Dornier 228: Тарихы мен қазіргі жағдайы

Transport aircraft family by Dornier

The Dornier 228 is a twin turboprop STOL utility aircraft, designed and first manufactured by Dornier GmbH (later DASA Dornier, Fairchild Dornier) from 1981 until 1998. Two hundred and forty five were built in Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany. In 1983, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) bought a production licence and manufactured another 125 aircraft in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India. In July 2017, 63 aircraft were still in airline service. In 2009, RUAG started building a Dornier 228 New Generation in Germany. The fuselage, wings and tail unit are manufactured by HAL in Kanpur, India, and transported to Oberpfaffenhofen, where RUAG Aviation carries out aircraft final assembly. The Dornier 228NG uses the same airframe with improved technologies and performances, such as a new five blade propeller, glass cockpit and longer range. The first delivery was made in September 2010 to a Japanese operator. In 2020, RUAG sold the Dornier 228 program to General Atomics. The company developed a new fuselage for the TNT and TPE 331–5 in two variants (15 and 19 passenger) and named both project aircraft E 1 (later Dornier 228 100) and E 2 (later Dornier 228 200). At the ILA Berlin Air Show in 1980, Dornier presented the new aircraft to the public. Both of the prototypes were flown on 28 March 1981 and 9 May 1981 for the first time. After German certification was granted on 18 December 1981, the first Dornier 228 100 entered service in the fleet of Norving in July 1982. Certification from both British and American aviation authorities followed on 17 April and 11 May 1984 respectively. Over the years, Dornier offered the 228 in upgraded variants and fitted with optional equipment for performing various special missions. In 1996, it was announced that all manufacturing operations would be transferred to India. The first fully electric flight is planned for 2020 and the first hybrid electric flight for 2021, apparently from Cochstedt Airport. Partners include MTU Aero Engines and Siemens, of which Rolls Royce plc is acquiring the electric propulsion unit. On 19 January 2023, ZeroAvia flew its Dornier 228 testbed during 10 minutes with one TPE331 turboprop replaced by a prototype hydrogen electric powertrain in the cabin: two fuel cells and a lithium ion battery for peak power, towards a certifiable configuration by 2025.

The Dornier 228 is a twin engine general purpose aircraft, capable of transporting up to 19 passengers or various cargoes. It is powered by a pair of Garrett TPE331 turboprop engines. The Dornier 228 is commonly classified as a Short Takeoff and Landing (STOL) capable aircraft, being capable of operating from rough runways and in hot climates. This capability has been largely attributed to the type's supercritical wing which generates large amounts of lift at slow speeds. The rectangular shape of the Dornier 228's fuselage section and large side loading doors make it particularly suitable for utility operators, which is a market that Dornier had targeted with the type from the onset. The structure of the wing is atypical, consisting of a box formed from four integrally milled alloy panels. Kevlar is used for the ribs, stringers, trailing edge and fowler flaps, and the wing's leading edge is conventional alloy sheet metal. Benefits of this wing over conventional methodology include a 15% reduction in weight, the elimination of 12,000 rivets, and lowering the per aircraft manufacturing workload by roughly 340 man hours. Both the fuselage and tail are of a conventional design, but make use of chemical milling in order to save weight. Special equipment available to be installed include a 360 degree surveillance radar, side looking airborne radar, forward looking infrared (FLIR) sensor, search light, operator station, real time datalink, enlarged fuel tanks, satellite uplink, stretches, air openable roller door, and infrared/ultraviolet sensors.

More than 350 design changes are present between the Dornier 228 and the re launched Dornier 228 NG. Amongst the principal changes is the adoption of Universal's UNS 1 glass cockpit, which means that standard aircraft are equipped to be flown under single pilot instrument flight rules (IFR) in addition to visual flight rules (VFR); according to RUAG Aviation, the Dornier 228 NG is the first aircraft in its class to be certified with equivalent electronics. A total of four large displays are used in the cockpit, two primary flight displays and two multifunction displays, to present all key flight data. Through its engines, the Dornier 228 NG has the longest time between overhaul (TBO) of any 19 seat aircraft, reportedly up to 7,000 hours. An engine indicating and crew alerting system (EICAS) is also present for safety purposes; additional optional safety equipment akin to much larger passenger aircraft, including airborne collision avoidance system (ACAS) and terrain awareness and warning system (TAWS), can be incorporated as well. Other operators include police, law enforcement, paramilitary operators and military operators. By July 2018, the fleet accumulated over four million flight hours.