Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner

History of the Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner

The Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner (formerly Swearingen Metro and later Fairchild Aerospace Metro) is a 19-seat pressurized twin-turboprop airliner originally developed by Swearingen Aircraft and later by Manufacturing Fairchild aircraft are produced at a facility in San Antonio, Texas.

In 1972, two original Metro models were delivered to Societe Miniere de Bakwanga (MIBA) in Kinshasa, Zaire, the first customer to use Metro. In January 1973, the first airline to operate them was Commuter Airlines, followed by Air Wisconsin.

At least one Metro IIA was flown in Canada on Perimeter Aviation. Today, Canadian operator Bearskin Lake Air Service Ltd has two SA227-CCs. Registered and two others are in use in New Zealand. A fifth also flew with Bearskin Airlines, but was destroyed in a mid-air collision in 1995.

In service with Perimeter Aviation Canada, the long-term operator of Metro II and III has made numerous modifications to suit northern Canada and remote areas where basic gravel belts are prevalent. Some of the many innovative changes to Metro's design enabled the aircraft to fly more efficiently and reduced the "noise factor" attributed to earlier models. The airline installed Garrett engines with quieter, more efficient four-bladed Hartzell propellers.

More recently, in 2016, a 5-blade composite propeller was installed, further improving performance and reducing noise levels. Her Metros also feature a modern avionics suite, including a recently installed Garmin 950 glass cockpit and GPS satellite tracking.

Many of the improvements that led to the Metro 23 arose during the creation of the military model C-26B for the US Air Force.

A Metro III aircraft converted for the Colombian Air Force for drug reconnaissance. The Colombian National Police also use multiple Metro 23 aircraft for drug reconnaissance. Additionally, the Peruvian Air Force uses the Metro 23 and the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard uses the Metro III, both in similar configurations.

Metro III, an "area security system" with a large ventral radome, was found in the Caribbean.

In civilian service, the type has proven popular, only rivaling the Beechcraft 1900 in sales in the 19-seater airliner market. It is especially popular in Australia.

Almost 20% of the fleet has been in service there since the first example (Merlin IVA) arrived in 1975, and as of December 2008 Australia had 61 Metros and Expediters registered, more than all its market competitors combined.

Metro production ended in 1998; however, regional jets were popular at this time and turboprops were not as popular with airlines. At the time, there were still several unsold airframes in the factory. In 2001, the last aircraft, the Metro 23 c/n DC-904B, was finally delivered to National Jet Aviation Services, a charter company based in Zellinople, Pennsylvania.

A total of 703 Metro, Exediter, Merlin IV and C-26 series aircraft were built. In addition, 158 other SA226 and SA227 series aircraft were built, the short-fuselage Merlin III, IIIA and IIIB respectively.

Specification

Basics

Years of Service

1972

Origins

United States

Crew

2

Production

600

Manufacturer

Fairchild Swearingen - USA

Carrier

Australia; Canada; New Zealand; Sweden; USA; Venezuela

Roles

Special Mission: Airborne Early Warning (AEW)

A specially equipped platform that provides command and control (C2) capabilities to Allied air forces on the battlefield.

Special Mission: Electronic Warfare (EW)

Ability to actively deny adversaries electromagnetic (EM) spectrum and protect that spectrum for allied forces.

Transportation

General transport function for moving supplies/cargo or people (including casualties and VIPs) out of range.

Commercial Aviation

Used in roles serving the commercial aviation market, moving passengers and cargo over long distances.

VIP Service

Used in the VIP (Very Important Person) passenger role, usually with above-average amenities and luxury as standard.

Dimensions and Weight

Length

59. 4 feet

(18.10m)

Width/span

56. 9 feet

(17.35m)

Height

16.7 feet

(5.10m)

Cured weight

8,818 lbs

(4,000 kg)

MTOW

16,006 lbs

(7,260 kg)

Wgt Difference

+?7,187

(+3,260 kg)

Performance

Installed:

2 Garrett AiResearch TPE-331 turboprops, 1,000 hp each.

Maximum speed

357 km/h

(575 km/h | 310 knots)

Maximum

25,000 feet

(7,620 m | 5 km)

Area

662 km

(1,065 km | 1,972 nautical miles)

Range (MPH) Subsonic: <614mph | Transonic: 614-921 | Supersonic: 921-3836 | Hypersonic: 3836-7673 | Hypersonic: 7673-19180 | Reentry: > 19030

Armor

None.

VARIANTS

Metroliner - Basic Series Name SA226SA226-TC Metro / Metro IISA226-AT Merlin IVASA227 Metro IISA227-ACSA227-BCSA227-AT Merlin IVC / ExpediterMetro 23SA227-CCSA227-DCC-26 "Metroliner "[ /p]