Dornier Do 328
| Dornier 328 | |
|---|---|
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| British Airways Dornier 328 | |
| Role | Airliner |
| National origin | Germany |
| 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 |
| Unit cost |
$8,000,000
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| Developed into | Fairchild Dornier 328JET |
 In-cockpit footage of a 328 during a visual approach landing
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Promotional video of a Dornier 328 private jet conversion
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Video of a Dornier 328 taxiing and taking off
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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.
The Dornier 328 (or Do 328) program was initially started while Dornier was still owned by Deutsche Aerospace. According to Deutsche Aerospace program manager Reinhold Birrenbach, the 328 had its origins in market research conducted in and around 1984; feedback from airlines indicated a desire for a fast, quiet and easy to maintain commuter airliner with a 30-seat capacity. This market research reportedly led Deutsche Aerospace to formulate a sales prediction of 400 or greater units being purchased overall; this forecast was in part derived from the reasoning that the 328 would be more advanced than its nearest competitors. Favourable features included a high cruising speed of 345 kt (640 km/h) as well as a higher cruising altitude and range, making the aircraft almost as fast as jet airliners while being more fuel-efficient; a trend away from spoke–and-hub distribution in favour of point-to-point transit was also viewed as being favourable to the 328.
In December 1988, the 328 project was re-launched following the granting of shareholder approval after negotiations between the Dornier family and Daimler Benz. As the result of a six-month evaluation, a selection of powerplants deemed to be appropriate for the 328 was formed, these being the General Electric CT7-9D, the Garrett TPE-341-21 and the Pratt & Whitney Canada PW119A. While the Garrett engine was viewed by Deutsche Aerospace as being technically superior, Pratt & Whitney's powerplant was more advanced in development and thus was chosen. The engine selection was soon followed by the selection of a six-bladed composite propeller from Hartzell, Hartzell's submission being reportedly substantially lighter than competing bids from Dowty and Hamilton Standard. Following various considerations between electromechanical and digital instrumentation, Dornier opted for a digital glass cockpit and selected Honeywell to provide this after considering options from Saab Group, Rockwell Collins, and Smiths Aerospace.
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