Dornier’s Do-29 Broke Ground in STOL Before It Was Fashionable

The clean-sheet design harnessed mechanical complexity in pursuit of incredible performance.

Tuesday, May 10, 2022 at 08:53 AM ET

Verified

Utilizing vectored thrust and coupled engines that could individually power both propellers, the Dornier Do-29 broke new ground in STOL engineering. [Photo: Jason McDowell]

Key Takeaways:

The Dornier Do-29 was an experimental German aircraft designed to research the feasibility of using vectored thrust from two wing-mounted, tilting pusher propellers for extreme slow flight and short takeoff/landing (STOL) performance.
It featured mechanical complexities, including counter-rotating engines and an interconnect system that allowed a single engine to power both propellers in case of a failure, aimed at ensuring controllability and safety.
While predicted to achieve very short takeoff/landing distances and a minimum airspeed of 13 knots, actual flight tests showed its performance fell significantly short of these targets, requiring longer distances and a higher minimum speed.
Only two Do-29 aircraft were built; one was damaged and written off, and the sole remaining example is now displayed at the Dornier Museum in Germany.

See a mistake? Contact us.

Since it was founded in 1914, Dornier was an aircraft company that was never short on imagination. From early 12-engined flying boats to World War II military aircraft and regional airliners to modern, composite flying boats, the OEM’s name has decorated a bewildering variety of aircraft types. Among them, hiding in the footnotes of the company’s history, are some truly unique examples of engineering.

Spearheaded by the German federal agency tasked with aerospace research, the Dornier Do-29 was an experimental aircraft intended to study the feasibility of utilizing vectored thrust to achieve extreme slow flight and short takeoff and landing (STOL) performance. A clean-sheet design, it utilized a high-wing, tailwheel configuration. Although as a test aircraft, it was configured for only one occupant, it was roughly the size of the de Havilland Beaver and the similarly sized fuselage could in theory be configured to carry four to six passengers.