228 Dornier MAGAZINE FOR THE DORNIER 228 COMMUNITY...Our community will continue to build a bright future through collaborating, sharing and listening. If you have a story to share,

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At the end of the road

From balancing on barrels to full flight simulation “If the tone is right, we know that we’ve done a good job”

To the world for eternity

The second lung

What makes aerodynamics so crucial

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Greetings

Passionate pilots

On location

Special people

Doing good

Travel

Design dream

Flight bits

The LoveDornier228 magazine team

The Dornier 228 customer support team

Dear Friends and Family of the Dornier 228,

Welcome to the fifth edition of the LoveDornier228 magazine. Our growing community is built on an ongoing shared passion for this aircraft,

and the Dornier 228 customer support team is proud to be there with you. I am honored to present the latest issue of LoveDornier228 to our dedicated community. By sharing our stories, the bond between us strengthens with

every edition, as does our love for the aircraft. Thank you all for your dedication.

The Dornier 228 community is about sharing and caring, and in this issue we will fly from the Congo Basin to the coldest region of Canada while delving deep into how passionate people use the Dornier 228 to create a safer and better world.

Our community is full of people who love caring for every part of the Dornier 228, from the fabrics that line the seats to the aerodynamics that make it a great plane. Every issue of LoveDornier228 brings us to places where people, animals and the environment are in great need, but most importantly, where very special people

who face those challenges live. Your dedication to meeting these challenges creates a better world and I am honored to be part of such a community.

Our community will continue to build a bright future through collaborating,

sharing and listening. If you have a story to share, please contact us. We would love to hear more about your experiences.

Michael FranzDirector Customer Support Dornier 228, RUAG MRO International

––– CONTENTS ––– ––– GREETINGS –––

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– 4 – – 5 –

At the end of the road

Imagine waking up as a pilot in northern Canada: You’re given a routine assignment, you drive to

the airport terminal and – you’re locked out of the building. In a region where 36,000 islands magically create a

natural paradise of ice and snow, the clocks tick differently. As a result, waiting outside for 30 minutes in a wind chill

of 60 degrees below zero can be part of your normal working day. A woman who has added frostbite, patience and a large portion of pragmatism to her

résumé is Maxie Plante (27), Captain for Summit Air in Yellowknife and pilot of a Dornier 228.

BY YARDENA MALKA

– 4 –

––– PASSIONATE PILOTS –––

Sunset in Kugluktuk, Nunavut.

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Y ellowknife is more or less the end of the road – everything going north from there belongs to remote communities, only reachable by air. And when we talk about local aircraft,

we mean rather small and rugged machines, built for landing on graveled airstrips next to simple terminal buildings. Nevertheless, in the coldest city of Canada, aircraft are an important means of transport, and the pilots who fly there are among the best in the world: the best in the sense of making fast and accurate deci-sions, solving problems under extreme circumstances, flying in an inhospitable environment and having the ability to evaluate dangerous situations before they occur. These are qualities that Maxie Plante seems to have been born with.

Maxie was only 18 years old when she went from a vague idea of working in the field of physical therapy to the dream of being a pilot. After two years of study she quit university and jumped feet first into her passion for flying. She struggled through nausea during her first attempts, but she hung in there, the nausea ceased, and she managed to feel fully comfortable while flying as time went by. At the same time as she was earning

her pilot’s license, she became a flight attendant, giving her an important professional foothold in the aviation industry.

“After I was licensed as a pilot, I happened to have contact with a friend who was working for a charter company at Yellowknife at the time. It was so far up north, I had never even heard of it before!” Maxie recalls. This friend handed in Maxie’s résumé to Summit Air, a charter company serving mining and exploration com-panies, government agencies, environmental organiza-tions, tour operators, survey parties and other aviation services in the extreme climates of remote northern Canada. They hired Maxie right away, and she moved 3,000 km north into the tundra to Yellowknife, the capital city of the Northwest Territories.

Absorbing and embracing the mentality of the far northLife in northern Canada differs in many ways from life in the rest of the country. The most obvious distinction is the choice of transportation. Due to the very tough weather conditions, people in these areas are often dependent on air transport when they have to travel considerable distances to, from and between northern destinations. As flying is pretty much the only transport option for most in this region, a functioning passenger and freight transport system is essential: for the inhab-itants and the local economy, but also – considering the number of gold and diamond mines in this part of Canada – for the economy of the entire country.

A subtler difference lies in the prevailing mentality in northern Canada: “There is something about the North,” Maxie says. “The people are so generous, everybody helps everyone else and you really never feel alone!” She goes on to explain that cars regularly break down in the extreme cold, making the scene of strangers helping out at the roadside quite typical. “You can count on somebody to help you out and that’s exactly the mentality I met at Summit Air as well,” she says. “The


Top left: Learning and having a good time with Capt. Jim Vissers. Top right: Standing at the 80 degrees North sign in Eureka, Nunavut.

Bottom left: Dropping off some cargo and workers on Lockhart Lake, NWT.

Bottom right: Calm morning flying over the East Arm of Great Slave Lake, on the way to Taltheilei Narrows, NWT.

– 8 – – 9 –

people I work with are really my favorite part about this company – and I, too, have taken the mentality to heart and brought it into my professional life as a pilot.”

Each day Maxie is reminded that there is a culturally different way of life where she lives: One day in Repulse Bay, a small community located right at the Arctic Circle, her assignment developed into a local discovery. Having been invited very politely, she accompanied a local girl home and got to witness how her parents came back with two caribou. These caribou were much needed food on which the family could live for a long time. It was a successful day for the family and a sight to behold, considering how difficult it is to supply such remote communities with groceries and other essential resources. Maxie says, still fascinated: “I watched how they pro-cessed some parts of these animals. I admire how locals can take care of themselves, how independent they are and how simply they manage to live. You think you’re

in a remote place in Yellowknife? Well, then go up there – it’s nothing compared to that!”

Serenity is part of the jobMany things that Maxie is confronted with in her daily working life go beyond what can be learned in a flight simulator. She has learned on the job to deal with things like the extremely harsh, rapidly changing weather con-ditions that prevail in the vicinity of the Arctic. She man-ages precarious ice landings in order to supply food to construction workers, who work hard to ensure that the ice roads through northern Canada remain open. She sometimes flies to Grise Fiord and lands on a 1,600-foot airstrip which only a few airplanes dare to land on. Maxie describes her attitude to these dangers as fol-lows: “As a young pilot, you quickly have to know your abilities, learn where your limits are, restrict yourself where the two meet and do what’s safe. Trying to be a hero in any circumstance is never a good idea.”

Whether flying cargo or passengers, carrying miners or engines worth millions of dollars, Maxie is always in a Dornier 228. “This airplane is capable of doing almost anything we do here at Summit Air – I love how robust, versatile and responsive it is.” And it is capable of doing anything Maxie wants to do. She wasn’t interested in her company’s offer to switch to another aircraft: She enjoys the freedom and the variety of work the Dornier brings to her. The same love of a challenge is reflected in her choice of leisure activities: She plays hockey in two dif-ferent leagues and has set up a training room in her basement. This room is mainly used to prepare for the Red Bull Ice Cross World Championship. Ice Cross is an extreme sport where you race down an iced track on a walled course with sharp curves and high vertical gradi-ents in direct competition with other riders on the same run. Needless to say, Maxie loves the adrenaline – and loves to do things her own way: “In a Dornier 228, I’m on

my own in a good way. I’m fully responsible for doing my job on time and correctly. How I do it is entirely up to me. I can plan every detail of my flights directly with the first officer – and that’s exactly what suits me as a person!”

And that’s exactly the type of person you need to be when flying near the Arctic Circle: to have the ability to step outside of your comfort zone, to enjoy interacting with different cultures and to have great dedication to flying. In Maxie’s words: “You must be willing to solve different challenges every day and work hard without complaining about the little things.” Because in her eyes, the reward is absolutely worth the effort. Flying in the North is a unique experience, and pilots like Maxie have understood something very important: “Life is about the journey, not the destination. My goal is to have a job I’m passionate about until I retire – and I can recommend that to anybody!”


“As a young pilot, you have to know your abilities, learn where your limits are and restrict yourself where the

two meet – trying to be a hero is never a good idea.”

Maxie in action at the Red Bull Ice Cross World Championship

Watch her take gold in a

breathtaking race

Meet Maxie after her victory

in Japan

Flying Mary River shift workers home on Baffin Island in June.

– 10 – – 11 –Antoinette trainer rig.

From balancing on barrels to

full flight simulationPreparing Dornier 228 pilots

BY CHRISTINE ANNE BERGER

Flight simulation training began in the early 1900s as a means to train

pilots in a safer environment. With the advancement of technology

over the years, it now offers many more benefits. For instance,

a pilot can train indoors, whenever they want, subject only to the

availability of a simulator and an instructor. Pilots can also practice over

and over until they become confident in a variety of scenarios. They can

even define the weather and terrain conditions or recreate in-flight

failures, allowing them to practice free from consequences. Studies have

also proven that pilots learn faster in a simulator than in a real aircraft,

making the entire process more cost effective.

––– ON LOCATION –––

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A brief history of flight simulationAfter the Wright brothers created their “Flyer” in 1903, pilot training became increasingly necessary. Why? Much like today, it was expensive and time-consuming to build and maintain aircraft and there were not many available. It was also safer, easier and more practical to practice procedures a few feet off ground than a few thousand feet in the air. In 1910, French commanders Georges Clolus and Alexandre Laffont and Lieutenant Pierre Clavenad asked the company Antoinette to build the first flight trainer. It was essentially a couple of half-barrels stacked on top of each other with a fake rudder. Two assistants would rock the contraption as the pilot in training sat in a chair on top of the barrels trying to maintain balance. It is said to be the first motion- simulated aircraft trainer ever invented, and they called it the “Tonneau Antoinette” (Antoinette barrel).

About 15 years later, after the First World War, pilot Edwin Link wanted to help pilots train in a more realistic machine and therefore created a trainer with real angu-lar motion pitch (nose up and down), roll (wing up or down) and yaw (nose left and right) called the Link Trainer. However, Link had difficulty finding a buyer until 1934 when the United States Air Force (USAF) accepted a contract to carry air mail. Tragically, in the first weeks the USAF lost quite a few pilots and the Air Corps brass became desperate. A veteran pilot who had trained many of the Army pilots, Casey Jones, then re-membered Link, who had earlier tried to pitch the Link Trainer to the USAF. They asked Link to come without delay and show them his trainer. On the day Link flew

to New Jersey, the visibility was terrible. But because Link was so well practiced, he still managed to land smoothly at Newark Field. The USAF was so impressed that it purchased six new trainers. This is said to be the beginning of the flight simulator industry.

Flight simulation todayToday, once a pilot has a pilot’s license, they have a few options available for getting practice to help them earn their type rating for the Dornier 228. When it comes to practicing procedures on a motion platform that recre-ates realistic instrument flying (IF), they can engage in procedural training using an Operational Flight Trainer (OFT), a device usually intended for general flight train-ing. A more technically advanced way to train is to use a Flight Simulator (FS), which is a device that artificially re-creates aircraft flight and the flying environment. This includes replicating how an aircraft and instruments react to factors such as air density, turbulence, wind, precipitation, clouds, etc. A Full Flight Simulator (FFS) is a high-fidelity full-size replica of a flight deck, repre-senting the aircraft in ground and flight operations. It has a visual system providing an out-of-the-flight deck view, and a force cueing motion system. Its perfor-mance complies with the minimum standards for FAA and EASA FFS qualifications.

The Dornier 228 Full Flight SimulatorDornier 228 pilots can practice procedures around the world on different Operational Flight Trainers. However, the only certified Full Flight Simulator type in the world for the Dornier 228 is located at Braunschweig Research

Under the Dornier 228 Full Flight Simulator at Simtec in Braunschweig, Germany.

Military personnel using the Link Trainer. (Photo: Alamy) Drawing of flight simulator by Edwin Link.

– 15 –– 14 –

Airport at the Simtec simulation technology training center. Almost every pilot of the Dornier 228 has made their way from somewhere in the world to the Braun-schweig Research Airport in Germany. Pilots of the Dornier 228 engage in life-enriching projects around the globe, from flying scientists over the melting permafrost and dropping smoke-jumpers over forest fires in Alaska, to patrolling the northern European coast and even sav-ing chimpanzees in the Congo. Every Dornier 228 pilot needs training and experience to fly and maneuver in these environments, and Simtec’s head of training Helmut Kirner specializes in just that. He is in charge of training on Simtec’s Dornier 228 Full Flight Simulator.

A proud heritageSimtec is proud of its heritage and proud that its busi-ness started out with the creation of the Dornier 228 Full Flight Simulator 25 years ago. In fact, Helmut says, “when you look out the window, over the parking lot in Braunschweig, Germany, you can see row upon row of cars with the number ‘228’ in their license plates.” The success of its Dornier 228 FFS business has enabled Sim-tec to research, expand and develop new areas of cus-tomized motion simulations, which include driving, fly-ing theaters and customized simulator rides of all sizes for entertainment attractions. The company’s motion simulators for test systems are setting industry standards and improving automotive safety through the testing of vehicle components such as fuel tanks and seats.

Pilots with a wealth of different experience come to learn the Dornier 228Helmut has spent years training Dornier 228 pilots from all over the world and from a multitude of different cultures. He says that most of the people he meets are “clearly interesting pilots,” and as he gets to know them he has learned never to make assumptions about their flying experience. Once Helmut asked a pilot in training if he had flown something this complex before. The pilot responded: “Yes, a military jet,” which made Helmut smile. “I love to hear all about the pilots’ experiences,” he says, “where they come from and why they are now learning to fly the Dornier 228.”

Challenges of a Dornier 228 pilotCaptain Helmut knows the challenges Dornier 228 pilots face and what they need to train on the Full Flight Sim-ulator, as he has been piloting the Dornier 228 for many years. Helmut was contracted by the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in the summer of 2018, flying the perma-frost mission at the Inuvik and Yellowknife bases. You might remember reading about this expedition in the previous LoveDornier228 edition. The Dornier 228s were outfitted with specialized radar equipment in Ober-pfaffenhofen, Germany, and then ferried back and forth to the Arctic. Helmut recalls: “Flying over the Arctic region was quite impressive. This is an area pilots rarely get to see. The region is huge and just looking out the window as a pilot tourist it was incredible!”


Simtec simulation technology – watch the video!

However, it wasn’t all about the stunning views. On research missions, it is always a challenge to get the aircraft exactly where the researchers need to be, at the right angle and at the right time – especially with the element of weather at play. But with the right team, right communication and the right training, it can all come together perfectly.

TeamworkBeing a pilot on this research mission was extremely demanding, challenging and rewarding for Helmut. He remembered that it “was like seeing both sides of the mission for once; the scientific and the pilot side.” The scientists needed absolute precision in the air. And while this is demanding for the pilot, the challenge is exciting. On this particular mission, the flight crew split duties in a very unconventional way. “Teamwork was demanding and challenging. Every meter and knot had to be pre-cise. We all had captain status. The left seat of the cockpit focused solely on the lateral track while the right seat focused solely on altitude and speed. At the end, when the scientists told us they had obtained sound research results, it was really satisfying to hear.” Before a Dornier 228 pilot is able to fly with that kind of precision and take part in such an exciting mission, first they need a lot of training.

On location: the 3rd stage of trainingTraining for a Dornier 228 rating has three stages: first a ground course lays the foundation; second there is simulator training, completed with a check; and third there is real-life landing training, either done at Simtec or on location where the training pilot is from. Working with so many different cultures can be challenging. “I’m open to that and I enjoy learning from the different people. In some parts of the world one aspect of train-

ing is to remember to always do a last-minute physical check of the cabin to make sure you don’t have any additional guests, as this could be a problem for the fuel or weight capacity,” Helmut laughs. “Once the training is completed, I need to be sure the trained pilots are fully confident and safe to fly. I cannot leave before that.” He explained that a pilot’s competency is more than their skill level. It is also very much about “team work and commitment.” Chief Pilot Helmut Kirner con-tinues to help others fulfill their dreams, to travel to global destinations and help create a better world. Our thanks to you, Helmut, for helping keep Dornier 228 pilots safe, successful and up in the air!

The Dornier 228 Full Flight Simulator was developed and manufactured by Simtec. It is qualified as a special category device according to the latest standards (DE-1A-025). In order to meet the

high requirements of customers, the simulator is equipped with a Raster NX2 day / dusk / night visual with two collimated 20-inch displays, a six-degrees-of-freedom hydraulic motion platform, Simtec’s

Digital Control Load System (DCLS) and a Sampled Aircraft Sound System (SASS).

Dornier 228 Full Flight Simulator at Simtec in Braunschweig, Germany.

Inside the Dornier 228 Full Flight Simulator.

– 17 –– 16 –

“If the tone is right, we know that we’ve done a good job”

“If I had one wish, I would like to fly in a Dornier 228,” says Walter Devic. Actually, it is amazing that the master upholsterer has never had the opportunity to do so. After all, he has been

responsible for the interior design of the Dornier 228 for 34 years. Walter learned his craftsmanship in the automotive business before switching to the aviation industry in 1985, when he moved to the former “Dornier Flugzeugwerft”

in Oberpfaffenhofen near Munich.

BY HENDRIK THIELEMANN

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consetetur sadipscing elitr, sed diam nonumy eirmod tempor invidunt ut labore et dolore magna aliquyam erat, sed diam voluptua.

Today, Walter is responsible as team coordinator for the interior shop of RUAG MRO International in Oberpfaffenhofen. Together with his four col-

leagues, he equips the cabins of business jets – and of course the Dornier 228 – according to the customers’ wishes. “We manufacture seat covers and curtains, and we lay carpets in the aircraft. We cover the side and ceiling panels. We make impact protection for the front seats, and we cover the pilot’s steering wheel with leather so that they always have a good grip,” says the 56-year-old, describing the work of the interior team.

In contrast to luxurious business jets, the interior of the Dornier 228 is usually somewhat less extravagant. Nevertheless, fabric upholstery, carpet and curtains are all installed according to customer requirements. For special mission aircraft, in particular, every customer has their own very special requirements and layout, to which the aircraft interior must be optimally tailored. Once, Walter’s team outfitted a Dornier 228 VIP with closets, a three-seater divan and a coffee machine!

For the men around Walter, working on the Dornier 228 is always something special. In addition to cabin furnish-ing, they perform several other important tasks on the exterior of the Dornier 228. “For example, we equip the inner skin of the fuselage with thermal insulation, acoustic protection and rubber seals,” reports Walter. And the specialists from the interior shop also work on the aircraft’s outer hull: they are responsible for covering the vertical and horizontal stabilizers and attaching the de-icing boots.

“For weight reasons, the elevators and rudders of the Dornier 228 are covered with fabric,” explains Walter. “In the past, this used to be a cotton fabric to which dope was applied, a plasticized lacquer that tightens and stiffens the fabric and makes it airtight and weather-proof. Today, polyester is used, a rot-resistant material that does not need any dope,” Walter continues. The covering is completely hand -made, and the material is delivered in rolls. First, the employees in the interior shop cut it to the right length and draw the locations

––– SPECIAL PEOPLE –––

Almost everything is handmade: Walter Devic in the saddlery/upholstery shop in Oberpfaffenhofen.

– 19 –– 18 –

on the fabric where it is to be glued to the ribs of the rudder structure. Then they coat the fabric and ribs separately with adhesive. After the drying time, the adhesive is reactivated and the fabric is glued on. During this process, the fabric is heated up to 200 degrees so that the material is stretched. Finally, the adhesive sur-faces are sealed with a special plastic.

To protect against icing, the leading edge sections of the wings, as well as the elevator and rudder of the Dornier 228, are equipped with pneumatic de-icing boots. These mats can be inflated in case of icing: the

an inspector always checks to see that every thing is in order,” explains Walter, who is meanwhile himself authorized to carry out inspections as so-called “cer-tifying staff.” The test methods are varied and range from visual inspection and checking for trapped for eign bodies to special measuring procedures. “With the de-icing boots, for example, we measure the adhesive strength with a special scale,” Walter explains. He also knows a very unique – unofficial – test procedure for checking the quality of the coverings on the tail units:

––– SPECIAL PEOPLE –––

expansion cracks the ice and it is blown away by the airflow. The de-icing boots are also installed by the interior shop team. “We glue the boots to the leading edge sections of the wings, as well as to the elevator and rudder,” explains Walter.

The work on the wings brings a high level of respons-ibility for the specialists in Walter’s team. New employ-ees are therefore very carefully trained and supervised for such tasks. Experienced colleagues watch them closely at the beginning. And, of course, every step of the work is inspected in detail: “Between the work steps,

“When you snap your finger on the finished coverings, a bright sound is produced, like on a drum,” he reports. “If the tone is right, we know that we’ve done a good job.”

Walter Devic has been there from the beginning: “I’ve been part of the Dornier 228 team since 1985,” recalls the passionate motorcyclist. And he is proud of that: “This magnificent aircraft is in service worldwide and has very satisfied customers. And with our unique team, we’ll make sure it stays that way.”

Walter Devic has been responsible for the interior design of the Dornier 228 for 34 years.

Walter Devic works on a cover for a Dornier seat.

– 20 – – 21 –– 20 – Miles Ostrander with his daughters Bella and Sophia after landing in Minembwe.

To the world for eternity


LaOlam desires to bring “Hope to the suffering... Care for those in need.

Faith where there is doubt… Hope where there is despair.”

––– DOING GOOD –––

– 22 – – 23 –

T he Ostrander and Moore families of LaOlam have been volunteering in Minembwe, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) since 2012, and in

September of 2018 the family decided to call Minemb-we home. When Miles and Emilee Ostrander and their three daughters Bella, Sophia and Aimee stepped off their airplane onto the Minembwe airstrip they stood together – hand in hand – with a dream to make a difference in the peoples’ lives around them. Emilee’s parents (the Moores) had built a volunteer house for travelers in 2016, and this is where the family is currently residing until they are able to build their own house.

Why Minembwe?Minembwe is a mountainous region, and the two fam-ilies of LaOlam live at around 6,300 feet above sea level. “The air is clear and the water coming from the numer-ous springs is pristine. The local community is hard-work-ing and wants to see the area grow and be developed. They [the locals] have fully embraced us as members of the community and we feel at home,” reflect the Ostranders.

LaOlam partners with the Eben-Ezer University of Minembwe (UEMI), a local institution, which also has a primary and secondary school, with a strong focus on community development. In the same neighborhood, there is an orphanage with 27 children, to whom the families are also very attached. “We partner with the local hospital, clinics and other organizations as the opportunity arises. Our goal is to come alongside locals and partner with them so that the initiative is coming

from within the community,” writes Miles. However, there has also been an influx of unexpected needs as more refugees seek safety. “Besides trying to help with immediate survival needs, we partner with the univer-sity to focus on more sustainable projects like our refugee garden programs, education, reconciliation and rebuild-ing communities as conflict allows,” adds Emilee.

The challengesHaving three small girls under the age of five with lim-ited medical access has been a formidable challenge. In September, Sophia had a kidney infection and was med-ically evacuated by the United Nations when the local hospital could not identify the problem. Another issue is security. When conflict breaks out, the family is flown to Burundi or another safe location.

Because of road conditions, trucks can only reach Minembwe for two to three months of the year, so it is critical that LaOlam has air transport. “Things that we’ve had flown up the mountain on a local Dornier 228 include a motorcycle, blankets for refugees, a manual brick press for making bricks, building supplies, some food supplies and of course people. We try to keep food to a minimum and we grow or buy locally as much as we can. Having access by air makes it much safer,” explain the Ostranders.

Being a Muzungu“As very few other Muzungus come up the mountain to our remote area, we love the chance to have an English conversation and meet visitors and spend time


LaOlam means “to the world” and “for eternity”. The non-profit organization LaOlam was established for the purpose of providing educational, social and spiritual assistance to those

in need. The organization believes that this is best done “by partnering with locals and striving together to establish sustainable initiatives to rebuild communities devastated by

the spiraling effects of conflicts and poverty.”

Top left: Bella having fun as she helps carry water back to the house from the spring. Top right: Orphan children excited to see their very first educational picture books.

Bottom: Beloved family friend Captain Ted, Dornier228 pilot and owner of Busy Bee Airlines and Michael Moore having a nice visit at Minembwe airfield.

– 24 – – 25 –

with the pilots whenever we can,” remarks Emilee, explaining how they often visit the Minembwe air strip (often overrun by roaming cows) when new visitors arrive. Many of the pilots have become good friends of the family. The term Muzungu comes from the Bantu language used in the African Great Lakes region. It means “wandering people” or people of European descent and stems all the way back from the 18th cen-tury when Europeans began ex-ploring Africa and locals believed them to be wandering about aim-lessly. The term is usually meant in an endearing way.

How do Muzungus get around?The Moores and the Ostranders commute to remote areas with a local air charter company, often as passengers on board a Dornier 228. Before their first time flying into Minembwe by fixed-wing, the fam-ily found themselves on their way to Goma, Eastern Congo, boarding a plane owned by a Congolese company. As none of them had ever done this before, they worried whether it was safe: “After board-ing the Dornier 228 owned by Busy Bee Congo, we real-ized that our pilot was the owner of the company. Ted immediately introduced himself to us and explained that he was going to climb slowly so as to minimize the effect on the girls’ ears. By the time we landed in Minembwe, we were confident in both our plane and pilot. We loved flying in the Dornier 228 and soon became friends with Ted, his crew and his family.”

“The girls love flying, though it may be associated with the fact that it’s one of the only times they get to have hard candy, so as to clear their ears during the climb and descent. But even though they are young, they have adventurous spirits and are excited about the journeys we get to take. Our girls now judge every plane type on whether it’s a Dornier 228 or not. It’s become an iconic part of their life and childhood,” shares Emilee with a smile.

Simple can be complex“It would be accurate to say life is simple in Minembwe, but sometimes with simplicity comes complexity,” reflects Emilee as she explains that “if you want to wear clothes

that are clean you have to pull out some buckets, carry some water, fill it with soap, wash the clothes, wring them, hang them up, pull them down because it’s going to rain, put them out again, pull them back down because it’s dark.” When the family is ready for dinner, sometimes “you realize that the charcoal fire from lunch just went out, so you have to start a new one using matches and wood shavings.” The families have just

basic solar power for lights and device charging, which they need as they have no generators. Only recently have they been able to enjoy running water to the house.

Miles and Emilee have plans to build a biogas generator which will utilize scraps of food as well as cow dung and other things from the garden to create a gas suitable for cooking on, and they are design-ing their house to have a small room for drying clothes. “Although

these projects will not even come close to providing the ease of western living, they will make life easier, freeing up time to focus on other projects that we all came here for. At the same time, they will not set us so far apart from the locals,” clarifies Miles.

Why do they stay?Last year a humanitarian colleague of the family, Brian Picchi, visited the Moores and the Ostranders and wit-nessed first-hand the beauty of Minembwe, the majestic mountains and green hillsides. However beautiful the Congo may be, it is also accompanied by human hard-ships. Brian found himself asking: “Do you live among the hurt and desperate in order to provide what comfort you can?” And his answer was: “Yes, it is hard and dangerous, but it is also sweet. The joy and laughter is real and so much more precious when there is darkness all around. The victories are tangible; you see the effect that is being made.”


Please visit the website to find out more about LaOlam’s

continuing journey.

Top: A view of Mt. Kitavi from the volunteer house. Middle: Friends and family of LaOlam waving hello.

Bottom left: Bella hanging out in the BusyBee cockpit. Bottom right: Michael Moore reading to children at the orphanage, Minembwe (UEMI), DRC.

“It would be accurate to say life is simple in Minembwe, but sometimes with simplicity comes

complexity.”

– 26 – – 27 –

The second lung

The vast Congo Basin – sometimes simply known as the Congo – is one of the most beautiful and ecologically important places on Earth. It is the

world’s second largest river basin and is home to the second largest rainforest on the planet. Covering much of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

(DRC), the Central African Republic, western Zambia, northern Angola and parts of Cameroon and Tanzania, this sedimentary basin spans about

1.3 million square miles (3.4 million square kilometers).


– 27 –

––– TRAVEL –––

A view of the Virunga Range taken from Nkuringo in Uganda, home to the famous mountain gorillas along the Congolese-Rwandan border. (Photo: iStock)

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Recent issues of LoveDornier228 have visited some of the most magical and environmentally important sites around the world, and the Congo lese forest is both a hot topic in biodiver-

sity – right alongside the deforestation of the Amazon – and one of the most extraordinary places to visit. The forest and its interlacing areas of savanna are home to rare and endangered species such as the zebra giraffe (okapi), the pygmy chimpanzee (bonobo), the Congo peafowl, the western lowland gorilla and the more famous mountain gorilla, as well as much of the world’s harvested teak wood. This majestic basin is considered by many to be “the world’s second lung following the Amazon.”

Carbon sinkThe Congo is the custodian of a major “carbon sink,” a natural reservoir that stores chemical compounds containing carbon. If the Congo continues to undergo deforestation, the carbon sink it protects will rapidly emit roughly the same amount of carbon dioxide as the United Kingdom has done over the last 60 years. In order to protect the world’s “second lung,” a non-profit initiative sponsored by over 40 international partners

has been launched to promote the conservation and sustainability of forest management in the Congo. This initiative is called the Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP) and includes plans to build sustainable tourism, which will help provide sources of responsible employ-ment for locals while also feeding many of the displaced people near the Congo.

Protecting the “ibirunga”The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cul-tural Organization (UNESCO) designated the Congo’s Virunga National Park a World Heritage Site in 1979, internationally recognizing the park for its wildlife and habitats. Situated in the Albertine Rift valley, Virunga is Africa’s oldest national park. The Virunga Mountains make up much of the park and are known locally as the Mufumbiro. They are a chain of volcanoes that run along the northern border of Rwanda, the DRC and Uganda. The name “Virunga” is the English interpre-tation of the Kinyarwanda word “ibirunga” meaning “volcanoes”. Full of unique sights and experiences for its many visitors, the volcanic park is also home to active volcanoes such as Mount Nyiragongo and Nyamuragira.

Hikers exploring the Rwenzori Mountains on the border between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. These mountains support glaciers and are one source of the Nile River. (Photo: shutterstock)

Endangered baby mountain gorilla playing in Virunga National Park, DRC, Africa. (Photo: iStock)

– 30 – – 31 –


Visiting Virunga’s volcanoesAtop the summit of the active stratovolcano Mount Nyiragongo, hikers can gaze in awe at the world’s largest lava lake bubbling and churning, while they camp in the crater’s rim just a few meters away. As you look to the northern region of Virunga, you can see the largest snow-capped glaciers in Africa. And if you feel like mountain climbing, there is a 5,109 m (16,761 ft) high ascension in the Rwenzori Mountains to conquer. The magic continues as you travel to the center of the park to find safaris being guided through the vast Ishasha Plains full of elephants, lions, hippos, buffalo and giant forest hogs. There is even a luxurious Mikeno lodge for those who seek out the serene simplicity of Tchegera Island, which is also the starting point for gorilla trekking.

Gorilla trekkingThe dense jungles of Virunga offer gorilla trekkers the rare opportunity to see the critically endangered east-ern lowland gorilla (Gorilla beringei graueri), which is the largest known living primate. There are only about 3,800 of these wonderful creatures left. Hikers may also be able to witness the even rarer mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei), of which only 1,000 remain. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) cited illegal hunting, poaching, as the reason for this decline. Virunga is Africa’s most biologically diverse protected area and yet it is also one of the most dangerous places for a park ranger to live and work.

In 1966, primatologist and conservationist Diane Fossey began her mission to save the Congo’s endangered mountain gorilla and build up a network of local peo-ple to encourage the conservation of the Congo and its inhabitants. She was murdered in her lodge on December 27, 1985. Her legacy and passion continue to inspire locals to learn the language of the gorillas, protect them from poachers and become lifelong dedi-cated rangers at Virunga. Most rangers spend five days a week in the forest, only returning to their families at the weekend. These inspirational people will leave you in awe as they trek with you through the thick branches of bamboo, calling out to the gorillas in the language of the primates.

How it came to be in harm’s wayThe Congo has been devastated in many ways by many people. Poaching began in the Congo with King Leopold II of Belgium, who colonized northeastern Congo and pursued the exploitation of natural resources to fill his private purse and his country’s coffers. Later, Tutsi cattle herders destroyed much of the gorillas’ natural habitat, and not so long ago thousands of

Rwandan refugees fled to the Kivu region. There have also been two wars that have destabilized the region. Even with its historical turmoil, the Congo continues to be home to vast deposits of industrial diamonds, cobalt and copper, and the Congo’s rivers still contain about half of the continent’s hydroelectric potential. The Congo is also home to the previously mentioned “carbon sink” Lake Kivu, a large natural deposit of methane gas, which engineers hope to transform into electricity one day soon. It is said that the Congo is the richest place on Earth and the richest in untapped raw minerals, which are estimated to be worth about 24 trillion US dollars.

Fostering peace and prosperityIn response to today’s environmental situation, the park has developed a program known as the “Virunga Alli-ance,” which “fosters peace and prosperity through re-sponsible economic development of natural resources.” The park aims to support approximately four million people in their local communities through hydropower, sustainable agriculture, fisheries and tourism. Deputy Director Dr. Chantal says: “I’m excited to be part of the Virunga Alliance’s groundbreaking efforts to conserve the park’s biodiversity and support sustainable develop-ment for the population of North Kivu.”

Top left: Crater edge of Nyiragongo, DRC. (Photo: Shutterstock) Top right: Virunga National Park Ranger armed with an AK-47 making his rounds and looking out for poachers, DRC. (Photo: Shutterstock)

Bottom left: Nyiragongo Volcano’s lava lake at Virunga Park, DRC. (Photo: Shutterstock) Bottom right: Okapi (Okapia johnstoni), forest giraffe or zebra giraffe native to the northeast of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Central Africa. (Photo: iStock)

More information on visiting Virunga National Park

The Congo River Basin, straddling the Equator in west-central Africa. (Photo: iStock)

– 32 – – 33 –

What makes aerodynamics

so crucial

Aerodynamic factors greatly influence the characteristics

of an aircraft, and what is even more exciting is

understanding how these factors affect flight. How fast does

the plane climb? What is the range and the cruising speed?

How does the aircraft behave in crosswind conditions?

How do we improve agility, speed and performance?

RUAG’s aerodynamics experts investigate these and other

questions at their wind tunnels in Emmen, Switzerland,

where they study many different aircraft models, including

the Dornier 228. The results from wind tunnel tests

provide performance and aerodynamic characteristics

and structural load data for the development of new

aircraft or modifications.BY HENDRIK THIELEMANN

––– DESIGN DREAM –––

– 32 –

– 34 – – 35 –


“We’re standing right under the measuring section here. From here you can move the models with a platform into the wind tunnel. This particular tunnel is a closed return type, where the wind comes from the left side and goes out on the right side, then is routed around the back and comes into the test section again.” Andreas Hauser is in his element when explaining the Large Wind Tunnel Emmen (LWTE) to visitors. As Manager of the Department of Aerodynamics, Andreas is responsible for the entire wind tunnel facility and its organization. “In the large wind tunnel, we usually support aviation industry projects relating to the development of new aircraft or the further development of existing aircraft,” summarizes Andreas. All major western aircraft manufacturers have run test campaigns at the Large Wind Tunnel Emmen. In addition to aviation testing, RUAG also performs tests for the automotive industry, where environmental conditions such as precipitation can be added to the testing of prototype cars.

The Large Wind Tunnel Emmen can accommodate aircraft models with a wingspan of up to five meters. Two counter-rotating turbines with a diameter of 8.5 m ensure wind speeds of up to 68 m/s (250km/h), making the tunnel particularly suitable for testing configuration changes on aircraft, including the testing of aircraft propellers – integrated on the model or isolated in their full size. The engineers support their customers throughout the test campaign – from the design of the wind tunnel models, to manufacturing, to the implementation of instrumentation and force-measuring sensors.

“A large part of our work is experimental,” Andreas continues. “We conduct experiments with scaled models in the wind tunnel and can then project the results to the originals. We also simulate the aerodynamics of the aircraft in computer models. This process is called computational fluid

dynamics (CFD) and is often used during the initial design phase or to analyze very specific flow characteristics on the aircraft.”

Some time ago, the engineers in Emmen were visited by a familiar flying friend: the Dornier 228, which is manufactured by RUAG. The aircraft has proven itself as a robust and versatile workhorse in almost 30 years of operation. It has set standards in terms of aerodynamics, efficiency, flight behavior and short takeoff and landing (STOL) capability. So why did RUAG run a test campaign with the Dornier 228?

Investment in the future of the Dornier 228“The test campaign was an investment in the future of the Dornier 228,” explains Andreas Hauser. “We needed the test results as a reference to investigate forthcoming configurations of the Dornier 228, which have not yet been integrated and tested in the current model.”

Much is already known about the aerodynamics of the Dornier 228. There are computer models, extensive measurements from flight operations and older wind tunnel data from the develop-ment of the aircraft. These come from tests carried out in the former Dornier’s in-house wind tunnel. “The data from back then no longer meets today’s requirements,” says Andreas. This is scarcely any wonder, since wind tunnel technology has evolved: instead of simple wooden models, detailed aircraft models with precisely manufactured metal surfaces are used today. In addition, a multitude of sophisticated sensors allows more precise measurements, which in turn allow the aircraft to be optimized in terms of performance and efficiency. Furthermore, the Dornier 228 is no longer the same aircraft it was 30 years ago: the fuselage has been extended by around

– 35 –– 34 –

The positioning of the control surfaces relative to the core wing has to match precisely the full-scale aircraft configuration.

A series of fluorescent tufts on the aircraft surface helps the engineer to visualize interesting flow patterns.

– 36 – – 37 –

1.5 m, and the four-bladed propellers of the turboprop engines have been replaced by new five-bladed airscrews.

“The Dornier 228 stands out from an aerodynamic perspective: a highly flexible aircraft which is optimized for short to medium dis-tance commuter flights, long loiter time and heavy lift cargo haul on unprepared airstrips. All these characteristics stem from a very well designed aerodynamic shape,” Andreas summarizes.

Above all, aerodynamic studies of the Dornier 228 have led to the design of a highly unique wing. Dornier engineers invented this wing as part of a program sponsored by the German Research Min-istry. In the process, they further developed a wing structure that aerospace specialists from NASA had come up with. While a con-ventional wing has a main and a secondary spar and ribs, stringers and a sheet metal skin – all riveted together – the Dornier 228 wing structure is a box formed from four integrally milled alloy panels.

The wing contributes strongly to the outstanding aerodynamic properties of the aircraft. When the landing flaps are retracted, its characteristic shape is responsible for low air resistance, which allows high cruising speeds and a long range. The airfoil cross-sec-tion also ensures a high glide ratio. This allows long dwell times at low speeds when needed for patrol or surveillance flights. In land-ing and take-off configuration with flaps extended and drooped ailerons, together with a powerful propeller-induced wake, the wing of the Dornier 228 produces tremendous lift. This enables safe operation into short and unpaved runways in remote areas or at airports with a high density altitude – that is, in very hot climates or at high altitudes.


The Large Wind Tunnel Emmen allows the investigation of large-scale aircraft models with high geometrical accuracy, giving engineers good confidence in the acquired results.

– 39 –


Similar to a pilot in the cockpit, the test engineer observes and controls the wind tunnel tests to ensure safe operation.

Dornier 228 in the wind tunnel

The effects of such modifications on aerodynamics, and thus on flight behavior, must be evaluated before a modified configuration can be certified. Engineers and technicians base their investiga-tions on three pillars: computer models, wind tunnel tests and in-flight measurements. “In the special mission segment, the requirements are manifold. Many customers want to adapt the configuration of the aircraft to their mission demands, and with our aerodynamic tests we have been able to create a basis for implementing changes efficiently and reliably,” explains Andreas.

Following the test campaign, RUAG engineers compared the results with the existing data from previous flight tests. They also used the measurement results to further improve the existing com-puter models. “This was, of course, a bit of reverse engineering,” says Andreas. When developing a new aircraft, the procedure is normally the opposite: At the beginning there are the computer simulations, then the wind tunnel measurements and finally the test flights. The Dornier 228, on the other hand, is a tried-and-tested aircraft, so the priorities were different: “The goal was to create a database that helps the operators to optimally adapt the aircraft to their requirements, for commuter or special mission purposes,” summarizes Andreas.

With the five-blade propeller, the aerodynamic properties have improved even further. The primary reason for introducing the propeller was to lower the propeller noise acting on the immediate surroundings as well as on the fuselage and the cabin interior so as to provide a more comfortable flight. As a beneficial side effect, the five-bladed propeller thrust was slightly increased, boosting performance.

Aerodynamics also play a key role in the pilot-friendly flight characteristics of the Dornier 228. “The aircraft’s control surfaces are aerodynamically optimized so that the high-energy airflow allows full controllability even at high angles of attack. The large rudder is crucial for good controllability of the aircraft in strong crosswinds and in single-engine emergency operation at low airspeeds,” explains Andreas.

Special mission aircraft In addition to commuter flights, special missions are the Dornier 228’s most important field of operation. It is in the nature of things that the aircraft must be adapted to the requirements of such missions – this can mean external elements being attached to the fuselage, which can also affect the aerodynamics of the plane. Sometimes it is “only” a question of installing a radar an-tenna, a camera or an infrared sensor on the fuselage. Other times, the Dornier 228 needs to be configured to drop parachutists or relief supplies over disaster areas. And other times the aircraft serves as a research platform – for example, to test the use of electric engines, as planned by the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR), or to gather information about permafrost melting or the loss of trees in Africa’s Kruger Park.

– 39 –

Investigating the aerodynamic influence of the landing gear on stability and control behavior.

– 40 – – 41 –

––– FLIGHT BITS –––

“This is our fourth and newest Dornier 228, which is currently undergoing avionics and smokejumper

equipment installations prior to going into operations at the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) at the

Boise, Idaho smokejumper base,” tells Mike Vennie.

After being equipped, the aircraft will be painted in Bighorn Airways livery and begin operations at Boise

on April 15, 2020.

And Bighorn is already looking forward to adding their 5th Dornier 228!

Greg Asner and his team have set out again in their Dornier 228 flying observatory to map coral reefs, which are said to be the rainforests of the ocean. “Despite our growing knowledge of how coral reefs are changing around the world, the geo graphy of these changes remains extremely hard to piece together.” Furthermore, the Hawaiian Islands are “now in a state of extremely variable reef condition driven by a complex mosaic of coastal development, over-fishing and ocean warming. In response to these alarming losses, Hawaii Governor David Ige announced a new effort in 2016 to manage and conserve at least 30% of Hawaii’s reefs by 2030, known as the Marine 30×30 Initiative,” explains Greg.

The high-tech approach the team uses is called imaging spectros-copy, which measures the spectrum of sunlight scattered and absorbed by an object. “These spectral patterns differ based on a given object’s unique chemical signature, and so can be used to assess changes in reef health over time.” This project is part of a larger coral reef conservation mapping project.

––– FLIGHT BITS –––

Where’s Katsu?

Smoke jumpers get a new aircraft!

Flight Bits

Bighorn Airways DO-228-202 S/N 8110 customization.

Rachel Gisiger (publisher), [email protected]

Tell us your story and share your pictures!

Living & loving the Dornier 228?

Memories are fascinating and close to our heart.

Do you have a Dornier 228 experience that made

your heart beat a little faster or relax a little longer ?

Have you flown or landed where perhaps no one else has?

Did you perform an interesting mission or care for

someone or something that moved your heart?

Does your Dornier 228 itself have a story to tell,

an interesting history, an exciting modification,

or do you have a favorite picture? LoveDornier228

would love to tell your tale. Please share your

special experiences with us now.

Gifu, Japan, JASDF F-2B

Check out this picture of Katsu. Can you guess where he is flying

and in which aircraft?*Answer is upside down on the

lower right of the picture

Visit the Asner Lab project website

Mapping coral reefs in the Hawaiian Islands

– 42 – – 43 –

––– THE LOVEDORNIER228 MAGAZINE TEAM –––

LoveDornier228 | Issue 5 | April 2020

Publisher | RUAG MRO International, Seetalstrasse 175, 6032 Emmen, Switzerland | Design and Layout | Amstutz Partners AG, Lucerne, SwitzerlandPhotos | Maxie Plante: Page 4–9 | Simtec: Page 12, 14–15 | LaOlam: Page 20–25

© Copyright 2020 RUAG MRO International. All rights reserved. No part of these texts and images may be reprinted, reproduced or used in any form without the express permission of RUAG MRO International. Printed on FSC certified paper.

24-hour AOG hotlines

Back row (from left): Michael Franz, Paul Oelofsen, Jörg Wittmer, Erhard Zimmer, Andreas Ellinger, Rainer Steigenberger, Marco Montis, Michael HubrichFront row (from left): Manfred Huber, Erika Kling, Peter Huber, Dieter Leyrer, Jürgen Oepp, Wolfgang Dünnebier, Matthias Lasch, Juan Martinez, Steven Pinault

––– THE DORNIER 228 CUSTOMER SUPPORT TEAM –––

Technical SupportTel.: +49 8153 30 2280Fax: +49 8153 30 3030

[email protected]

RUAG Aerospace Services GmbH P.O. Box 1253 | Special Airfield Oberpfaffenhofen | 82231 Wessling | Germany

www.dornier228.com

Material SupportTel.: +49 8153 30 2281Fax: +49 8153 30 4633

[email protected]

Rachel Gisiger – Concept creation and publishingCreating new and exciting methods for connecting with customers and engaging in meaningful dialog with them motivates Rachel Gisiger. In her strategic leadership position at RUAG MRO International, she con-tinues to follow this passion, building upon her professional marketing degrees, and is a key driving force for marketing and communications across the company. Rachel serves in a pivotal position dedicated to serving the international Dornier 228 community and is particularly proud of creating and publishing this magazine on their behalf.

Christine Anne Berger – Editor in Chief, writer“Telling someone’s story requires understanding the narrative from multiple perspectives.” Christine Anne has a Masters of Fine Arts from UTSA and a Masters of Education from UWS. Christine tells stories using a variety of communication techniques, from visual images to the written word. When she isn’t directing and con-sulting, she spends time in her artist’s studio and garden or goes hiking, while pondering new approaches, new questions and new challenges.

Yardena Malka – WriterWorking as a dedicated marketing and communications project manager in Lucerne, Switzerland, Yardena is also extremely pas-sionate about writing. She has been authoring stories her entire life and has had essays published in academic magazines from a young age. She pursued her love of writing and graduated from the Textakademie in Zurich. In private she finds inspiration while hiking and climbing in the Swiss mountains and outdoors with her dog “Sunny” and horse “Avi”.

Hendrik Thielemann – WriterHendrik Thielemann studied communications and worked as a jour-nalist for several years before he decided to move to the other side of the desk and became a corporate communications manager. From 2001 until 2016 he worked in the aerospace industry. At the beginning of 2017, he founded the Zurich-based communication agency E2C (www.e2c.ch). E2C focuses on corporate content and outsourced communication management, primarily in the sectors of aerospace and engineering.

www.lovedornier228.com

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228 Dornier MAGAZINE FOR THE DORNIER 228 COMMUNITY...Our community will continue to build a bright future through collaborating, sharing and listening. If you have a story to share,