Dornier 328
| Dornier 328 | |
|---|---|
| |
| Sun Air of Scandinavia Dornier 328 | |
| Role | Airliner |
| Manufacturer | Dornier, Fairchild-Dornier |
| First flight | 6 December 1991 |
| Introduction | October 1993 |
| Status | Out of production, in service |
| Primary users | Loganair Air Alps Sun Air of Scandinavia |
| Produced | 1991-2000 |
| Number built | 217 |
| Developed into | Fairchild Dornier 328JET |
The Dornier 328 is a turboprop-powered commuter airliner. Initially produced by Dornier Luftfahrt GmbH, the firm was acquired in 1996 by Fairchild Aircraft. The resulting firm, named Fairchild-Dornier, manufactured the 328 family in Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany, conducted sales from San Antonio, Texas, United States, and supported the product line from both locations. There is also a jet-powered version of the aircraft, the Fairchild Dornier 328JET.
Design and development
The 328 (or Do 328) program was initially begun while Dornier was still owned by Deutsche Aerospace. The basic 328 first flew on 6 December 1991,[1] and entered commercial service in October 1993.[2] The 328's new fuselage allowed for comfortable three-abreast seating, with the potential for a four-abreast configuration. Combined with the supercritical wing developed from Dornier's Do 228, this gave the 328 excellent cruise and climb capabilities. However, the 328 entered a market crowded with other competing turboprop aircraft at the time, as well as increasing competition from new regional jets in the early 1990s.[3]
In 2005, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) awarded a contract to AeroRescue for long-range Search and Rescue (SAR) capability around Australia. Five 328-100s were progressively commissioned from April 2006 [4] to February 2007 and stationed around the Australian coastline to provide a 24-hour, 30 minute response capability. The aircraft were equipped with a comprehensive electronic sensor suite by Aerodata AG in Germany including; Israel Aerospace Industries ELTA EL/M 2022A Radar, FSI Star SAFire III Forward Looking Infra Red (FLIR), Direction Finder and an ARGON ST Infra Red/Ultra Violet scanner. The aircraft are also fitted with an Aeronautical Engineers Australia dispatch system, allowing rescue stores to be dropped from the aircraft through a chute through the underwing emergency exit. These are progressively being upgraded with an inflight opening cargo door to allow dispatch of larger items, up to 20-man life rafts and boat dewatering pumps for open water rescues.
328 Support Services GmbH has held the type certificate for this aircraft since June 2006.[5][6]
In February 2015, 328 Support Services GmbH was acquired by the US engineering company Sierra Nevada Corporation.[7] Owner of the company Turkish-American Engineer Fatih Ozmen established a private corporation named Özjet Havacılık Teknolojileri A.Ş. at Technopark of Bilkent University, Ankara and signed a Memorandum of understanding with the Turkish Ministry of Transport, Maritime Affairs & Communications in order to manufacture this aircraft at Ankara.[8] In June 2015, Turkish government announced the launch of the Turkish regional aircraft project to build a modernized version of Dornier 328/Fairchild Dornier 328JET as TRJ-328 with the possibility of a turboprop or jet engine. The TRJ-328 will be a technology base for a larger TRJ-628 which is intended to be designed, developed and built entirely by Turkish engineers. TAI is in charge of the production with Turkish companies ASELSAN, TEI, HAVELSAN, Turkish Technic, Alp Aviation and Kale Aviation.[9][10]
Variants
_Dornier_328-100_at_Essendon_Airport.jpg)
- 328-100 - Initial 328.
- 328-110 - Standard 328 with greater range and weights
- 328-120 - 328 with improved STOL performance.
- 328-130 - 328 with progressive rudder authority reduction at higher airspeeds.
- 328JET - Turbofan-powered variant, formerly the 328-300.
- C-146A Wolfhound - Designation assigned to seventeen Dornier 328s operated by the United States Air Force's Air Force Special Operations Command.[11]
Operators
In August 2013 a total of 166 remain in operation with 48 Dornier 328-100 aircraft in airline service. Major operators include: Loganair (5), and Sky Work Airlines (5). Thirteen other airlines operate smaller numbers of the type.[12]
Military/Government
Civilian
- Caspiy (1)
- Welcome Air (2)[12]
- Air Alps (3)
- Flair Airlines (1)[12]
- Central Mountain Air (3)[12]
- Calm Air (2) [12]
- Aerocardal (2)[12]
- Katana Wings (3)[12]
- Rhein-Neckar Air (2)
- Private Wings (6)
- XpressAir (5)[12]
- South East Asian Airlines (2)
- SkyJet (1)
- Dana Air (3)[12]
- Dornier Aviation Nigeria (1)
- Air Peace (3)
- Berry Aviation (3)[12]
- Vision Airlines (1)[12]
- Corning, Inc. (2)
The Dornier 328 turboprop was also operated in the past in scheduled passenger service by several U.S. regional airlines including Air Wisconsin, Horizon Air, Lone Star Airlines, and Mountain Air Express. In addition, the aircraft was previously used to provide passenger feeder services in the U.S. operating as United Express and US Airways Express flights.
Accidents
- On 25 February 1999, Minerva Airlines Flight 1553 on a flight from Cagliari-Elmas Airport to Genoa Cristoforo Colombo Airport in Italy. Upon landing on runway 29 the aircraft ran off the end of the runway and crashed into the sea. Four of the 31 passengers and crew died in the accident.[15]
Specifications (Dornier 328-110)
General characteristics
- Crew: Three (two Pilots, one Flight Attendant)
- Capacity: 30 to 33 (14 in First Class Config) passengers
Performance
Avionics
Honeywell Primus 2000
See also
Related development
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
- Antonov An-24/Xian Y-7
- ATR 42
- de Havilland Canada DHC-8
- Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia
- Saab 340
- Xian MA60
- CASA CN-235
References
- ^ Swanborough 1992, p.123.
- ^ Taylor 1999, p.195.
- ^ Fairchild Dornier Gmbh Company Profile, Information, Business Description, History, Background Information on Fairchild Dornier Gmbh, Reference for Business. Retrieved 2008-01-05.
- ^ Australian Maritime Safety Authority. "AMSA :: Australian Maritime Safety Authority". amsa.gov.au. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
- ^ "328.eu". 328.eu. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
- ^ FAA Type Certificate Data Sheet No. A45NM Revision 7
- ^ "2015 News and Press Releases". sncorp.com. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
- ^ http://www.sncorp.com/AboutUs/NewsDetails/1261 Sierra Nevada Corporation Collaborates on Regional Jet Aircraft in Turkey Powerful global partnership brings unique technology to the aviation world
- ^ "Turkish Regional Jets Launched - TRJ-328 & 628". Airliners. 2015-05-27. Retrieved 2015-05-31.
- ^ "İşte yerli yolcu uçağının teknik özellikleri". Sabah (in Turkish). 2015-05-27. Retrieved 2015-05-31.
- ^ a b "C-146A Wolfhound". United States Air Force. December 13, 2013. Retrieved 2014-08-02.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q World Airliner Census 2013. FlightGlobal. July 2013. Accessed 2014-09-09.
- ^ "D ornier 328-120 turboprop aircraft" (PDF). Canberra, ACT: Australian Maritime Safety Authority. July 2012. Retrieved 2014-09-09.
- ^ "OB2 Botswana Defence Force Dornier 328-110 - cn 3083". Planespotters.net. 2014. Retrieved 2014-09-09.
- ^ Harro Ranter (25 February 1999). "ASN Aircraft accident Dornier 328-110 D-CPRR Genoa-Cristoforo Colombo Airport (GOA)". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
- Swanborough, Gordon. "Dornier 328: A Daimler for Commuters". Air International, March 1992, Vol. 42 No. 3. pp. 123–128. ISSN 0306-5634.
- Taylor, Michael J.H. Brassey's World Aircraft & Systems Directory 1999/2000. London:Brassey's, 1999. ISBN 1-85753-245-7.
- Much of the content of this article comes from the equivalent German-language Wikipedia article (retrieved February 14, 2006).
External links
Media related to Dornier 328JET at Wikimedia Commons
Media related to Dornier 328 at Wikimedia Commons