DORNIER Do 27 (Israeli Defense Force - South African Air Force and Portuguese Air Force. - 1990

Description

The Dornier Do 27 was a German single-engine STOL utility aircraft, manufactured by Dornier GmbH (later DASA Dornier, Fairchild-Dornier). Configuration was a classic high-wing, "tail-dragger" aircraft with fixed landing gear. Dorniers facilities in Spain designed the Do 25, to a Spanish military requirement for a light utility aircraft, as a precursor to the production Do 27. Powered by a single 110 kW (150 hp) ENMA Tigre G.V engine, the Do 25 was not selected for production. The Do 27 seated four to six, and the original prototype first flew in Spain on 27 June 1955. Most production aircraft were built in Germany, the first German-built aircraft taking flight on 17 October 1956. 50 more were manufactured in Spain by Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA as the CASA-127. The German Air Force and German Army ordered a total of 428 of the Do 27A and Do 27B (with dual controls). A later version with the same basic specifications, but equipped with wider-track landing gear was known as the Do 27Q-5. The aircraft was offered as a twin-float seaplane, the Do 27S-1, and with a larger engine (254 kW/340 hp Lycoming GSO-480-B1B6) and a three-blade propeller, as the Do 27H-2. In addition to the military operators in Germany and Spain, Portugal received 40 new-build and 106 ex-German aircraft. The Portuguese Air Force used these extensively in the colonial war in Portuguese Africa during the 1960s–70s. In Portuguese Guinea, in April 1973, two Do 27s were shot down by SAM-7 Grail shoulder-launched AAMs. The Do 27 was notable for being the first mass-produced aircraft in Germany after World War II. It was appreciated for its relatively wide, comfortable cabin and excellent short-field performance. The decal sheet brings markings for four IDF/AF machines, one as operated by the SAAF and one which saw service with the Portuguese air force. (Scale : 1/72e)