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 ==
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.
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.
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.
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.
It did not resume manufacturing, but provides maintenance, repair and overhaul services
to the 330 in-service fleet.In February 2015, US engineering company Sierra Nevada Corporation
acquired 328 Support Services GmbH.
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.
In June 2015, the Turkish government launched the Turkish TR328 and TRJ328 regional aircraft
project, a modernized 328/328JET, with either turboprops or jets.
It could be followed by the larger TR628/TRJ-628.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.
== Variants ==
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, Ultimate Jet Charters with 9 aircraft including one or more in Taos
Air livery with flights from Austin and Dallas to Taos, New Mexico.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.
==== Minor Operators ==== Pratt & Whitney Canada owns and operates one
Dornier 328JET, registry number C-GCPW, between its Montreal and Toronto facilities as an
employee shuttle.
It primarily flies between Toronto Pearson International Airport (CYYZ) and Montreal
Saint-Hubert Longueuil Airport (CYHU).
== 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.
== Specifications (Dornier 328-300JET) == Data from 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 eachPerformance
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
Dornier 328 Fairchild Dornier 428JET
Lockheed Martin X-55 Fairchild Dornier 728 familyAircraft of comparable
role, configuration and era
Bombardier CRJ200 Embraer ERJ 135
Related lists
List of jet airliners