German firm RUAG Aerospace has flown its revived version of the Dornier 228 turboprop, whose features include a new five-blade propeller.
The aircraft, designated the Dornier 228 NG, conducted a five-day test-flight programme with the support of Straubing-based MT-Propeller.
Detailed information on flight characteristics and the performance of the aircraft is expected to become available in November.
But RUAG Aerospace Services managing director Wolfgang Neumann says: "First flights with the new five-blade propeller show an increase in performance and a clear noise reduction."
The propeller is lighter, low in vibration and less susceptible to corrosion, he adds, and it could be retrofitted on older examples of the 228.
RUAG Aerospace Services, which is located in Oberpfaffenhofen, decided last year to resurrect production of the type and has secured a launch customer in Asia.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
