Dornier Do 28D

Dornier Do 28D
Stefan Krause, Germany · FAL · source
Name	Dornier Do 28D
Type	Utility/STOL prototype
Manufacturer	Dornier Flugzeugwerke
First flight	1959

Dornier Do 28D The Dornier Do 28D was a West German experimental utility and short takeoff and landing (STOL) aircraft developed by Dornier Flugzeugwerke in the late 1950s to explore modernized propulsion and high-lift systems. It followed interwar and wartime Dornier designs associated with Claude Dornier and operated in the context of post‑World War II aviation developments involving manufacturers such as Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm, Blohm+Voss, and Heinkel. The type was evaluated alongside contemporaries from Focke-Wulf, Bölkow, and CASA for roles including liaison, transport, and reconnaissance with potential users like Luftwaffe (Bundeswehr) successors and civilian operators in West Germany, France, and Switzerland.

Development and design

Development began at Dornier Flugzeugwerke under the technical leadership that traced lineage to designs by Claude Dornier and engineers formerly of Heinkel He 111 projects and postwar research groups. The Do 28D emerged from experimental work into piston-driven STOL concepts also investigated by VFW and designers influenced by studies from Royal Aircraft Establishment and NACA. Funding and interest were affected by procurement policies in Bundeswehr, export considerations involving NATO, and competition with designs from Cessna, Pilatus, and Nord Aviation. The airframe incorporated lessons from earlier Dornier types and airfoil research published through institutions such as Technische Universität München and Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt.

Technical description

The single‑engined high‑wing monoplane used a conventional fuselage and fixed undercarriage derived from earlier Dornier practice seen in models bearing design continuity with Dornier Do 28D-1 predecessors. Powerplant experiments drew on piston engines contemporary to manufacturers like Lycoming, Continental Motors, and turbine research influenced by Rolls-Royce and General Electric studies. Aerodynamic features reflected high-lift devices evaluated at Institut Aérotechnique and in wind tunnels at ETH Zurich, with control systems conforming to certification standards from Luftfahrt-Bundesamt and Joint Aviation Authorities. Structural materials included aluminum alloys of the type produced by ThyssenKrupp suppliers and assembly techniques comparable to those used by Airbus predecessors.

Operational history

Flight testing was conducted at facilities near Friedrichshafen and in ranges associated with Manching and Oberpfaffenhofen, with test pilots drawn from schools such as Deutsche Verkehrsfliegerschule alumni and engineers associated with Messerschmitt. The Do 28D flight programme informed Dornier proposals to Luftwaffe procurement boards and civilian firms including Deutsche Lufthansa subsidiaries and private air taxi operators in Austria and Italy. Comparative trials referenced contemporaneous evaluations of STOL types from Cessna 337, Pilatus PC-6, and Fieseler Fi 156 Storch, influencing subsequent procurement choices by defense ministries in Belgium and Netherlands. Preservation of test data contributed to later Dornier projects that cooperated with MTU Aero Engines and suppliers contracted by European Space Agency research initiatives.

Variants

Several experimental and proposed variants were documented through Dornier project records and aerospace journals tied to institutions such as Jane's Information Group and Flight International. Proposals considered alternative powerplants from Pratt & Whitney and Hispano-Suiza, as well as conversions for roles akin to liaison and medevac missions sought by organizations like Red Cross societies and civil protection agencies in Germany and Switzerland. Some airframes were modified during testing to trial avionics from suppliers influenced by Garmin-era developments and radios homologated to standards by ICAO member states.

Operators

Operators were primarily test organizations, Dornier flight operations, and occasional civilian demonstrators marketed to regional carriers and aero clubs in West Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and France. Interested military evaluators included delegations from Bundeswehr liaison units, staff from Belgian Air Component, and observers associated with Royal Air Force liaison sections and NATO evaluation committees. Civilian operators that engaged Dornier for demonstration flights included charter firms from Italy and small airlines formerly aligned with European Air Transport networks.

Surviving aircraft and displays

Surviving Do 28D airframes and components are retained by museums and collections with ties to Aeronauticum, Deutsches Museum, and regional aviation museums in Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, and Lower Saxony. Restoration projects have drawn support from heritage organizations such as Luftfahrtmuseum Hannover-Laatzen volunteers and conservationists from Bürgerstiftung initiatives, with parts occasionally loaned to exhibitions curated by Bundeswehr Museum of Military History affiliates and civic museums in Friedrichshafen that celebrate the legacy of Claude Dornier and related industrial history.

Category:Dornier aircraft