The new aircraft's predecessors are the Dornier 228 (242 delivered to 85 customers), the 328 (110 delivered to 23 customers) and the current production 328JET, shown, with 81 delivered to 17 operators from an orderbook of 142 aircraft.
Unveiled for the first time in public, the Fairchild Dornier 728 appears a trim design. First flight is scheduled for August 2002.
The 728 static test airframe which was nearing completion at the end of March 2002.
The main undercarriage comprises twin-wheel units, manufactured by Goodrich, which retract sideways into the fuselage. On the left is the exhaust cone of the port GE CF34 turbofan.
The enormous investment in the programme can be guaged by the view which shows fuselage barrels under construction in the largely automated factory at Oberpfaffenhofen.
The Fairchild Dornier 728 being rolled out on March 21, 2002
The tail unit of prototype D-AEVA. Tapering well behind the fin and rudder, the extended tail-cone will house the yet-to-be-fitted APU - and will also help identify the 'baby jet'.
The high-gloss finish of the first aircraft belies the internal work still needed to prepare for a first flight in August 2002. The main cabin was empty and awaiting the installation of test equipment.
At the end of January 2002, the prototype 728 (known at Test Aircraft 1 or TAC l) was moving towards basic airframe completion in Hangar 395 at Oberpfaffenhofen.
In the cockpit, the Honeywell EPIC System underlined the advanced nature of the design, but the five main multifunction displays remained blank as power had yet to be introduced into the aircraft.
The cabin mock-up of the 728 at Oberpfaffenhofen has undergone a number of changes, but it retains the basic 128in (3,251 mm) width, 84.2in (2,138 mm) height and bin shape which ‘sold’ the design to customer airlines.
The projected 928 is Fairchild Dornier's challenge to the 90/100-seat market. It will be larger and have increased range, but have commonality in cockpit and systems with the 728.
For the big-spending business buyers, the Envoy 7 will have greater range and added refinements such as the Super Shark winglets.
The seating plan illustrates the standard one-class 75-passenger layout.
Front and plan-view of the 728-200 showing the location of the main cabin access doors and ventral baggage-loading doors.
The company side-view is in the older Dornier colours, but the prototype had a scheme devised by German artist Walter Maurer.
