Dornier 28 German Navy AMAZING outboard camera plus cockpit views! [AirClips full flight series]

The reservist camaraderie flight service “RK Flugdienst” represents an absolute rarity in the Association of reservists of the German armed forces [VdRBw] as only flying reservist Fellowship in Germany. The basic idea was to offer an interesting project of reservist soldiers. In contrast to traditional reservist activities, the realization of flight operations with historic aircraft of the German Bundeswehr was the primary objective.

Numerous meetings with the Federal Defence Ministry of Germany were required for the implementation of the concept of reservist camaraderie flight service. Initial concerns could be removed by benevolent support of important decision makers, so that the successful establishment of the flight service could take place on the 01.03.1993 in the Bundeswehr barracks located near Appen, germany. At the time of OStFw D.r. Hagen Hamm and a small circle of other aviation-enthusiastic comrades founded the RK flight service which has now grown to over 100 members in the country and abroad. The flight service includes a multi-layered structure of members such as skilled aviation technicians, experienced pilots and a variety of aviation-interested persons.

To fulfill their task, RK Flugdienst took over two twin-engined Dornier DO 28 D2 Skyservant built in 1973, which still fly today for the purpose of public relations. These aircraft are currently the only units of their type certified in Germany.

In addition to the DO 28 Skyservant D2 the RK air service also has a Dornier DO 27 A4 MFD in 1960, as well as on a Piaggio P 149 MFD in 1959

The type designation Dornier Do 28 comprises two different twin-engine STOL utility aircraft, manufactured by Dornier Flugzeugbau GmbH. Most of them served with the German Air Force and Marineflieger and other air forces around the world.
The Dornier company was given financial assistance from the German government to develop a larger STOL transport to carry up to 13 passengers. The type was designated the Do 28D and later named Skyservant. The Do 28D was a complete redesign and shared only the basic layout and wing construction of the earlier versions. The fuselage and engine nacelles were rectangular, unlike the rounded Do 28A/B. The aim was to develop a simple and rugged aircraft for use under arduous conditions, which could be easily maintained. With a crew of two pilots, the cabin accommodated up to 12 passengers; freight could be loaded easily through large double doors and with the seats removed the cabin gave 283 sq ft (26.3 m2) of unobstructed space. The first flight of a Do 28D took place on 23 February 1966 and the type was publicly exhibited at the Paris Air Show at Le Bourget airport in June 1967.
A further variant of the Skyservant was the Do 28D-2/OU (Oil Unit). Two aircraft were fitted with radar and SLAR (Side-Looking Airborne Radar) to monitor oil pollution in the Baltic and North Seas. Painted in a white scheme, they were operated between 1984 and 1995 by MFG 5 of the Marineflieger, on behalf of the German Transport Ministry. These aircraft are easily recognised by the fuselage-mounted SLAR antenna and a radome under the cockpit. In 1991, both aircraft operated for several weeks in the Persian Gulf during the Gulf War under the control of the United Nations. These two aircraft were replaced by the Do 228 at the end of 1995. These Skyservants are preserved in the Aeronauticum museum at Nordholz.
In 1997, the Hungarian engineer Andreas Gál developed a conversion based on a D-variant, that was intended to meet the requirements of skydivers. Instead of the Lycoming piston engines, Gál had two Walter M601-D2 turboprops, modified three-blade propellers and a skydiving kit installed by Aerotech Slovakia on seven planes. The Do 28 series consists of the fundamentally different Do 28 A/B (1959) and Do 28 D Skyservant (1966).