| 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 | Luftwaffe |
| 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[]
The Do 27 was developed from the Do 25, an aircraft originally designed to a Spanish military requirement for a light utility aircraft. 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 taking flight on 17 October 1956. The remainder (50) were manufactured in Spain by Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA as the CASA-127.
The German Luftwaffe 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 27B-2 used by Bernhard Grzimek
- 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
- 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[]
Turkey
Military Operators[]
Do 27
- Angola
- Belgium
- Belize
- Burundi
- Cyprus
- Cyprus Air Forces - Former operator.
- Republic of the Congo
- Germany
- Guinea-Bissau
- Israel
- Lesotho
- Malawi
- Mozambique
- Nigeria
- Portugal
Portuguese Air Force's Do 27.
- Portuguese Air Force operated 146 aircraft
- Rwanda
- South Africa
- South African Air Force operated 2 aircraft between 1958 - 1967.[4]
- Spain
- Sudan
- Sweden
- Swedish Army operated 5 aircraft between 1961 - 1991
- Switzerland
- Turkey
Specifications (Do 27Q-5)[]
Luftwaffe Do 27 on display in the Deutsches Museum
Data from Macdonald Aircraft Handbook [5]
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[]
- Dornier Do 28
- PZL-104 Wilga
- Pilatus PC-6 Porter
- Scottish Aviation Pioneer
- List of military aircraft of Germany
References[]
Notes[]
Bibliography[]
- Donald, David (Editor) (1997). The Encyclopedia of World Aircraft. Aerospace Publishing. p. 341. ISBN 1-85605-375-X.
- Green, William. Macdonald Aircraft Handbook. London. Macdonald & Co. (Publishers) Ltd., 1964.
- Jackson, Paul A. German Military Aviation 1956-1976. Hinckley, Leicestershire, UK: Midland Counties Publications, 1976. ISBN 0-904597-03-2.
External links[]
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