Fairchild Dornier 328JET

328JET
Tyrolean Jet Services 328JET
Role Airliner
Manufacturer Fairchild Dornier
First flight 20 January 1998
Status Active
Primary users Hainan Airlines
Skyway Airlines
Sun Air of Scandinavia
Ultimate Air Shuttle
Key Lime Air
Produced 1996-2002
Number built 110
Unit cost
$10.5 million (1996)[1]
Developed from Dornier 328
Variants Fairchild Dornier 428JET
Developed into Lockheed Martin X-55

The Fairchild-Dornier 328JET is a commuter airliner, based upon the turboprop-powered Dornier 328. The 428JET was a proposed stretched variant.

The 328 was designed and placed into initial production by the German aerospace firm Dornier Luftfahrt GmbH, but in 1996 that firm was acquired by the United States aerospace company Fairchild Aircraft. The resulting corporation, named Fairchild Dornier, continued the production of the 328 family in Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany, conducted sales from San Antonio, Texas, and supported the product line from both locations.

Design and development

A 328JET of Cirrus Airlines, with a DHC-8 in the background

Due to public perception of noise and reliability issues with turboprops, Fairchild-Dornier developed the turbofan-based 328-300 or 328JET, of which 83 were sold. The 328JET prototype rolled out on 6 December 1997 at Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany, and made its first flight there on 20 January 1998.[2] The 328JET utilized the same cabin arrangement as the 328. Fairchild-Dornier also began development of the stretched 428JET, a 44-seat version of the 328JET.

The declining commercial success of the 328JET meant that Fairchild-Dornier was unable to finance the development of further models. The 328JET was therefore the last commercial aircraft to be produced by the former Dornier business before it became insolvent in 2002.

Dornier aftermath

Following Dornier's insolvency, AvCraft Aviation of Virginia acquired the 328 program in March 2003.[3] This included the designs, 18 328JETs in various stages of assembly, and the development work on the 428JET. After the sale of these airplanes, AvCraft negotiated with its suppliers to resume production due to low profit expectations for its other projects. It delivered its first 328JET in 2004.

AvCraft filed for bankruptcy in 2005.[3] The resulting firm was acquired by private equity investors and reformed as M7 Aerospace.

In June 2006, 328 Support Services GmbH acquired the 328JET type certificate.[4] It did not resume manufacturing, but provides maintenance, repair and overhaul services to the 330 in-service fleet.[5]

In February 2015, US engineering company Sierra Nevada Corporation acquired 328 Support Services GmbH.[6][3] Shortly thereafter, Sierra Nevada's owner, 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 Transportation Ministry of Turkey in order to manufacture the 328 at Ankara.[7] In June 2015, the Turkish government launched the Turkish TR328 and TRJ328 regional aircraft project, a modernized 328/328JET, with either turboprops or jets.[8] It could be followed by the larger TR628/TRJ-628.[9]

While first flight was anticipated in 2019, Turkey abandoned the program in October 2017, facing increasing costs. Believing in the sub 40-seat market, Sierra Nevada Corporation and 328 Support Services GmbH are searching for other means to revive the aircraft, hoping to follow through by the end of 2017 or early 2018.[10]

Variants

ADAC 328JET air ambulance.
328JET
Turbofan-powered variant, formerly the 328-300.
428JET
A 44-seat derivative that was under development at the time of the collapse of Fairchild-Dornier.
Lockheed Martin X-55 Advanced Composite Cargo Aircraft (ACCA)
a Dornier 328J with its mid/aft fuselage and empennage replaced with advanced composite materials. The ACCA is a Lockheed Martin demonstrator to advance composite usage on next-generation tactical air mobility transports for the US Air Force Research Laboratory.

Operators

In July 2018, a total of 32 Dornier 328JET aircraft remained in airline service. The only operators remaining are Sun Air of Scandinavia with 16 aircraft and Key Lime Air with 7 aircraft, and Ultimate Air Shuttle with 9 aircraft.[11]

Past airline operators in the U.S. include Skyway Airlines, a feeder airline for Midwest Airlines, which flew twelve 328JET aircraft and Great Plains Airlines (four 328JET aircraft). Skyway, Midwest and Great Plains are no longer in existence. Atlantic Coast Airlines operated over 30 328JET aircraft as part of its Delta Connection service from 2000 until 2005 when Delta Air Lines and Atlantic Coast terminated their agreement with the arrival of Airbus A319s into the rebranded Independence Air fleet.

Dornier 328JET Pratt & Whitney at Pearson International Airport

A small Iranian operator named Sepehran Airlines also operated some Fairchild Dornier 328JETs

Accidents and incidents

  • On June 3, 2006, a PAC-Private Air Charters Fairchild Dornier 328JET overran runway 34R at Manassas Regional Airport and stopped on a road near the airport. None of the eight passengers and crew were injured in the incident but the damage to the aircraft was substantial.[12]

Specifications (Dornier 328-300JET)

Data from [13]

General characteristics

  • Crew: three (two pilots + flight attendant)
  • Capacity: 30 to 33 passengers, Max payload 3,266 kg (7,200 lb)
  • Length: 21.11 m (69 ft 3 in)
  • Wingspan: 20.98 m (68 ft 10 in)
  • Height: 7.24 m (23 ft 9 in)
  • Wing area: 40.0 m2 (431 sq ft)
  • Empty weight: 9,420 kg (20,768 lb)
  • Max takeoff weight: 15,660 kg (34,524 lb)
  • Powerplant: 2 × Pratt & Whitney Canada PW306B , 26.9 kN (6,000 lbf) thrust each

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 750 km/h (466 mph; 405 kn)
  • Range: 3,705 km (2,302 mi; 2,001 nmi) with optional long range fuel tank
  • Service ceiling: 11,000 m (35,000 ft)

See also

Related development

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

Related lists

References

  1. ↑ Guy Norris (13 Nov 1996). "Fairchild Dornier nears engine selection on 328 jet". Flightglobal.
  2. ↑ 1&1 Homepage-Baukasten. "Dornier 328JET - Fairchild Dornier". fairchild-dornier.com. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 Dan Thisdell (18 February 2015). "New era for Dornier 328 with Sierra Nevada acquisition". Flight International.
  4. ↑ "FAA Type Certificate Data Sheet No. A45NM" (PDF). Federal Aviation Administration. September 9, 2016.
  5. ↑ Kate Sarsfield (27 March 2015). "Back to life: nine civil types revived". Flight International.
  6. ↑ "Sierra Nevada Corporation Expands into Global Aircraft Markets through Investments in UK and Germany - SNC Acquires 328 Support Services GmbH" (Press release). Sierra Nevada Corporation. February 6, 2015.
  7. ↑ "Sierra Nevada Corporation Collaborates on Regional Jet Aircraft in Turkey" (Press release). Sierra Nevada Corporation. May 27, 2015.
  8. ↑ Dominic Perry (15 June 2015). "PARIS: Turkish regional aircraft may feature P&W engines". Flight International.
  9. ↑ Niall O'Keeffe (15 October 2015). "Programme partner outlines production plan for modernised 328s". Flight International.
  10. ↑ Alan Dron (Oct 20, 2017). "Turkey scraps Dornier 328 revival". Aviation Week Network. Archived from the original on 2017-10-20.
  11. ↑ "World Airline Census 2018". Flightglobal.com. Retrieved 2018-08-26.
  12. ↑ "ASN Aircraft accident Dornier 328Jet-300 N328PD Manassas Regional-Harry P. Davis Field, VA (MNZ)". Aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 2013-08-16.
  13. ↑ "The Fairchild Dornier 328JET Aircraft Data". Airliners.net. Retrieved 2008-08-08.
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