{"id":21218,"date":"2025-04-05T12:14:22","date_gmt":"2025-04-05T09:14:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aviation-news.info\/?p=21218"},"modified":"2025-04-05T12:14:22","modified_gmt":"2025-04-05T09:14:22","slug":"merlin-wins-part-145-aircraft-maintenance-approval-in-new-zealand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aviation-news.info\/?p=21218","title":{"rendered":"Merlin Wins Part 145 Aircraft Maintenance Approval in New Zealand"},"content":{"rendered":"
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New Zealand\u2019s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has awarded Part 145 maintenance certification to Merlin, a Boston-based company developing autonomous flight technology for reduced-crew operations in military and commercial airplanes.\u00a0The Part 145 certificate, which Merlin announced on April 3, authorizes the company to conduct aircraft maintenance for Part 121 and Part 135 operators in New Zealand.<\/p>\n

Merlin obtained its CAA Part 135 air operator certificate in February 2024, enabling it to begin commercial freight operations in New Zealand. For those Part 135 cargo operations, the company is flying ordinary airplanes to collect data that will inform the development of the Merlin Pilot autonomous flight control system.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis certification demonstrates the high regard in which Merlin is held by regulators, underscoring both our credibility and our commitment to implementing autonomy in a way that upholds the industry\u2019s high safety standards,\u201d said Grant Crenfeldt, CEO of Merlin\u2019s New Zealand subsidiary. \u201cObtaining this certification is not just about maintaining aircraft\u2014it also demonstrates our commitment to lead aviation innovation, paving the way for a future in which our skies are safer and more resilient.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2023, Merlin\u00a0opened a test facility at Kerikeri<\/a>\u00a0in the Far North District of New Zealand\u2019s North Island to support its development and certification efforts. It partnered with Freightways New Zealand to fly cargo to rural communities in the region while simultaneously collecting data for the Merlin Pilot.<\/p>\n

Merlin aims to make the Merlin Pilot available for retrofit under supplemental type certificates for a variety of legacy aircraft, including the Cessna Grand Caravan, Beechcraft King Air, and Twin Otter. It is seeking bilateral approval from the CAA and the U.S. FAA for the supplemental type certificates that will allow it to begin Merlin Pilot installations.<\/p>\n

It has been working with the U.S. Air Force to test reduced-crew capabilities in the\u00a0KC-135 Stratotanker<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0C-130J Super Hercules<\/a>\u00a0transport aircraft. The company says its roadmap includes a subsequent Merlin Pilot-equipped F-16 fighter jet.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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New Zealand\u2019s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has awarded Part 145 maintenance certification to Merlin, a Boston-based company developing autonomous flight technology for reduced-crew operations in military and commercial airplanes.\u00a0The Part 145 certificate, which Merlin announced on April 3, authorizes the company to conduct aircraft maintenance for Part 121 and Part 135 operators in New Zealand. …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":21219,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpscppro_dont_share_socialmedia":null,"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"default","_twitter_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type":"default","_pinterest_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_instagram_share_type":"default","_medium_share_type":"default","_threads_share_type":"","_google_business_share_type":"","_selected_social_profile":null,"_wpsp_enable_custom_social_template":false,"_wpsp_social_scheduling":{"enabled":false,"datetime":null,"platforms":[],"status":"template_only","dateOption":"today","timeOption":"now","customDays":"","customHours":"","customDate":"","customTime":"","schedulingType":"absolute"},"_wpsp_active_default_template":true},"categories":[96,98,102],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21218","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-aviation-world","category-companies","category-featured-en"],"yoast_head":"\nMerlin Wins Part 145 Aircraft Maintenance Approval in New Zealand - 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