Dornier Do 27
Do 27 | |
---|---|
Do 27 in Swiss Air Force markings | |
Role | STOL light utility aircraft |
Manufacturer | Dornier Flugzeugbau GmbH |
First flight | 27 June 1955 |
Status | In civilian use |
Primary user | German Air Force |
Produced | 1955-1965 |
Number built | 628 |
Developed from | Dornier Do 25 |
Developed into | Dornier Do 28 Dornier Do 29 |
The Dornier Do 27 was a German single-engine STOL utility aircraft, manufactured by Dornier GmbH (later DASA Dornier, Fairchild-Dornier). Configuration was a classic high-wing, "tail-dragger" aircraft with fixed landing gear.
History
Dorniers facilities in Spain designed the Do 25, to a Spanish military requirement for a light utility aircraft, as a precursor to the production Do 27. Powered by a single 110 kilowatts (150 hp) ENMA Tigre G.V engine, the Do 25 was not selected for production.
The Do 27 seated four to six and the original prototype first flew in Spain on 27 June 1955.[1] Most production aircraft were built in Germany, the first German built aircraft taking flight on 17 October 1956, 50 more were manufactured in Spain by Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA as the CASA-127.
The German Air Force and German Army ordered a total of 428 of the Do 27A and Do 27B (with dual controls).[2]
A later version with the same basic specifications but equipped with wider track landing gear was known as the Do 27Q-5. The aircraft was offered as a twin-float seaplane, the Do 27S-1, and with a larger engine (254 kW/340 hp Lycoming GSO-480-B1B6) and a three-blade propeller as the Do 27H-2.
In addition to the military operators in Germany and Spain, Portugal received 40 new build and 106 ex-German aircraft. The Portuguese Air Force used these extensively in the colonial war in Portuguese Africa during the 1960s-70s. In the Portuguese Guinea, in April 1973, two Do 27s were shot down by SAM-7 Grail shoulder-launched AAMs.[3]
The Do 27 was notable for being the first mass-produced aircraft in Germany after World War II. It was appreciated for its relatively wide, comfortable cabin and excellent short-field performance.
Variants
- Do 25
- Precursor aircraft designed to a Spanish requirement and powered by a 110 kilowatts (150 hp) ENMA Tigre G.V engine.[4]
- Do 27
- Prototype, two built.
- Do 27A-1
- Military five-seat single-engine STOL utility transport aircraft, 177 built
- Do 27A-2
- Do 27A-1 with minor modification inside, two built.
- Do 27A-3
- Do 27A-1 with increased Take Off Gross Weight, 88 built.
- Do 27-A4
- Variant with wide landing gear and increased Take Off Gross Weight, 65 built.
- Do 27B-1
- Dual-control version of the A-1, 86 built.
- Do 27B-2
- Do 27B-2 with minor modification inside, five built.
- Do 27B-3
- Do 27B-2 with increased Take Off Gross Weight, 16 built.
- Do 27B-5
- Conversions of 27B-3s to 27A-4 standard.
- Do 27H-1
- Do 27B-2 powered by a 254 kW (340 hp) Avco Lycoming GSO-480 piston engine with a three-bladed propeller and a larger tail, one built.
- Do 27H-2
- Variant of the H-1 for the Swiss Air Force with some modifications as applied to the Do 27Q-1
- Do 27J-1
- Production of the Do 27A-4 for Belgian Army, 12 built.
- Do 27K-1
- Production of the Do 27A-4 for Portuguese Air Force, 16 built.
- Do 27K-2
- Similar to K-1 with minor modifications for Portuguese Air Force, 14 built.
- Do 27Q-1
- Six-seat variant of the A-1 for civil market, 16 built.
- Do 27Q-3
- Four-seat variant of the Q-1 with a 230 hp Continental O-470K engine, one built.
- Do 27Q-4
- Improved Q-1 with auxiliary fuel tanks, 34 built.
- Do 27Q-5
- Improved Q-4 with internal modifications, 12 built.
- Do 27Q-5(R)
- Restricted category version of the Do 27Q-5.
- Do 27Q-6
- Variant of the Q-5 with internal changes for Guinea Bissau and Brazil, 2 built.
- Do 27S-1
- Floatplane version with enlarged rudder and a ventral fin, one built.
- Do 27T
- One Do 27Q-4 converted with a Turbomeca Astazou II turboprop engine.
Operators
Civil operators
Military Operators
- Cyprus Air Forces - Former operator.
- Portuguese Air Force operated 146 aircraft
- South African Air Force operated 2 aircraft between 1958 - 1967.[7]
- Swedish Army operated 5 aircraft between 1961 - 1991
Specifications (Do 27Q-5)
Data from Macdonald Aircraft Handbook [8]
General characteristics
- Crew: 1 or 2
- Capacity: 4-6 passengers
- Length: 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in)
- Wingspan: 12 m (39 ft 5 in)
- Height: 2.80 m (9 ft 2 in)
- Wing area: 19.4 m² (208.7 ft²)
- Empty weight: 1,073 kg (2,365 lb)
- Max. takeoff weight: 1,850 kg (4,080 lb)
- Powerplant: 1 × Lycoming GO-480-B1A6 6-cylinder piston engine, 201 kW (270 hp)
Performance
- Never exceed speed: 333 km/h (180 kn, 207 mph)
- Maximum speed: 232 km/h (125 kn, 144 mph)
- Cruise speed: 211 km/h (114 kn, 131 mph)
- Stall speed: 74 km/h (40 kn, 46 mph)
- Range: 1,287 km (695 nmi, 800 mi)
- Service ceiling: 3,290 m (10,800 ft)
See also
- Related development
- Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era
- Related lists
References
Notes
- ↑ Jackson 1976, p. 10.
- ↑ Donald 1997, p. 341
- ↑ Canongia Lopes, Mario High Winged Workhorses: Broussards and Dorniers in Portuguese Service Air Enthusiast #75 May–June 1998 p.44
- ↑
- Bridgman, Leonard (1955). Jane's all the World's Aircraft 1955-56. London: Jane's Publishing Company.
- ↑ Air International February 1993, p. 104.
- ↑ Air International December 1985, p. 282.
- ↑ http://www.saairforce.co.za/the-airforce/aircraft/149/do-27a
- ↑ Green 1964, p. 31.
Bibliography
- Bridgman, Leonard (1955). Jane's all the World's Aircraft 1955-56. London: Jane's Publishing Company.
- Donald, David, ed. (1997). The Encyclopedia of World Aircraft. Aerospace Publishing. p. 341. ISBN 1-85605-375-X.
- "FAPA - A force alone". Air International. Vol. 44 no. 2. February 1993. pp. 103–105. ISSN 0306-5634.
- Green, William (1964). Macdonald Aircraft Handbook. London: Macdonald & Co. (Publishers) Ltd.
- Jackson, Paul A. (1976). German Military Aviation 1956-1976. Hinckley, Leicestershire, UK: Midland Counties Publications. ISBN 0-904597-03-2.
- "A West African Rarity". Air International. Vol. 29 no. 6. December 1985. p. 282. ISSN 0306-5634.
External links
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