Country of origin:

Germany

Description:

General-purpose utility transport

Power Plant:

(Do-28A)

Two 186 kw (250 hp) Avco Lycoming IO-540A six-cylinder horizontally-opposed air-cooled engines

Specifications:

History:

The Dornier Do-28 was designed and built by Dornier as a twin-engine STOL light utility aircraft. It had its origins in the single-engine Do-25 developed in Spain, this later becoming the very successful Do-27 series, the Do-28 being a development of the latter fitted with two engines, and being supplied to a number of air forces, including Germany and Israel (where it was known as the Agur).

To minimise structural changes, and to use as much of the Do-27 as possible to save development and production costs, the twin-engine Do-28 was fitted with two direct drive Lycoming engines attached to stub wings on either side of the nose. The prototype first flew on 29 April 1959 and had two 134 kw (180 hp) four-cylinder Lycoming O-360-A1A engines, but tests revealed it could not maintain height on one engine so production aircraft, known as the Do-28A, had the 186 kw (250 hp) IO-540 engine, this being increased to 216 kw (290 hp) in the Model Do-28B, the latter two models having wheel spats fitted to the fixed undercarriage to reduce drag, and the wingspan increased by 2.1 m (7 ft).

Construction was of conventional metal with the design of the airframe being aimed at keeping the structure simple, all airframe components being arranged to be easy to replace and repair. Sensitive materials and difficult shapes were avoided for a few welded, forged or machined parts. The wing was strutless and had several highlift devices, including full-span fixed leading-edge slats and large double-slotted Fowler flaps, the entire trailing-edge moving when the flaps were lowered, the inner section of the double-slotted Frise ailerons drooping with the flaps while the outer section reflexed upwards.

First production model was the Do-28A-1, and 60 were built. The Model Do-28A-1 was followed by the Do-28B-1, this having 216 kw (290 hp) engines, a tailplane of increased area, a ventral fin strake, and increased fuel capacity. Production continued for some time, examples being supplied to the air forces of Germany, Turkey, Nigeria, Israel, and Katanga. Later the American Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) built up a small fleet of second-hand aircraft for use by Air America in Vietnam and Laos, these aircraft being excellent for the operations of the airline into short jungle airstrips with their STOL performance.

Later again the type was developed into the Do-28D Skyservant, which had a larger wing, increased power. It was developed to the Do-128 with turboprops.

The Do-28 was a cantilever high-wing monoplane with full-span fixed slots and provision for pneumatic de-icing. It had a non-retractable tail-wheel undercarriage with oleo-pneumatic shock absorbers.

The Do-28 was noted for its STOL abilities and docile handling, being able to operate in and out of 275 m (900 ft) jungle strips. An initial report in ‘Australian Flying’ magazine in September 1965 stated Dornair Pty Ltd at Essendon Airport, VIC was to market the type in Australia. The first aircraft, it was said, would be a Do-28D, to be flown from Munich in October 1965, which would make an appearance at most major Australian centres and, following receipt of an Australian Certificate of Airworthiness, would undertake a comprehensive ‘demo-sales tour’ of the Commonwealth.

One example VH-EXA² (c/n 3071 – ex D-IBUN), a Model Do-28B-1, was imported to Australia as a demonstrator, the Australian distributor taking delivery in Darwin, NT. It was registered to Executive Air Services in March 1966 in Melbourne, VIC. It was noted at Hobart, TAS in March 1966 fitted with a trailing magnetometer for mineral survey work, operating in south-west Tasmania, being leased for mineral survey work for Aero Service Ltd of Sydney, NSW, this being in association with Aero Service Corporation of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.

In 1966 VH-EXA² was hired by the Department of National Development, National Mapping Section, from Executive Air Services to carry out contract mapping of Australian inland desert areas, being operated in remote locations in South Australia, Western Australia and Queensland. During that year in September it attended and was displayed at an aviation event at Parafield, SA.

In April 1967 the Do-28 was delivered to Aerial Tours Pty Ltd in New Guinea on an extended lease, registration changing to VH-ATR on 30 November 1967. It suffered a landing accident on 19 January 1968. Ownership was changed to Aerial Tours on 12 February 1970. It is reported to have been sold in Luxembourg in June 1972 and was later exported to Israel but did not appear on the Israel Civil Aircraft Register. However it saw service with the Israel Air Force with the serial 016. One report stated it was shot down on 21 October 1973.

At least two others are known to have spent some time in this region. A Do-28A-1 N20LP (c/n 3050 – ex D-IBEX, CS-AIO) was imported to Ardmore, New Zealand from Hawaii in 1996. It was first registered as D-IBEX in May 1964, and became CS-AIO in 1969. It was obtained by Thomas L Dolan in January 1988 in Hawaii and became N20LP. Ownership was transferred to American Pacific Air Inc of Kahului, Hawaii in August 1990, and then to Pacific Southwest Ltd of Waiuku, Auckland on 4 March 1998. It is believed to have done little, if any, flying in New Zealand and was placed in storage in a hangar in a dismantled condition until early 2016 when it was offered for sale, interested purchasers to contact the owner. It was described as disassembled and in covered storage.

Another Do-28A-1 registered F-OCBR (c/n 3047 – ex D-IBOK) arrived in Port Vila, the New Hebrides (now Vanuatu) for Hebridair on 25 February 1964 but three days later was badly damaged in a crash at Ancityum on the 28th. On 24 October 1964 it was placed on the French civil register as F-OCBR to Hebridair. Hebridair was a French-backed new-start airline formed in Noumea to compete with New Hebrides Airways Drover Services. However, the New Hebrides Condominium ruled that the two operators had to merge and, in an uneasy arrangement, the two airlines shared routes under the new name of Air Melanesiae (later the final ‘e’ was deleted). The only aircraft Hebridair was operating was the Dornier Do-28, and it seems it was quite accident prone. The company then leased Piper PA-23 Aztecs from James Hazelton of Cudal, NSW. Air Melanesiae was at one stage operating a de Havilland Drover.

Ownership of the Dornier Do-28 was transferred to Air Melanesiae on 1 July 1966 but it again crashed at Malekula, Norsup on 22 August 1966 and had to be rebuilt. It was test flown on 10 December 1967 at Noumea’s Magenta airport and returned to service on 20 December 1967 with Air Melanesiae.

It seems the aircraft was flown to New Zealand and was parked in the open at Ardmore Airport from 1969 to 1973 but was never registered. It also seems it did very little flying. One report stated the aircraft was scrapped; another stated it was flown to Australia via Norfolk Island. Be that as it may, it seems it eventually returned to Noumea where it was broken up.