Dornier : A good replacement for the Aurigny Trislander ?
 

Dear All,

Happy New Year to one and all ! I'm posting as a PPL, looking to learn more about trislanders and dorniers.

I travel backwards and forwards to Alderney, Channel Islands with Aurigny on their trislanders which as many will know are extensively used on the ACI-SOU route and inter-island. They are relatively expensive to maintain, coming to the end of their lifespan and Aurigny are actively looking for a replacement model. I also understand that EASA in their wisdom have mandated from 1st October 2014 no revenue flights can take place on planes without weather radar, which would make for an expensive / impossible retrofit for the trislander fleet which currently don't have this facility.

One suggested replacement model is the Dornier 28 which has recently been trialled with generally favourable feedback.

It has been suggested by some, in the local Alderney Journal, the Dornier may not be an ideal trislander replacement because, with relatively quick sector turn-around's, the time needed for the turbo engines to adequately cool down to protect engine life, before being restarted, may be excessive, compared to the current trislander, which could have a bearing on scheduling etc. Is this true or a myth ? How long do the dornier engines need to cool down before being restarted ? If so this might have an impact on frequent "short hop" flights vital for a island airline. If this is a factor, could the engines be kept running when passengers are embarking / disembarking or any other solutions.

Any other thoughts about other potential trislander replacements for an island with an 880m runway ?

Keen to sample opinions from trislander / dornier drivers and others.

Kind Regards,

LateFinals

Have you considered L410?
Also EASA certified and still in production. STOL capable and very spacious.

callum, that is actually Do28-G92 equipped with Walter M601D-1 engines instead of old pistons.

Cant go wrong with a Twin Otter as long as the legs are not very long, excellent STOL capability, -300's are nice, new -400's being produced are better. Great plane all around.

This is a Do 28 also, much better looking.

Photograph of Aircraft G-ASUR

I think one of those Basler DC-3 turboprop conversions would work quite well :}

http://cdn-www.airliners.net/aviatio.../8/2103888.jpg

The DO-28 aircraft family is a very rugged group of aircraft. The Do-28A has O-540 250hp engines and can carry 4 pax at the back. The DO28B has IO540K 290hp engines and can carry 6 pax at the back. The DO-28D has TIO-540 engines (I think 350hp) and can carry 10-11 pax. All of these aircraft are easy to fly and maintain all you need is oil and fuel, the perfect bush aircraft. However, I believe that these days parts are not as easy to obtain, also none of these aircraft has radar. This leaves the DO-228 which is a turboprop. The 228 are also great aircraft to fly and are not to bad with maintance, don't know the current situation with part.

Do 28
 

I fly the DO 28 G92, the Walter engines are great, very 'agricultural'. We regularly shut down then restart after a refuel, say 15 mins with no issues. The airframe is a bit old, the 228 would be ideal.

EASA Rule changes will mean having to comply with perf A requirements for turbo prop aircraft rather than the BCAR Perf C. Twin Otter Let 410 and Do 228 will all easily do 880 metres Take off Distance but they'll all come close to Accel stop distance required.
Dash 7 would do nicely but none left in Europe and a higher fire cat would be a increased cost aside from aircraft operating cost.
STOL only feasible (legally) when nothing else works.
Reckon on about 15pax in a twin otter with alternate fuel and reserves.

What is the reason that Aurigny need to replace the fleet?

One question that's always been on my mind is why no turbine Trislander?

The two on the wing should be a no-brainer so why has no one ever grasped the nettle and done the Damoclean one? (Yes, mixed metaphor)

THey say the best Dak replacement is another Dak so is the same true for Trislanders?

Or what about helicopters?

SGC

Snips

Unless I'm mistaken Easa have dropped that ridiculous amendment regarding small turboprops having to comply with perf A

http://www.ruag.com/do228ng_en/_Down...28-NG-Commuter

If you want an island hopper, this is the one.....
It's limited to 10,000' but who needs it for 75nm at 240kts. Yes you get some bit cells over the South coast, but no matter how high you cruise, you have to make an approach at some point.

Not as nice as the DO328, but it will be much cheaper to operate, making ticket prices sweeter for the passengers.

The crosswind limit of 30kts is better that the 328 (21 kts) which frustrated passengers and Blue Islands when it was down there. The reason being it lost rudder authority and was really twitchy with its narrow gear. Landing was fine, but any issue on take off and your arse would take a bite out of the seat.

Aurigny tries out Dornier 19-seater « This Is Guernsey

As for the safety record, any aircraft badly maintained and operated by muppets is asking for an accident.

That horrible Perf A requirement is still there for PART CAT, though there is a get out clause in PART NCC.

I'd love to be wrong, delving through all the EASA PARTS it's easy to miss things!

What about a Beech 1900?

Too old (last built in 2002) and a few pax too small I recon...

Too old compared to the Trislander? Or too small, for that matter?

What's "too old"?
You aren't going to find many (hardly any) Do228s built after 2000, and any that were, like that rather optimistic new gen version, will be grievously expensive as a follow-on to the Trislander.
Good aeroplane though, but the original 228's Garrets (don't know about the new gen's ones) were tetchy and delicate and needed careful handling. If only they'd put PT6s on it - they'd have a winner.

You can order/buy new ones, either made in Germany (by RUAG) or in Inida.

The Dornier 228 New Generation is currently the most productive, most reliable
and – with more than 350 improvements and innovations – the most up-to-date
19 seat aircraft in the skies. Particular highlights include the high-quality glass
cockpit with its cutting-edge avionics, the five-bladed propeller made of fiber
composite materials, and the optimised twin TPE 331-10 engines with improved
hot and high performance. All these innovations make for unique performance.
No other aircraft in its class can transport as many passengers or as much cargo
over a comparable distance as fast as the Dornier 228 NG.

And if you can't afford a real one, you can always build a very attractive model.

Revell Dornier do 228 212 LM Marine Patrol 1 72 Scale Model Kit | eBay