Fairchild 228
{{For|the Fairchild-Dornier aircraft with the same model number|Dornier 228}}
{{short description|Regional airliner}}
| {{Infobox aircraft begin
|name= Fairchild 228 |image= File:Piedmont F-28-1000.jpg |caption= A Fokker F-28, the basis for the shortened Fairchild 228 }}{{Infobox aircraft type |type= Regional airliner |national origin= United States / Netherlands |manufacturer= Fairchild Aircraft / Fokker |designer= |first flight= |introduced= |retired= |status= |primary user= |more users= |produced= |number built= 2 |developed from= Fokker F28 Fellowship |variants with their own articles= }} |
The Fairchild 228 was a regional jet developed for the United States market by Fairchild Hiller using Fokker F28 sub-assemblies.{{cite journal|journal=Aeroplane and Commercial Aviation News |volume=115|year=1968}}
Design and development
In 1967 Fairchild-Hiller sought to develop their own regional jet, the FH-327. Fairchild elected to leverage their relationship with Fokker aircraft in building F.27 aircraft, with a similar arrangement. The plan was to purchase sub-assemblies for the then new F.28 regional jet and assemble them in America into a shortened configuration aircraft with different engines.{{cite journal|journal=AAHS Journal|date=Spring 1998|title=What happened to the Fairchild 228?}}
The Fairchild 228 was to be a 50-passenger twin-engine turbofan regional aircraft. The engines were mounted on the rear of the fuselage, with a swept T-tail arrangement. The wings were equipped with triple-slotted flaps for short-field operations. A new {{convert|10000|lb|kg|0|abbr=on}} thrust Rolls-Royce RB.203 Trent turbofan was selected to power the aircraft.{{cite book|title=Aero news, Volume 19, Issue 12|author=Kitab.|year=1968}}
Fairchild estimated orders of 260-460 aircraft for the US market and 600-800 Internationally. The first sub-assemblies were shipped to Hagerstown, Maryland in 1967 with two prototype aircraft assembled for testing. The first order was placed by West Coast Airlines of Seattle, Washington.{{Cite journal|journal=Board of Trade Journal |volume=194|author=Great Britain. Board of Trade|page=83}} Tests of the F.28 aircraft's short field performance was better than expected with simpler flap construction. The Trent engines performance uncertainty and delayed certification of the 228 compared to the F.28 led to the 1968 announcement that the project would be halted. Fairchild wrote off nearly $30 million in expenses in 1968 relating to canceling the F-228 program. The losses contributed to Fairchild's canceled plan to acquire Douglas aircraft. The tail sections were shipped back to Fokker and used in production F.28 aircraft.{{cite book|title=The Jet Makers The Aerospace Industry from 1945 to 1972|url=https://archive.org/details/jetmakersaerospa0000brig|url-access=registration|author=Dr. Charles D. Bright|year=1978 |publisher=Regents Press of Kansas |isbn=9780700601721 }}
Specifications (228)
{{Aircraft specs
|ref=AAHS Journal
|prime units?=kts
|genhide=
|crew=
|capacity=50
|length m=
|length ft=86
|length in=8
|length note=
|span m=
|span ft=78
|span in=9
|span note=
|height m=
|height ft=27
|height in=8
|height note=
|wing area sqm=
|wing area sqft=822
|wing area note=
|swept area sqm=
|swept area sqft=
|swept area note=
|aspect ratio=
|airfoil=
|empty weight kg=
|empty weight lb=46,300
|empty weight note=
|gross weight kg=
|gross weight lb=54,000
|gross weight note=
|max takeoff weight kg=
|max takeoff weight lb=54,500
|max takeoff weight note=
|fuel capacity={{convert|2606|u.s.gal}}
|more general=
|eng1 number=2
|eng1 name=Rolls-Royce RB.203 Trent
|eng1 type= turbofan
|eng1 kw=
|eng1 hp=
|eng1 kn=
|eng1 lbf=9,730
|eng1 note=
|power original=
|perfhide=
|max speed kmh=
|max speed mph=
|max speed kts=
|max speed note=
|max speed mach=
|cruise speed kmh=
|cruise speed mph=
|cruise speed kts=430
|cruise speed note=
|stall speed kmh=
|stall speed mph=
|stall speed kts=81
|stall speed note=
|never exceed speed kmh=
|never exceed speed mph=
|never exceed speed kts=
|never exceed speed note=
|minimum control speed kmh=
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|minimum control speed kts=
|minimum control speed note=
|range km=
|range miles=403
|range nmi=
|range note=
|ferry range km=
|ferry range miles=
|ferry range nmi=
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|endurance=
|ceiling m=
|ceiling ft=35,000
|ceiling note=
|g limits=
|roll rate=
|glide ratio=
|climb rate ms=
|climb rate ftmin=2,970
|climb rate note=
|time to altitude=
|lift to drag=
|wing loading kg/m2=
|wing loading lb/sqft=
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|power/mass=
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|more performance=
|avionics=*Collins
}}
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