Questair Merlin
Questair · United States · first flew 1988 · light aircraft
The Questair Merlin is a high-performance two-seat homebuilt kit aircraft designed to achieve turboprop-like speeds using a single Lycoming IO-540 piston engine of around 300 hp. Its all-composite construction and carefully drag-reduced airframe allow a maximum speed exceeding 480 km/h, making it one of the fastest piston-engine homebuilts ever produced.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Low-mounted, tapered |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, nose-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | Short fuselage with side-by-side seating under a one-piece blown canopy |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Compact composite two-seater with retractable gear and large 300 hp engine
- Very clean cowling with no visible cooling inlets — NACA flush inlets only
- Short fuselage with side-by-side seating under a one-piece blown canopy
The very short fuselage, disproportionately large nose cowl hiding the 540-cubic-inch engine, and flush side-by-side canopy give the Merlin a distinctive stubby yet streamlined appearance unlike any production aircraft.
Specifications
- The Questair Merlin has a length of 5.31 m (17 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 7.8 m (26 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 482 km/h (300 mph).
- Typical crew: 2.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Designed by Questair Inc. in the late 1980s, the Merlin was offered as a kit to amateur builders and gained considerable attention for its performance claims, which proved largely achievable in practice. Production of kits was limited and the company eventually ceased trading.
Variants
No production variants; some builders modified the design to accept alternative engines.
Where you'll see it
An exclusively private homebuilt aircraft with no military or commercial operators; valued by performance-oriented builders seeking the maximum speed from a piston powerplant.
Related aircraft
AircraftIQ — the aircraft field guide: 5,024 recognition guides, live overhead identification, works offline.