Deutsche Aircraft is shaping the future of flight. In addition to regular announcements about our project and team, we will be commenting on the growth of the sustainable aviation market and how our planet can benefit from recent technological developments from across the industry.
Make sure to follow us on social media, and sign up to our mailing list to be kept informed of our progress. If you are a member of the media, do contact our communications team below.
From Dave Jackson’s desk - October 2021
October 15, 2021
I am pleased to once again present you with exciting updates about Deutsche Aircraft's work and progresses for this quarter.
The transition from 328 Support Services GmbH to Deutsche Aircraft GmbH is officially complete. We are now all working under the same brand towards a common goal: more climate friendly regional aviation.
Customer satisfaction is at the heart of our company philosophy when it comes to our work on the D328® aircraft fleet. For the past quarter, we are pleased to have had a busy hangar. Our maintenance team demonstrated high quality work with a customer-oriented mindset. Every maintenance event was completed on time and to full customers´ full satisfaction.
I am pleased to once again present you with exciting updates about Deutsche Aircraft's work and progresses for this quarter.
The transition from 328 Support Services GmbH to Deutsche Aircraft GmbH is officially complete. We are now all working under the same brand towards a common goal: more climate friendly regional aviation.
Customer satisfaction is at the heart of our company philosophy when it comes to our work on the D328® aircraft fleet. For the past quarter, we are pleased to have had a busy hangar. Our maintenance team demonstrated high quality work with a customer-oriented mindset. Every maintenance event was completed on time and to full customers´ full satisfaction.
Enjoy the read!
Dave Jackson, Managing Director of Deutsche Aircraft
Deutsche Aircraft Achievements and Progresses
On 8th October 2021, the transition from 328SSG to Deutsche Aircraft was official with the change of name recognised by the German Register of Commerce.
D328®
Our hangar was busy for the past quarter. Among our work, we are pleased to highlight some of the achievements of our team: the completion of maintenance work on four aircraft for three different customers: Luxaviation, Private Wings and Eagle Air.
The Luxaviation aircraft came in for line maintenance. The team completed an A1 and A2 check and associated defect rectification.
From May to July, the team carried out two phase 6 inspections on two Private Wings aircraft. A Phase 6 inspection is one of the largest inspections of the D328 aircraft. One aircraft was also repainted in the new livery of Private Wings.
One Eagle Air aircraft also came in for line maintenance. The team performed engine inspections, scheduled maintenance tasks, and released to service.
After delivery of the aircraft, we received a formal recognition from Eagle Air for the work performed. “We were very happy with this maintenance visit and with all the Deutsche Aircraft people we worked with” wrote Björn S. Eggertson, Technical Manager at Eagle Air.
Moreover, the team completed Wiring-Loom production for one of our customer’s aircraft along with a ship set for HIRF testing.
D328eco™
The development of our D328eco platform is progressing as scheduled, with the announcement of the HEGGEMANN AG as key supplier for the wing industrialisation and production, HEGGEMANN AG.
HEGGEMANN has over 55 years' experience, mastering high-volume, industrialized production. The aerodynamically optimized wing design of the D328ecoTM will be built via state-of-the-art automatized manufacturing process flow. Hereby, progressive quality assurance and digitized end-to-end processes in terms of “Industry 4.0” will be implemented. The manufactured wing and its sub-components will be fully sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) compatible, with new sealants, surface protection measures and materials that fits with all mainstream SAFs.
HEGGEMANN AG is a strong partner in the development of the D328eco and will also supply the landing gear for the aircraft.
The on-boarding of other key suppliers and partners is ongoing and more news will be announced soon.
Meet our Team
We are delighted to introduce you to more talents on our team. This quarter, meet Dr. Stefan Brunner, our Head of Airframe and Jean Damien Mazeau, our Head of Propulsion.
Dr. Stefan Brunner joined Deutsche Aircraft as Head of Airframe. He is responsible for the design of the airframe´s primary structure. He also handles structural analysis along with materials and processes for the complete aircraft.
Stefan built a long career in aerospace, working for various key players such as MT Aerospace AG, Premium Aerotec GmbH and Airbus Group.
During his 17 years within Airbus, he was heavily involved in a wide variety of major engineering programmes for both commercial aviation and defence and space programmes.
Jean Damien Mazeau joined Deutsche Aircraft in November 2020 as Head of Propulsion.
He is in charge of the development work for the propulsion systems for the D328eco’s propulsion systems.
Jean Damien worked for over 18 years within Airbus, starting in Airbus Helicopter as Thermal Engineer before integrating the Chief Engineering Team in France and Germany. He then moved to Airbus Commercial to work as Power Plant Chief Engineer in charge of A320. Afterwards, he came onboard Airbus Commercial customer support organization in the engineering department to manage the entry into service of the A320neo. Finally, he moved to Singapore for Airbus customer support programme of the A320 to be the main technical focal point for the Asian Pacific market where he stayed for two and a half year.
He holds an Engineering degree in Thermal and Energetics from the University of Poitiers in France.
Deutsche Aircraft - Your Place to Lift Off
As part of its long-term growth strategy, Deutsche Aircraft launched a vocational training programme in partnership with AERO-Bildung, the aviation training centre of Bavaria, to train aircraft mechanics.
The first cohort will enrol four students and is expected to start in September 2022. During a 42-month timeframe, trainees will learn the ins and outs of the business of aircraft mechanics at the AERO-Bildung facilities and will test their newly acquired knowledge on state-of-the-art aircraft at Deutsche Aircraft near Munich.
Deutsche Aircraft is looking forward to welcome them and to enrich its team with a youthful spirit!
On 27 and 28 September 2021, Deutsche Aircraft “virtually” attended the 2021 RAA Leaders Conference, a conference of the Regional Airline Association, a business association representing 18 North American regional airlines and 280 associate, non-airline members, including manufacturers of products and services supporting the regional airline industry.
In a mix of presentation and panel discussions, the first day of debates evolved around COVID-19 and its impact on the aviation industry. The conclusion was that while we are on the way to recovery, we are still very far from getting there. Experts expect the U.S. to be one of the fastest – if not the fastest – regions to recover post-COVID due to the large domestic market. They also consider that business travel will be slower to recover, even if in-person meeting with customers is still seen a key factor to seal the deal.
Population decentralisation post pandemic is expected to be a major driver of demand for regional aviation, potentially resulting in a shift to smaller planes. Thus, discussions in the second day gauged trends to revert back towards the 50ish-seater spectrum, with a closer look on upcoming smaller aircraft and finished with an outlook on green initiatives in aviation.
The Air Current, a data-driven aviation trade media, reporting on the business, technology and strategy of flying, presented a comprehensive review of small sustainable regional aircraft currently in development. Deutsche Aircraft’s D328eco was featured in this review as the upcoming contender to watch.
Panel discussion around environmentally friendly aircraft brought up a lot of skepticism due to the commercial (and sustainable) viability of electric powered aircraft. Such aircraft are deemed too heavy and concerns were raised around battery disposal.
Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) is seen as the short-medium term alternative towards greener aviation.
15th Day of the German Aerospace
On 29th September 2021, the 15th Day of German Aerospace Regions took place in Aachen, Germany.
The event brought together the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, the Regional Forum of the German Aerospace Industries Association and the Ministry for Economic Affairs, Innovation, Digitalization and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) alongside with the AeroSpace NRW network and major aerospace companies.
Our partner HEGGEMANN AG had a stand where Deutsche Aircraft displayed a model of the D328eco. We had the pleasure of welcoming Mr. Thomas Jarzombek, Commissioner for the Digital Industry and Start-ups and Federal Government Coordinator of German Aerospace Policy, and Prof. Dr. Andreas Pinkwart, Minister for Economic Affairs, Innovation, Digitalisation and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, onto the stand and to explain the unique capabilities of the D328eco.
Deutsche Aircraft in the News
This quarter, media interest in Deutsche Aircraft continued to grow, with news coverage across key business and aviation media outlets. Press releases helped pique interest, with announcements regarding the launch of our vocational training programme for aircraft mechanics, D328eco programme development and the official name change from 328SSG GmbH to Deutsche Aircraft GmbH.
Deutsche Aircraft was also featured in respected business publications presenting the D328eco as the future of flight.
Finally, thanks to a digital campaign and a revamped website, Deutsche Aircraft strengthened its online presence.
Deutsche Aircraft and AERO-Bildung sign partnership to start vocational training for Aircraft Mechanics (August 23, 2021)
