Interesting Concepts: Dornier Do-31 (Variations)

The only 10 engined jet ever built...

I would have loved to see this bird in production, more so as this was what we were waiting for when in the last 60s/early70s we were given the "Trall" (C160 Transall) for the Noratlas, Trall with of course smaller payload, slower, not VTOL capable and hence not able to divert to main roads/motorways in case of (feared) attack on the German air bases from the pact states to open a war, but with much more room (triple Do31)...

While the DO 31 got forgotten, the Trall still is the workhorse in our as well many others Air Forces.

But VTOL would have been kind of cool, methinks, would have liked to train on something like this beauty.

Three protoypes have been manufactured, one still model and two flying: Flying prototypes have been preserved in Germany, the fate and current location of the non-flying test bed (E2) is not known.

    * Dornier Do 31 E1, D-9530, is preserved and displayed at the Dornier Museum in Friedrichshafen.

    * Dornier Do 31 E3, D-9531, was initially put into storage at Oberpfaffenhofen, then for several years on diplay in the open in front of the entrance of the Deutsche Museum and after restoration is now on display at the Deutsches Museum Flugwerft Schleissheim at Oberschleissheim near Munich.

Specifications (Do 31E) (Data from "The Observers Book of Aircraft")

General characteristics

    * Crew: 2
    * Capacity: 36 troops or 24 casualty stretchers
    * Length: 20.53 m (67 ft 4 in)
    * Wingspan: 18 m (59 ft 3 in)
    * Height: 8.53 m (28 ft)
    * Wing area: 57 m² (613.56 ft²)
    * Loaded weight: 22,453 kg (49,500 lb)
    * Useful load: 3,500 kg (7,715 lb)
    * Max takeoff weight: 27,422 kg (60,500 lb)
    * Powerplant:
          - 2 × Rolls-Royce Pegasus BE.53/2 turbofan, 68.95 kN (15,500 lbf) each
          - 8 × Rolls-Royce RB162-4D Vertically mounted turbojet lift engines, 19.57 kN (4,400 lbf) each

Performance

    * Maximum speed: 730 km/h (452 mph)
    * Cruise speed: 650 km/h (404 mph)
    * Range: 1,800 km (1,120 mi) with maximum payload
    * Service ceiling: 10,700 m (35,100 ft)
    * Rate of climb: 19.2 m/s (3,780 ft/min) -using Pegasus engines only


Rattler