Fairchild Metroliner
Fairchild / Swearingen · United States · first flew 1969 · airliner
The Fairchild (Swearingen) Metro is a 19-seat twin-turboprop regional airliner with an exceptionally long, narrow pressurised fuselage — one of the slimmest tubes ever used for scheduled passenger service.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Low-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 2 × turboprop, wing-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | Extremely long, narrow pencil fuselage — only 1.37 m wide for 19 passengers in a single-aisle 1-1 layout with no stand-up headroom |
| T — Tail | T-tail |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Extremely long, narrow pencil fuselage — only 1.37 m wide for 19 passengers in a single-aisle 1-1 layout with no stand-up headroom
- T-tail on a swept fin with two Garrett TPE331 turboprops on a low straight wing
- Small circular porthole windows along the very slim tube-like fuselage — no overhead bins possible
The extreme narrowness is unmistakable — the tube-like fuselage is visibly thinner than any other 19-seater, with porthole windows and no meaningful headroom inside. The T-tail and TPE331 engines resemble the Beechcraft 1900 but the Metro's fuselage is far slimmer and longer.
Specifications
- The Fairchild Metroliner has a length of 18.09 m (59 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 17.37 m (57 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 515 km/h (320 mph).
- Typical crew: 2.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Ed Swearingen designed the Metro as a pressurised airliner evolution of the Merlin business turboprop, and Fairchild Industries acquired Swearingen to produce it. The Metro I first flew on 26 August 1969. The improved Metro II, III and 23 (SA226/SA227 series) stretched the design and sold well in the US commuter market, with around 1,000 built.
Variants
The SA226-TC Metro through the SA227-AC Metro III and Metro 23 refined the airframe, with the Expediter freight variant popular for parcel carriers. The Merlin IVC corporate version shared the fuselage. Later SA227 aircraft offered higher weights and improved PT6A or Garrett engines.
Where you'll see it
UK operators including Loganair flew the Metro on Scottish island and thin mainland routes where its narrow cabin was an acceptable trade for its speed and range. Business Air and other British regionals used the type on commuter services in the 1980s and 1990s.
Related aircraft
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