Fairchild Dornier 328JET

328JET

Picture - Tyrolean Jet Services 328JET

Role: Airliner
Manufacturer: Fairchild Dornier
Primary users: Hainan Airlines Skyway Airlines
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. A proposed stretched variant was the 428JET.

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. 328 Support Services GmbH has held the type certificate for this aircraft since June 2006.

Design and development

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 utilized the same cabin arrangement as the 328. Fairchild-Dornier also began development of the stretched 428JET, a 44-seat version of the 328JET.

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

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. 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. 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. The resulting firm was acquired by private equity investors and reformed as M7 Aerospace.

Variants

Picture - ADAC 328JET air ambulance.

328JET - Turbofan-powered variant, formerly the 328-300.
Advanced Composite Cargo Aircraft - 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 August 2010 a total of 54 Dornier 328Jet aircraft remain in airline service. The only operators with a fleet of more than five are Ultimate Jetcharters (based in Ohio at the Akron Canton Airport) with 10 and Tianjin Airlines with 29. Some 13 other airlines also operate smaller numbers of the type.

Specifications (Dornier 328JET)

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 8 passengers and crew were injured in the incident but the damage to the aircraft was substantial.

Related development

Dornier 328
Fairchild Dornier 428JET
Lockheed Martin X-55
Fairchild Dornier 728 family

Comparable aircraft

Bombardier CRJ200
Embraer ERJ 135
Antonov An-158

Fairchild Dornier 328JET Pictures

More aircraft.

Source: WikiPedia