Dornier: aircraft manufacturer

Dornier is a German aircraft manufacturer founded by aeronautical expert and engineer Claudius Dornier. This aeronautical company was founded between the wars in 1922 and closed in 2002. It leaves behind a fine history and a number of achievements in the world of aviation. Dornier stood out in particular for the creation ofturboprop and turbojet aircraft. Its main aircraft models include the Dornier 328 and the Dornier 228. Take off now and investigate this former German company specialising in aviation.

The story of Claudius Dornier, founder of aircraft manufacturer Dornier

Every good story begins with a main protagonist. That protagonist is Claudius (or Claude) Dornier. C. Dornier was born on 14 May 1884 in the German town of Kempten, in the south-western region of Bavaria. His family was of French origin, more specifically from the town of Arçon in the Bourgogne Franche-Comté region. C. Dornier’s parents, Dauphin-Désiré Dornier and Mathilde Buck, moved to Germany after their marriage.

The company’s CEO, Claudius Dornier, has always been passionate about aeronautics and aerospace. The 23-year-old graduated as an engineer from Munich Technical University in 1907. Having French nationality on his parents’ side, but having lived entirely in Germany, C.Dornier became a naturalised German in 1913. He nevertheless retained his French nationality. He then began working in the field of engineering in the town of Karlsruhe. Following his successful experience at the Zeppelin aeronautical company, C.Dornier began a number of research projects. On the one hand, he studied the design and strength of certain light metals, rather like routine operations. His aim was to innovate in the field of aircraft, aeroplanes and seaplanes.

In 1922, the Dornier Wal seaplane was created. The name Wal comes from the German word for whale, and refers to the appearance of these aircraft.

He went on to manufacture propeller-driven aircraft with an ingenious layout. This was the beginning of the airline’s fleet of aircraft. C. Dornier configured a system with propellers at the front and rear of the engine. This provided traction at the front and thrust at the rear, making the aircraft more manoeuvrable. This type of motorisation has made it a benchmark in the field.

C.Dornier pursued a career in aeronautics, manufacturing a large number of aircraft from the design stage through to final assembly. He died in 1969 in Switzerland. He had 4 children, including Peter Dornier, who took over the company until 2002 (the year in which P. Dornier died and the Dornier industry came to an end).

The history of aircraft manufacturer Dornier

The beginnings of Dornier between the two world wars

As seen in the story of its founder Claudius Dornier, the company was created in 1922 between the two world wars. Its first Dornier Wal seaplanes were built in Italy, in the seaside resort of Marina di Pisa. Why Italy? Because Dornier had to comply with the constraints imposed by the Treaty of Versailles on the manufacture of aircraft. These seaplanes were exported across the globe.

It was during the period between the two world wars that Dornier saw its aeronautical company really take off. Dornier aircraft made their first test flights, particularly its hull seaplanes, which were ideal for intercontinental and, above all, transatlantic flights. Indeed, it was the Dornier (Do) Wal and its successors the Do 18 and Do 26 that opened the first passenger routes across the Atlantic Ocean. Also before the Second World War, Dornier manufactured what was to become the largest aircraft of the inter-war period, the Do X. This aircraft was equipped with no fewer than 12 propeller engines arranged in pairs. It was nicknamed the flying boat. Claudius Dornier subsequently tried to find ways of improving the aerodynamics of these aircraft. For example, on the Do 26 model, floats were fitted that could be retracted during the flight and deployed before landing– or ditching, as these planes landed on water! This advance improves the handling in the air of these massive aircraft.

The aircraft manufacturer Dornier during the Second World War

At the start of the Second World War, the Do 26 and the Do 18 were fitted with weapons. They were used by the Luftwaffe, the German air force, from 1939. These seaplanes were used for reconnaissance, particularly over the North Sea. The Do 24 model is a three-engined aircraft that was manufactured a few years before the start of the war. It made its first flight in 1937. The German air force ordered no fewer than 217 of them. This type of aircraft became one of the most important at the time, and was used in particular for maritime rescue missions. After the war, the Do 24 model was integrated into the French Navy. Dornier also introduced the Do 17, a military aircraft nicknamed the “flying pencil” because of its slim fuselage.

Then, at the end of the war, the Dornier 335 was manufactured. It made its first flight in 1943. It was a twin-engine plane, and at the time was described as the fastest in its category, with a speed of 765 km/h. A novelty at the time was that the ejection seat was installed on this aircraft.

Dornier’s post-war history

During the war, the aeronautical giant Dornier was an aeronautical industry that manufactured aircraft for the war, and therefore produced weapons of a sort. After the war, Germany was denazified, and aircraft manufacturer Dornier was not prosecuted for this, but his company was in a bad way. His factory near Lake Constance was destroyed. So Dornier moved to the Swiss town of Zug. For a time after the war, it was forbidden in Germany to manufacture aircraft. In addition to its factory in Switzerland, Dornier had its aircraft assembled in Spain. When the ban was lifted, he again set up a factory in Lindau (Germany).

It was not until 1956 that Dornier finally got back on its feet with the successive production of the Do 27, Do 28 and Do 31 aircraft.

In 1962, at the age of 78, Claudius Dornier bequeathed his company to his sons and retired. The company Dornier is still in operation and subsequently developed a propeller-driven airliner, the Dornier 228 and the Dornier 328. Both were short-haul aircraft.

In 1985, the family aeronautical company Dornier was bought by the car manufacturer Daimler Benz. Then in 1996, Dornier was sold to Fairchild, an American aircraft manufacturer. This marked the decline of Dornier and its aircraft manufacturing business, which had been aiming for intercontinental landings. After incurring too many costs and unfinished projects such as aircraft types, the company went bankrupt in 2002. It closed its doors for good, marking the end of Dornier’s history as an aircraft manufacturer.

The main aircraft produced by Dornier

• The Dornier 328: This is a twin-engine jet aircraft specialising in regional transport and short-haul routes. There are no long-haul aircraft at Dornier. After producing a number of aircraft for the army, as well as seaplanes, Dornier decided to diversify its range. The result was the Dornier 328, a regional aircraft with 33 seats for passengers on board, plus crew members in a spacious cabin. It made its first flight in 1998, and was certified the following year. To date, around one hundred Dornier 328s are in service. This is the model that most closely resembles a business jet, with a cabin interior of 1.87 m, so that the vast majority of passengers feel comfortable and not cramped inside the aircraft. This regional aircraft has full on-board facilities, including toilets and a well-equipped galley.

• The Dornier 228: Manufactured from the 1980s onwards, the Dornier 228 preceded the Dornier 328. It is a regional aircraft capable of carrying 16 passengers, as well as cargo flights. Like the Do 328, this regional aircraft is ideal and cost-effective for short distances. It has a range of 1800 km. This aircraft has been praised and recognised for its robustness and efficiency in complicated environments. It also has the ability to land on short runways that are sometimes difficult to use. This has earned it the nickname “the truck of the air”.

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