Manufacturer · Germany · Founded 1920s
Dornier: Flying Boats to Bush Planes
In 1929 a German company launched something nobody had seen before: a flying boat so big it had three decks and twelve engines. The Do X was the creation of Dornier, a company that spent the next century swinging between grand ambition and very practical aircraft, and whose most successful plane is still being built today, in India.
Claude Dornier and the flying boats
Claude Dornier was a German engineer who pioneered building aircraft entirely out of metal at a time when most were still wood and fabric. His company became famous for flying boats, starting with the Dornier Wal of the 1920s, which flew mail across the South Atlantic and carried polar explorers.
The Do X was the ultimate expression of the idea. It first flew on 12 July 1929, the largest, heaviest and most powerful flying boat in the world. Its twelve engines were mounted in six pairs on top of the wing, one pulling and one pushing in each pair. On one test flight it carried 169 people, a staggering number for the time. But it was underpowered and slow, and it never became a commercial success. Only three were built.
The arc
Dornier’s century
- 1929Proof
The Do X flies
On 12 July: the largest, heaviest flying boat in the world, with 12 engines.
- 1981Proof
Dornier 228
A rugged 19-seat twin-turboprop for short and rough strips.
- 1983The bet
Built in India
HAL buys a licence and starts building the 228 in Kanpur.
- 1991The bet
Dornier 328
The 30-seat regional turboprop first flies on 6 December.
- 2002Break
Fairchild Dornier collapses
Airliner production in Germany stops.
- 2020sReset
D328eco
Deutsche Aircraft develops a modernised, stretched 328.
The 228: a plane for rough places
Dornier’s greatest commercial success was far smaller. The Dornier 228, from 1981, is a 19-seat twin-turboprop with a distinctive straight, slim wing. It’s tough and simple and can use short, unpaved strips, so it found work everywhere from coastguard patrols to bush airlines and mountain routes in the Himalayas (see Nepal’s extreme mountain airports). Germany built 245, and India’s HAL built another 125 under licence in Kanpur.
The 328, and a collapse
Next came the Dornier 328, a fast, quiet 30-seat turboprop that first flew on 6 December 1991, followed by a jet-powered version, the 328JET. By then Dornier had been bought by the American company Fairchild, becoming Fairchild Dornier. But the regional market was brutal: it was the same squeeze that ended Saab’s and Fokker’s airliner businesses. Fairchild Dornier became insolvent in 2002, and the German production lines stopped.
The real numbers
Dornier in figures
12
Engines on the Do X
First flight 12 July 1929
169
People carried
On one Do X test flight
370
Dornier 228s
245 in Germany + 125 by HAL
2002
Fairchild Dornier collapse
German production ends
A second life
The name refuses to disappear. A new company, Deutsche Aircraft, is developing the D328eco, a stretched and modernised 328 with new Pratt & Whitney engines, a modern cockpit and room for up to about 40 passengers, designed to run on sustainable fuel. And in India, HAL still builds an updated 228, sold as the Hindustan 228, for the country’s regional routes.
Iconic aircraft
1929
Dornier Do X
A 12-engined flying boat; three built.
1981
Dornier 228
A 19-seat utility turboprop; 245 built in Germany and 125 by HAL in India.
1991
Dornier 328
A fast 30-seat turboprop, plus a jet version, the 328JET.
Sources & Further Reading
Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How big was the Dornier Do X?
It was the largest, heaviest and most powerful flying boat in the world when it first flew on 12 July 1929. It had twelve engines mounted in pairs on top of its wing, and on one test flight it famously carried 169 people. Only three were built.
Is the Dornier 228 still built?
Yes, in India. Hindustan Aeronautics builds an updated version, marketed as the Hindustan 228, at Kanpur. In Germany, the original line built 245 between 1981 and 1998.
What is the D328eco?
A modernised, stretched version of the Dornier 328 being developed by Deutsche Aircraft. It is designed for up to about 40 passengers with new Pratt & Whitney engines and a modern cockpit, and to run on sustainable aviation fuel.
Why is the Dornier 228 so popular for remote airports?
It is tough, simple, carries up to 19 passengers and can use very short and unpaved runways. That makes it a favourite for mountain, island and bush operations, including in Nepal.
Who was Claude Dornier?
A German engineer who pioneered all-metal aircraft construction in the early 20th century and founded the company that built flying boats like the Wal and the Do X.