Extra (and it's supplied
by the same European manufacturer); the
logical cockpit layout is like a TB-30 Epsilon;
the centerpiece of the IFR panel is a ubiquitous
Garmin G3X touchscreen primary flight display/
multifunction display; and the smooth-running
turbocharged Rotax 915iS engine has become a
modern staple of the general aviation fleet.
" No matter whether a pilot's background
is military or civilian, they're going to find parallels
with their previous flying experience, "
said Chuck Barth, my guide on this flight and
Tarragon's U.S. dealer based in Peoria, Illinois.
" Everyone who flies it finds similarities with
their favorite airplanes from other eras even
though this is a very forward-looking design. "
Our main task on this flight is aerial photography,
and we join up with a Beechcraft Bonanza
A36. AOPA Director of Photography Chris Rose
wears a set of yellow gloves to make his hand signals
visible, and the Tarragon makes following
those directions second nature. Moving forward
or aft, up or down, in or out, is automatic. Even
Rose's cruelest command-stacking high and
tight during a steep inside turn-is doable. The
Tarragon's canopy rails are so low that the photoship
remains in plain sight.
The Tarragon's four-blade, constant-speed
propeller provides instant acceleration and
deceleration, the ailerons are responsive and
well balanced, and rudder forces are light and
linear. Even minor position adjustments can be
made with precision.
AOPA PILOT / December 2024
61
MOSAIC magic
The Tarragon was designed by CFM Aero in
Turin, Italy, about 15 years ago, and it was based
on the Millenium Master, a low-wing, two-seat
aircraft that first flew in 2006. Tarragon production
began in Latvia in 2010 under rules that
govern European ultralights weighing 600 kilograms
(1,320 pounds) or less.
The Tarragon first gained wide attention in
the United States in 2017 when it was displayed
at EAA AirVenture in Wisconsin. Then, the
model was offered with 100- or 115-horsepower
Rotax engines and cruised about 130 knots.
More recently, Tarragon has adopted turbocharged
141- and 160-horsepower Rotax 915s
and 916s that make full rated power all the way
up to 15,000 feet where higher true airspeeds
are attainable. Tarragon claims an unofficial
ultralight speed record of 250 mph set in 2020.
A few Tarragons have been imported under
FAA experimental exhibition rules, and a halfdozen
or so U.S. owners have built kit versions
that fly under experimental/amateur-built regulations.
But the proposed MOSAIC changes
now being considered by the FAA could dramatically
expand the definition of light sport
aircraft as soon as 2025, and that would allow
the Tarragon to be flown by U.S. sport pilots as
factory-built SLSAs.
Barth says Tarragon is planning to increase
production to about 20 aircraft a year in anticipation
of MOSAIC approval. The company also
plans to expand its " factory assist " program in
which U.S. buyers travel to Latvia for two weeks
and build structural portions of their airplanes,
then ship those parts home for final assembly
and experimental/amateur-built registration.
Forty-two gallons of fuel provides more than five
hours of endurance at cruise power with reserves.
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2024

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