And The First One Is Already Done

By ANN Correspondent Dave Higdon

The Fairchild Merlin was a workhorse of a turboprop in its day, fulfilling roles from executive aircraft to light cargo transport. The Fairchild Metro regional airliner once dominated the market for 19-passenger short-haul airliners. Today a company in the ancestral home of Fairchild offers a program capable of revitalizing the approximately 750 Merlin and Metro aircraft into modern propjet transports.

M7 Aerospace offers complete refurbishment in the former Fairchild factory where many former Merlin people perform the work. M7 acquired the assets of Fairchild in late 2002, a package that included not only the factory but also the Merlin type certificates for the Merlin and Metro regional airliner.

The company quickly began providing OEM support for those aircraft, including parts, product support and training. The M7 Merlin program began to take shape shortly afterward based on the expertise and experience of the original builders.

"As the OEM, we have the resources, assets and tooling not available to other shops," said Chet Shickling, M7's highly experience vice president of business development. "An M7 Merlin is a unique product. With all the available options, it is as close as you can get to a brand new airplane." Without, he neglected to say, the full expense of a "brand new airplane."

Under the M7 Merlin Program, the aircraft comes "home" to the factory where the experts first conduct a full inspection. Interiors and avionics are refurbished to first-class condition, including new paint, leather upholstery, new cabinetry if the owner chooses, and upgraded avionics. Upon completion, the like-new aircraft returns to the owner wth all A, B, C and D checks completed and ready to go to work for its owner.

M7 can make available to buyers these Merlin or Metro aircraft at prices that range between $900,000 and $1.5 million, dependent on options and model. Or the owner of a Merlin or Metro can contract with M7 for the upgrades, refurbishment and conversion.

FMI: www.M7Aerospace.com