Самолёт Сверинген
Ed Swearingen began by hot-rodding other people’s Beechcrafts and ended up with the Metro, a 19-seat pencil of an airliner that ran out his money, fell to Fairchild and sold more than 700 copies.
Swearingen Aircraft: the company and the aircraft that made its name
The hot-rodder of Beechcrafts
Ed Swearingen did not start with a clean sheet of paper. His company, founded in 1959 in San Antonio, Texas, made its name modifying other manufacturers’ aircraft, and its first own type, the SA26 Merlin, was built on Beechcraft foundations: a pressurised cabin grafted onto existing parts. The prototype Merlin IIA flew on 13 April 1965 with Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 turboprops, about fifteen months after Beech’s competing King Air, and the Garrett-powered Merlin IIB followed.
The Metro and the money
The big bet was the Metro, a stretched 19-seat commuter airliner that first flew on 26 August 1969. Developing it drained Swearingen of cash, and late in 1971 Fairchild bought 90 per cent of the company, renaming it Swearingen Aviation Corporation in 1972 with Ed Swearingen as chairman and 10 per cent shareholder. With Fairchild money the Metro went into service in 1972 and became a rival to the Beechcraft 1900 in the 19-seat market; Australia alone came to fly about a fifth of the world fleet.
The name that would not die
Metro production ran until 2001, with 703 long-fuselage Metros, Expediters, Merlin IVs and military C-26s plus about 350 short-fuselage Merlins — roughly 1,050 aircraft in all. Ed Swearingen resigned from Fairchild on 1 May 1982 and took his name back. His new venture’s SJ30 business jet was certified in 1996 and passed through Sino Swearingen and Emivest before surviving today as SyberJet.
Swearingen Aircraft in numbers
Компания
- Суммируя
- Founded 1959
- Founded by Ed Swearingen in San Antonio, Texas
- Started by modifying Beechcraft aircraft
- 90 per cent bought by Fairchild, late 1971
Производство
- Наиболее известен благодаря
- Мерлин и Метро
- About 1,050 Merlins and Metros built in all
- 703 long-fuselage Metro family aircraft
Сегодня
- Сейчас
- Absorbed by Fairchild
- Name revived by Ed Swearingen in 1982 for the SJ30 jet, now SyberJet
Цифры
- Metro family built (Metro, Expediter, Merlin IV, C-26)
- 703
- Short-fuselage Merlins built
- about 350 (Wikipedia figures range 158–350 depending on variants counted)
- Fairchild stake acquired
- 90 per cent1971
Every notable Swearingen Aircraft aircraft
| Самолёт | Роль | Первый рейс | Построен | Статус | Примечание |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swearingen SA26-T Merlin IIA | Pressurised turboprop business aircraft | 1965 | 36 | Ушедший на пенсию | PT6-powered; Beechcraft-derived |
| Swearingen SA26-AT Merlin IIB | Turboprop business aircraft | 87 | Ушедший на пенсию | Garrett TPE331 engines | |
| Swearingen SA226-T Merlin III | Turboprop business aircraft | New wing, landing gear and longer fuselage | |||
| Swearingen SA226-TC Metro | 19-seat commuter airliner | 1969 | 703 (whole Metro family) | Production launched under Fairchild; military C-26 |
Swearingen Aircraft aircraft in the world’s air forces
1 air forces in the Order of Battle fly or flew Swearingen Aircraft types. Ни у одной из них до сих пор нет ни одного в эксплуатации.
| военно-воздушные силы | В эксплуатации | Ранее летал |
|---|---|---|
| Военно-воздушные силы Сейшельских островов | Merlin IIIB |
Where Swearingen Aircraft built, who led it, what it achieved
Заводы
- San Antonio plant · San Antonio, Texas — Merlin and Metro production, taken over by Fairchild
Люди
- Ed Swearingen · founder — Chairman under Fairchild from 1972; resigned 1 May 1982 and reacquired the Swearingen name
Swearingen Aircraft, year by year
Ed Swearingen founds Swearingen Aircraft
First flight of the Merlin IIA prototype
First flight of the Metro
Fairchild buys 90 per cent of Swearingen
Renamed Swearingen Aviation Corporation; Metro enters service
Ed Swearingen resigns from Fairchild and reclaims his name
SJ30 venture becomes Sino Swearingen Aircraft Corporation
SJ30 certified
Successor renamed SyberJet Aircraft
Before and after Swearingen Aircraft
Everything people ask about Swearingen Aircraft
Who founded Swearingen Aircraft?
What happened to Swearingen?
How many Metros were built?
Is SyberJet related to Swearingen?
Around Swearingen Aircraft
Все факты проверены.
- SyberJet Aircraft – Wikipedia
- Swearingen Merlin – Wikipedia
- Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner – Wikipedia
Подтверждено 03.10.2026.