Dornier Do 28B

Dornier · Germany · first flew 1966 · light aircraft

The Dornier Do 28 was a light STOL utility aircraft that used the distinctive Dornier approach of mounting its twin piston engines on fuselage sponsons beneath the high wing, keeping the wing itself clean and the propellers clear of obstacles during rough-field operations.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	High-mounted, straight
E — Engines	2 × piston, fuselage-mounted
F — Fuselage	High-wing STOL utility with two piston engines mounted on fuselage sponsons
T — Tail	Conventional

WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.

Spot it by:

High-wing STOL utility with two piston engines mounted on fuselage sponsons
Engines mounted outboard of the fuselage on stub wings below the main wing
Fixed undercarriage and slab-sided fuselage

The engines mounted on fuselage sponsons well below and ahead of the high straight wing are the unique recognition feature of the Do 28; no other production aircraft uses this configuration, immediately separating it from all other light twins.

Specifications

The Dornier Do 28B has a length of 9 m (30 ft).
It has a wingspan of 13.8 m (45 ft).
Typical crew: 1.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

Derived from the single-engined Do 27, the Do 28 added a second engine on fuselage-mounted sponsons rather than in a conventional twin-engine arrangement. The Do 28B was a developed variant with improved Lycoming engines. The Do 28 family eventually evolved into the much larger Do 28D Skyservant with a redesigned fuselage.

Variants

The Do 28A was the initial twin-engine version; the Do 28B introduced uprated Lycoming IO-540 engines; the entirely redesigned Do 28D Skyservant and its military Do 28D-2 development shared only the name and engine mounting philosophy.

Where you'll see it

Do 28s served with the German Luftwaffe as utility transports, with civil operators in Europe and Africa, and were exported to numerous countries for bush flying and short-strip operations.

Related aircraft

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