Deutsche Aircraft has moved its D328eco landing-gear programme into the next certification phase after completing low- and high-speed taxi tests and five development flights with a modified D328 flying testbed. The work, carried out from the company’s development base in Germany, has logged more than 15 hours of ground and flight testing and is aimed at reducing risk on the regional turboprop’s path to certification.
The campaign uses an older D328 airframe as a dedicated test platform so the landing gear can be validated before the D328eco prototype is fully available. That approach gives Deutsche Aircraft more control over development of a system that is central to certification and operational performance.
Planned checks include braking performance, stopping distance, steering, crosswind handling and unpaved-runway operations, followed later by structural, durability and reliability assessments. The D328eco is designed as an updated regional turboprop for about 40 passengers, and the move to in-house landing-gear development gives the German manufacturer full rights to the system as it continues the certification process.