Dornier 328

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ADAC Do 328-300 ambulance jetplane

The Dornier 328 (DO 328) is a 32-seat turboprop powered regional airplane. It is quite rare in European skies, but appears in larger numbers in the USA and China. It was originally developed under Daimler Benz AG, and was the first regional aircraft to be constructed by FairchildDornier.

The original design was used for the development of the DO 328-100 turboprop aircraft, its two propellers driven by jet engines, which from 1993 outsold the original over 100 times. Due to the old-fashioned image of propeller-driven aircraft, the 328JET (DO 328-300) was developed in the late 1990s, which replaced the propellers with two turbofan engines. Dornier sold 83 of these from 1999 to 2002, fulfilling rising demand for jet-engined feederliners. Both designs incorporated the same cabin holding a maximum of 33 passengers.

The declining commercial success of the 328 meant Fairchild Dornier was unable to finance the development of further models. The Dorner 328 was therefore the last commercial aircraft to be produced by the Dornier business before it became insolvent in 2002. Following Dornier's insolvency, Avcraft Aviation of Virginia acquired the rights to the 328 program in March 2003, including the 32-seat 328JET and 328 turboprop, 18 328JETs in various stages of assembly, and the development work on the 428Jet (a 44-seat version of the 328). After the successful sale of these airplanes, Avcraft negotiated arrangements with suppliers to resume production. The first newly built 328JET was delivered in 2004. Avcraft also took on the production of these aircraft, due to low profit expectations for its other projects, until it filed for bankruptcy itself in 2005.

1 Airline operators
2 Technical data
3 References
4 External links

[edit] Airline operators

In August 2006 a total of 56 Dornier 328-100 aircraft remain in airline service. Major operators include: Air Alps (7), Cirrus Airlines (6), ScotAirways (7), and Sun Air of Scandinavia (14). Some 9 other airlines operate smaller numbers of the type..^[1]
In August 2006 a total of 62 Dornier 328Jet aircraft remain in airline service. Major operators include: Hainan Airlines (29) and Midwest Connect (10). Some 12 other airlines also operate smaller numbers of the type.^[1]

[edit] Technical data

Specification	Data
Dornier Do 328:
Length	21.11 m
Wingpsan	20.98 m
Aerofoil area	40 m²
Height	7.24 m
Engine	Two Pratt & Whitney Canada PW119B propeller engines with 1,877 HP
Maximum speed	620 km/h
Range	1,352 km
Maximum altitude	9,455 m
Maximum load	3,450 kg
Maximum weight on departure	13,990 kg
Capacity	30 to 33 passengers
Avionics	Honeywell PRIMUS 2000