Fairchild Swearingen Merlin IIIB vs Piper Cheyenne 400

Side-by-side specs, range, and operating costs.

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Dimensions & configuration

Representative planforms, drawn to shared scale.

Fairchild Swearingen Merlin IIIB
46.3 × 42.2 ft 16.7 ft tall
2× Turboprop Retractable Pressurized
Piper Cheyenne 400
47.7 × 43.4 ft 17.0 ft tall
2× Turboprop Retractable Pressurized

Flight Profile

Service ceiling, range, and climb rate.

Tap legend to isolate

Arc represents the climb-cruise-descent profile based on published service ceiling and range. Climb rate annotated on ascent. FL180 (18,000 ft) shown for reference.

Mission Performance

Stall, approach, cruise, range, ceiling and climb: best values are at the top.

Mission performance specifications
Specification Fairchild Swearingen Merlin IIIBPiper Cheyenne 400
Stall speed 71 kt93 kt
Approach speed 92 kt105 kt
Cruise speed 280 kt351 kt
Range 1938 nm2176 nm
Service ceiling 31000 ft41000 ft
Rate of climb 2650 fpm3242 fpm
Fuel burn 100.0 gph120.0 gph

Each axis is scaled independently across the compared aircraft and printed in its own units; every vertex sits at the published figure. Higher is better on all axes: Stall, Approach and Fuel Burn are inverted (lower = higher). A missing figure breaks the line at that axis.

Fuel Burn & Range

Range, endurance, and what the fuel costs by the hour.

Fairchild Swearingen Merlin IIIB Jet A
100.0 gph
Baseline
1,938 nm range 2.8 nm/gal 648 gal usable $600 fuel/hr 6h 28m endurance
Fairchild Swearingen Merlin IIIB: 100.0 gallons per hour at cruise, 1,938 nautical mile published range, 6 hour 28 minute endurance, 2.8 nautical miles per gallon.
Piper Cheyenne 400 Jet A
120.0 gph
Baseline
2,176 nm range 2.9 nm/gal 570 gal usable $720 fuel/hr 4h 45m endurance
Piper Cheyenne 400: 120.0 gallons per hour at cruise, 2,176 nautical mile published range, 4 hour 45 minute endurance, 2.9 nautical miles per gallon.
Jet A range each cell = 1 hr of cruise · width scales with speed

Bars show published still-air range. Endurance is usable fuel divided by the published cruise burn. Estimates only. Always verify against the POH.

Runway Performance

Density altitude adjusted estimates

Outside Air Temp
0°F57°F115°F
Field Elevation
SL4,0008,000 ft
Density Altitude

Takeoff over 50 ft obstacle

Landing ground roll

Base distance DA penalty
Scale: 6,000 ft

FAA 10%/1,000 ft DA rule of thumb (FAA-H-8083-25B). Turboprops and jets are less sensitive in practice. Always verify against the POH.

Estimated Operating Costs

Scale:
Fairchild Swearingen Merlin IIIB Jet A
$1,179 /hr
Baseline
Fairchild Swearingen Merlin IIIB: $1,179 per flight hour — fuel $600, maintenance and reserve $579.
Piper Cheyenne 400 Jet A
$1,730 /hr
Baseline
Piper Cheyenne 400: $1,730 per flight hour — fuel $720, maintenance and reserve $1,010.
Fairchild Swearingen Merlin IIIB Turboprop
$26,458 /yr Baseline
Fairchild Swearingen Merlin IIIB: $26,458 per year — insurance $12,000, hangar $11,958, annual inspection $2,500.
Piper Cheyenne 400 Turboprop
$15,067 /yr Baseline
Piper Cheyenne 400: $15,067 per year — insurance withheld, hangar $12,567, annual inspection $2,500.

Estimates only. Costs vary by location, pilot profile, and market conditions. See individual aircraft pages for source notes.

Capability & limits

Each bar stacks your selected occupants against full fuel and the aircraft's useful-load limit (the black line). The open gap between them is spare payload. Add an occupant and the gap closes; once it's gone, fuel has to give.

lb

+ lb / pax

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Fairchild Swearingen Merlin IIIB
11 / 11 seats 648 / 648 gal fuel 213 lb wet payload 4,555 lb useful 12,500 lb MTOW
Piper Cheyenne 400
11 / 11 seats 570 / 570 gal fuel 751 lb wet payload 4,570 lb useful 12,050 lb MTOW

Occupants at 190 + 30 lb each. Fuel at 6.7 lb/gal jet-A, 6.0 lb/gal avgas.

Payload-Range Map

Origin: · two fingers to move map

lb

+ lb / pax

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