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Merlin

Swearingen SA226-T Merlin III C-FAMF Perimeter Aviation, Winnipeg c. 2007
Type
Manufacturer Swearingen
Fairchild Aircraft
Designed by Ed Swearingen
Status Currently in use
Variants Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner
C-26 Metroliner

The Swearingen Merlin or the Fairchild Aerospace Merlin is a pressurised, twin turboprop business aircraft first produced by Swearingen Aircraft, and later by Fairchild at a plant in San Antonio, Texas. An aerospace manufacturer is a company or individual involved in the various aspects of designing building testing selling and maintaining Aircraft, Aircraft parts Sino Swearingen Aircraft Corporation SSAC ( ICAO name: SINO SWEARINGEN is an aircraft manufacturer Fairchild was an aircraft and aerospace manufacturing company based at various times in Farmingdale New York, Hagerstown Maryland and San Antonio Texas WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout A turboprop engine is a type of aircraft powerplant that uses a Gas turbine engine to drive a Propeller. Sino Swearingen Aircraft Corporation SSAC ( ICAO name: SINO SWEARINGEN is an aircraft manufacturer Fairchild was an aircraft and aerospace manufacturing company based at various times in Farmingdale New York, Hagerstown Maryland and San Antonio Texas Texas ( is a state geographically located in the South Central United States and is also known as the Lone Star State.

Contents

Design and development

The Merlin was an evolution of earlier modification programmes performed by Swearingen Aircraft. Ed Swearingen started the developments that led to the Merlin through gradual modifications to the Beechcraft Twin Bonanza and Queen Air business aircraft, aircraft he dubbed Excalibur. Hawker Beechcraft The Beech Aircraft Corporation, previously the Beechcraft Division of Raytheon and now a unit of Hawker Beechcraft, is a United WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Then hybrid aircraft was developed, with a new fuselage and vertical fin, mated to salvaged and modified (wet) Queen Air wings and horizontal tails, and Twin Bonanza landing gear. A fuel tank is safe container for flammable liquids and typically part of an Engine system in which the Fuel is stored and propelled (fuel pump or released (pressurized This was the SA26 Merlin, more-or-less a pressurized Excalibur but fitted with a different model engine, the Lycoming TIGO-540 6-cylinder geared piston engine. Cabin pressurization is the active pumping of compressed Air into an Aircraft cabin when flying at altitude to maintain a safe and comfortable environment for crew WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The TIGO 540 was used despite the fact that one of the reasons the IO-720 was used in the Excalibur was that the Queen Air series' IGSO-480 and IGSO-540 engines from the same manufacturer were so troublesome. The decision was soon made to offer increased engine power, this was achieved through installing two Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6-20 turboprop engines, resulting in the SA26-T Merlin IIA. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout

Operational History

The prototype IIA took to the air for the first time on April 13, 1965, about fifteen months after the competing Beech Model 65-90 King Air (which was also derived from the Model 65 Queen Air). Events 1111 - Henry V is crowned Holy Roman Emperor. 1204 - The Fourth Crusade sacks Constantinople Year 1965 ( MCMLXV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the 1965 Gregorian calendar. This article is about 90 and 100 Series King Airs For 200 and 300 Series King Airs see the Beechcraft Super King Air article 33 Merlin IIA models were built before a follow-on model with Garrett TPE331-1 engines called the SA26-AT Merlin IIB entered production. The Garrett AiResearch TPE-331 is a Turboprop engine originally designed by AiResearch and now produced by Honeywell. The TPE331 became the definitive engine of all subsequent production Merlins and the longer-fuselage Metros that were to follow. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The Australian Department of Civil Aviation (now the Civil Aviation Safety Authority) took delivery of four Merlin IIBs in 1969 and operated them for almost fifteen years[1]. The Civil Aviation Safety Authority ( CASA) is the Australian federal agency responsible for the regulation of private and commercial flight The Merlin IIAs and IIBs were visually still obviously derivatives of the Queen Air; featuring as they did Queen Air tailplanes and wings with the same flat-top engine nacelles as the Excalibur Queen Airs; the airstair in the same place and of the same general design as the Queen Air; and the nose being especially similar, it was the same general shape with access panels the same size, shape and location as those of the Queen Air.

These visual similarities ended with the next model, the SA226-T Merlin III, which was placed in production in February 1972 after 87 Merlin IIBs were built. This had new wings and engine nacelles with inverted inlet Garrett engines (this again becoming a defining feature of all subsequent production models), new landing gear with two wheels on each leg, a redesigned horizontal tail mounted on the vertical fin instead of on the fuselage as in earlier models[2] and a redesigned longer nose with room for a baggage compartment as well as the avionics found in the noses of Merlin II series aircraft. Avionics means "aviation electronics" It comprises electronic systems for use on aircraft artificial satellites and spacecraft comprising Communications All of these design changes came from the Metro design, which was undergoing development in the late 1960s.

The SA226-TC Metro was more-or-less a new design, conceptually a stretch of the Merlin II (which it superficially resembled) sized to seat 22 passengers. Prototype construction of the Metro began in 1968 and first flight was on August 26, 1969. Events 1071 - Battle of Manzikert: The Seljuk Turks defeat the Byzantine Army at Manzikert. Year 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The standard engines offered were two TPE331-3UW turboprops driving three-bladed propellers. A corporate version called the SA226-AT Merlin IV was also marketed and initially sales of this version were roughly double that of the Metro[3]. These sales were not immediately forthcoming however, as the company was financially stretched by the development of the Metro prototype and lacked the funds to gear up for production[4]. This situation was rectified in late 1971 when Ed Swearingen agreed to sell 90% of the company to Fairchild; the company was then renamed Swearingen Aviation Corporation.

By the end of 1972 six Merlin IVs had been built[5] and production gradually built up alongside the concurrently-produced short-fuselage Merlin III. In 1974, the original Merlin IV and Metro models were replaced by the SA226-AT Merlin IVA and the SA226-TC Metro II after about 30 Merlin IVs and about 20 Metros had been built[6]. Among the changes made were larger, ovalised rectangular windows replacing the circular porthole-style windows of the early aircraft, and optional provision for a small Rocket-Assisted Take Off (RATO) rocket in the tail cone, this being offered to improve takeoff performance out of "hot & high" airfields. A porthole is a small generally circular Window used on the hull of Ships to admit light and air JATO may also refer to the group Jews Against the Occupation. The same year the Merlin III was replaced by the SA226-T Merlin IIIA, with an extra window on the right side of the cabin and a small window aft of the airstair on each side of the fuselage. Customers for the Merlin IIIA included the Argentinian Air Force, the Argentine Army and the Belgian Air Force. The Argentine Air Force ( Fuerza Aérea Argentina or FAA) is the national aviation branch of the Armed forces of Argentina. The Argentine Army ( Ejército Argentino, EA is the land armed force branch of the Argentine military and the senior military service of the country The Air Component, formerly the Belgian Air Force, is the air arm of the Belgian Armed Forces.

SA227-TT Merlin IIIC
SA227-TT Merlin IIIC

In January 1979 production of the Merlin IIIA ended in favour of the SA226-T(B) Merlin IIIB. Year 1979 ( MCMLXXIX) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1979 Gregorian calendar) The IIIB differed mainly by TPE331-10U engines of increased power driving four-bladed propellers turning in the opposite direction to those of earlier models. The SA227-TT Merlin IIIC was next, introduced concurrently with the SA227-AC Metro III (the first Metro III was Fairchild c/n AC-420 and the first Merlin IIIC was c/n TT-421, Metro and Merlin aircraft at this stage being numbered consecutively with different prefixes to denote the different types), and the SA227-AT Merlin IVC version of the Metro III followed shortly after (the first Merlin IVC was c/n AT-423). The Merlin IIIC was a redesign to incorporate structural and other changes but was visually the same as the Merlin IIIB, the redesign taking place to make the aircraft compliant with Special Federal Aviation Regulation 41 (SFAR-41). The Merlin IVC version was initially certified in 1980 at up to 14,000 pounds (6,350 kg) this increasing to 14,500 pounds (6,577 kg) as engines and structures were upgraded. An option to go as high as 16,000 pounds (7,257 kg) was offered. Other improvements incorporated into the Merlin IVC were a 10 ft (3. 05 m) increase in wing span (achieved by the simple expedient of removing the wingtips from the Metro II wing, bolting an extension to the end of each wing, and fitting a new wingtip, redesigned to reduce drag), TPE331-11U engines with redesigned "quick-access" engine cowlings and driving four-bladed propellers as on the Merlin IIIB, and other drag-reducing airframe modifications including landing gear doors that close after the gear is extended. The US Army bought a second-hand Merlin IVC and operated it as the solitary UC-26C[7].

Towards the end of production of the short-fuselage variants of the Merlin, optional winglets were offered. Wingtip devices are usually intended to improve the efficiency of Fixed-wing aircraft. Ten of the last 25 SA227-TTs were built with the winglets as Merlin 300s. Production of short-fuselage Merlins ended in 1983 with the building of Merlin IIIC c/n TT-541. The last Merlin IVC (c/n AT-695B) was built in 1987 and Metro production ended in 1998[4].

Variants

SA26 Merlin
Prototype piston-engined Merlin
SA26-T Merlin II
Prototype re-engined with two PT6A Turboprops.
SA26-T Merlin IIA
Production version of Merlin II with two Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-20 Turboprop engines. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout
SA26-T Merlin IIB
Similar to Merlin IIA but with two Garrett AiResearch TPE331-1-151G Turboprop engines. The Garrett AiResearch TPE-331 is a Turboprop engine originally designed by AiResearch and now produced by Honeywell.
SA226-T Merlin III
Redesign of Merlin II with new fuselage and incorporating Metro wing, landing gear and tail; two TPE331-3U-303G Turboprops.
SA226-T Merlin IIIA
Update of Merlin III design, changes include extra windows.
SA226-T(B) Merlin IIIB
Update of Merlin IIIA design, changes include TPE331-10U-503G engines driving 4-bladed propellers; systems changes and revised interior and air conditioning.
SA227-TT Merlin IIIC
Redesign to meet SFAR-41 standard.
SA227-TP Merlin IIID
Proposed IIIC variant with PT6A engines.
SA227-TT Merlin 300
Merlin IIIC fitted with winglets
SA226-AT Merlin IV
21-seat corporate version of the Metro, with two TPE331-3U-303G engines. Wingtip devices are usually intended to improve the efficiency of Fixed-wing aircraft.
SA226-AT Merlin IVA
Merlin IV with minor changes, most noticeably with ovalised rectangular cabin windows instead of round windows; corporate version of Metro II.
SA227-AT Merlin IVC
Corporate version of Metro III with increased Maximum Take-Off Weight compared to Metro III. SA227-AT also built as Expediter freighter version without cabin windows (see Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner article). WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout

Military

C-26 is the designation of the United States military for the Metroliner series. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the It was not officially named by the US Armed Forces.

Specifications

Merlin IVC

General characteristics

Performance


See also

Related development

Comparable aircraft

Related lists

References

  1. ^ Departmental Swearingen Merlin index
  2. ^ This and subsequent Merlin and Metro models have a trimmable horizontal stabilizer (THS) usually used on jet aircraft, one of only two turboprop aircraft types to have this design feature. In Aviation, V-speeds or Velocity-speeds are standard terms used to define Airspeeds important or useful to the operation of Aircraft, such In Aviation, V-speeds or Velocity-speeds are standard terms used to define Airspeeds important or useful to the operation of Aircraft, such The maximal total range is the distance an Aircraft can fly between Takeoff and Landing, as limited by fuel capacity in powered aircraft or cross-country WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout This article is about 90 and 100 Series King Airs For 200 and 300 Series King Airs see the Beechcraft Super King Air article The Cessna Model 425 originally known as Corsair and later Conquest I, is a pressurized Turboprop Airplane certified for eight occupants The Cessna 441 Conquest II was the first Turboprop designed by Cessna and was meant to fill the gap between their jets and Piston -engined The Embraer EMB 121 Xingu is a twin- Turboprop Fixed-wing aircraft built by the Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The Piaggio P180 Avanti is an unusual yet remarkably efficient twin-engine business aircraft produced by Piaggio Aero. The Piper PA-31T Cheyenne is a Turboprop development of the earlier PA-31P Pressurized Navajo. The Piper PA-42 Cheyenne is a Turboprop aircraft built by Piper Aircraft. This list of military aircraft of the United States includes prototype pre-production and operational types
  3. ^ Based on production dates in the Metro production list accessed via this Website.
  4. ^ a b "Final Metro Delivery. " Airways magazine Vol. 8, No. 4; Issue 64, June 2001, p. 32. Airways International Inc. ISSN 1074-4320.
  5. ^ Turboprop Production Lists Home Page Metro production list accessed via this site September 3, 2007
  6. ^ The article "Final Metro Delivery" in Airways magazine Issue 64 states that Metro deliveries before the Metro II was introduced totalled 18. Events 36 BC - In the Battle of Naulochus, Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, Admiral of Octavian, defeats Sextus Pompeius Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. The Metro production list shows that by the end of 1974 22 Merlins had been built. However a photo on Airliners. net (here) of the 33rd Merlin IVA built (Fairchild c/n AT-038, built in 1975), shows it to have the earlier round windows.
  7. ^ a b . USAF FY1989 Serial Number list retrieved 25 August 2007. Events 1248 - The Dutch city of Ommen receives city rights and fortification rights from Otto III the Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.
  8. ^ Metro III UK Type Certificate retrieved 25 August 2007. Events 1248 - The Dutch city of Ommen receives city rights and fortification rights from Otto III the Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.

External links

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