The 328Jet is offered in one airliner and three Envoy corporate versions - Convertible, Executive and Executive Shuttle - as well as in various special mission configurations, such as air ambulance. All the models feature the same Honeywell Primus 2000-based integrated avionics system, with five-screen electronic flight instrument system. A Honeywell flight management system (FMS) is standard, as is dual-channel full-authority digital engine control. A dual FMS is available as an option, as is a Primus 880 weather radar.
The airliner model is designated the -310 to differentiate it from the early lower weight -300s built at the start of 328Jet production. It is offered in a standard layout seating 32 passengers at 31in (79cm) pitch in a two-plus-one layout, with a toilet and galley aft. The Envoy Executive Shuttle is effectively a low-density seating version of the airliner, with 22 seats in a two-plus-one configuration at 37in pitch.
On the other two Envoy models, the lowered central walkway of the airliner is eliminated to give a flat floor, and standard layouts are from 12 to 22 seats in a two-abreast layout. On the Envoy Convertible the flat floor is achieved by plugging the lowered walkway, which reduces overall cabin height by 51mm. On the Executive model, the maximum cabin height of 1.8m is retained by lowering the entire floor. As in the airliner, the lavatory is aft, but on the Convertible and Executive the galley is forward, opposite the entry door.
An auxiliary fuel tank option developed before the company's collapse is available on new-build aircraft and as a retrofit. The three auxiliary tanks, with a total capacity of 1,760 litres (465 USgal), are fitted above the central fuselage in the wing/body fairing - two forward and one aft of the wing. They provide 1,110km (600nm) extra range. The last WIP aircraft (serial number 3224) will be the first to have auxiliary tanks installed during production.
Plans for the stretched 42/44-seat 428Jet remain fluid, and although an early decision to develop a growth model is possible, it seems unlikely. "Once production of the 328Jet is stabilised, it will be time to evaluate the 428Jet," Walter says. "The focus at the moment is on the 33-seater."
Walter says the basic 428Jet design has been completed and will be similar to the original concept. Launched in 1998, the original 428Jet was 4.3m longer than the 328Jet and was due for service in 2002, but the programme was cancelled in August 2000 because its development was no longer economically viable. Like the original, the current study has fuselage plugs fore and aft, an enlarged wing with slightly more span and increased chord, more powerful engines (in the 8,000lb-thrust (35kN) category), a new anti-icing system (a "hot wing" bleed-air system), redesigned landing gear and brakes, and some systems that will be modified, such as the environmental control, hydraulics and electrical systems.
Source: Flight International
