The TechProAviation Merlin HV 100 is a

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus' Places * Czech, ...

amateur-built aircraft Homebuilt aircraft, also known as amateur-built aircraft or kit planes, are constructed by persons for whom this is not a professional activity. These aircraft may be constructed from "scratch", from plans, or from assembly kits.Armstrong, Kenn ...

, designed and produced by TechProAviation of

Olomouc Olomouc (, , ; german: Olmütz; pl, Ołomuniec ; la, Olomucium or ''Iuliomontium'') is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 99,000 inhabitants, and its larger urban zone has a population of about 384,000 inhabitants (2019). Located on t ...

. The aircraft is supplied as a kit for amateur construction.Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12'', page 123. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. Tacke, Willi; Marino Boric; et al: ''World Directory of Light Aviation 2015-16'', page 82. Flying Pages Europe SARL, 2015.

Design and development

The Merlin 100 features a cantilever

high-wing A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple planes. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing co ...

, a single-seat enclosed cockpit accessed via a single door on the

fuselage The fuselage (; from the French ''fuselé'' "spindle-shaped") is an aircraft's main body section. It holds crew, passengers, or cargo. In single-engine aircraft, it will usually contain an engine as well, although in some amphibious aircraf ...

righthand side, fixed

tricycle landing gear Tricycle gear is a type of aircraft undercarriage, or ''landing gear'', arranged in a tricycle fashion. The tricycle arrangement has a single nose wheel in the front, and two or more main wheels slightly aft of the center of gravity. Tricycle g ...

with

wheel pants An aircraft fairing is a structure whose primary function is to produce a smooth outline and reduce drag.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, Third Edition'', page 206. Aviation Supplies & Academics Inc, Newcastle Washington, 1997. ...

and a single engine in

tractor configuration In aviation, the term tractor configuration refers to an aircraft constructed in the standard configuration with its engine mounted with the propeller in front of it so that the aircraft is "pulled" through the air. Oppositely, the pusher co ...

. The aircraft is made from matched-hole drilled sheet

aluminum Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. It ha ...

. Its span wing has an area of and mounts flaps. The standard engine used is the

Verner JCV 360 The Verner JCV 360 is a Czech aircraft engine, designed and built by Verner Motor of Šumperk for use in ultralight aircraft.Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12'', pages 242-243. WDLA UK, Lancast ...

twin cylinder four-stroke powerplant. Alternative engines include the

HKS 700E The HKS 700E is a twin-cylinder, horizontally opposed, four stroke, carburetted aircraft engine, designed for use on ultralight aircraft, powered parachutes and ultralight trikes. The engine is manufactured by HKS, a Japanese company noted f ...

four-stroke,

Hirth F-23 The Hirth F-23 is a twin cylinder, horizontally-opposed, two stroke, carburetted or optionally fuel injected aircraft engine designed for use on ultralight aircraft. It is manufactured by Hirth of Germany.Cliche, Andre: ''Ultralight Aircraft ...

and

Rotax 582 The Rotax 582 is a two-stroke, two-cylinder, rotary intake valve, oil-in-fuel or oil injection pump, liquid-cooled, gear reduction-drive aircraft engine manufactured by BRP-Rotax GmbH & Co. KG. It is for use in non-certified aircraft operating ...

two-stroke A two-stroke (or two-stroke cycle) engine is a type of internal combustion engine that completes a power cycle with two strokes (up and down movements) of the piston during one power cycle, this power cycle being completed in one revolution of ...

powerplants. The aircraft will be marketed as a kit only. By mid-2011 only the prototype had flown, logging 100 hours of testing, These tests led to modifications; by November 2012 the prototype had gained a fin fillet and the mainwheel legs were slightly forward raked.

Operational history

By 2013 ten Merlins had been built. Flyaway prices, without tax, are engine dependent; the cheapest is the Verner-engined variant at €15,500 in 2015.

Variants

These are in production in late 2015: ;Merlin 100 UL :Version for the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale microlight class, specification below. A tailwheel version was flown in April 2012 and is available. ;Merlin 100 ML :Lightened version for the German class It has reduced dimensions, with a span of and length of , a tailwhell undercarriage and is powered by a

Polini Polini S.p.A. is an Italian manufacturer of tuning parts for motorcycles, mopeds, and scooters. Among other products, they produce cylinders and variators for both racing and road use. They also produce pocket bikes with 50cc up to 15 hp. ...

motorcycle engine. It first flew in late March 2014. ;Merlin Mikro :Version with

conventional landing gear Conventional landing gear, or tailwheel-type landing gear, is an aircraft undercarriage consisting of two main wheels forward of the center of gravity and a small wheel or skid to support the tail.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Term ...

for the European 120 kg class. Equipped with a

Thor 200 Thor (; from non, Þórr ) is a prominent god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred groves and trees, strength, the protection of humankind, hallowing, and ...

powerplant. ;Rotax :As 100UL but with a

engine which gives it a speed of . An amphibious floatplane version is planned.

Specifications (Merlin 100 UL)

References

{{reflist

External links

Official websiteOfficial video
Homebuilt aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft