Key takeaways
- The Do 24 is a three-engine flying boat from Friedrichshafen, developed in the mid-1930s initially for the Dutch naval air service.
- Fastest way to identify it: three engines on a raised wing plus sponsons on the sides of the hull.
- The type became known as a sea rescuer, with air-sea rescue squadrons in World War II and afterward in Spain, where Do 24s flew from Mallorca until around 1970.
- The Do 24 ATT is one of a kind: a Do 24 hull from 1943/44 with a new wing, three PT6A turboprops and landing gear – a true amphibian.
- Since September 2026, the ATT is flying again, registered as 7Q-DOX and based at the Dornier Museum in Friedrichshafen.
Contents
Profile
| Manufacturer | Dornier (Friedrichshafen), built under license by Aviolanda (Netherlands) and CAMS/SNCAN (Sartrouville, France) |
|---|---|
| Type | Three-engine flying boat for maritime reconnaissance and sea rescue; Do 24 ATT as an amphibian |
| First flight | July 1937 (prototype V3, Manzell near Friedrichshafen) |
| Launch customer | Marine-Luchtvaartdienst of the Netherlands (service in the Dutch East Indies) |
| Aircraft built | around 300 – up to 313 depending on the count, including postwar production in France |
| Main variants | Do 24 K-1/K-2 (Wright radial engines), Do 24 N, Do 24 T-1 to T-3 (Bramo radial engines) |
| Engines (Do 24 T) | 3 × BMW-Bramo 323 R-2 Fafnir, radial engines with around 1,000 PS each |
| Length | around 22 m |
| Wingspan | around 27 m (Do 24 ATT: 30 m) |
| Height | 5.75 m |
| Max. takeoff weight (Do 24 T) | 18.4 t |
| Range (Do 24 T) | around 2,900 km |
| Do 24 ATT | Conversion from 1981/82, first flight April 1983, 3 × Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-45B, retractable landing gear |
| Status | historic; the only airworthy Do 24 is the ATT with the registration 7Q-DOX |
Identifying features
Is this really the aircraft type in front of you?
- Boat hull with keel and step – the aircraft floats directly on its hull
- Three engines side by side on a straight wing high above the hull
- The wing rests on struts and a center structure above the hull, not directly on the boat
- Sponsons (stub fins) low on the sides of the hull instead of wingtip floats under the wings
- Tail with two vertical fins at the ends of the horizontal stabilizer
- Do 24 ATT: slender turboprop nacelles instead of round radial engines, a longer wing and retractable landing gear
Updated: October 2026 – A flying boat with three engines on a high wing, the boat beneath it with short sponsons on the sides: anyone who sees something like that on Lake Constance is very likely looking at the Dornier Do 24. The type dates from the 1930s and spent decades as a maritime reconnaissance aircraft and sea rescuer. Since the end of September 2026, it is a topic for spotters again: the unique Do 24 ATT, an example converted into an amphibian, has flown again in Friedrichshafen. On this page, you will learn how to recognize the Do 24, what variants there were, what is behind the ATT and where to find the type today.
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What is the Dornier Do 24?
The Do 24 is a three-engine all-metal flying boat that Dornier developed in Friedrichshafen in the mid-1930s. It was intended as a seaworthy long-range reconnaissance aircraft: an aircraft that flies far out over the open sea, can land on the water even in heavy seas and pick up people or observe ships there. With the German aviation authority, it competed against the Blohm & Voss BV 138.
The decisive impetus came from the Netherlands, though. The country’s naval aviators, the Marine-Luchtvaartdienst, were looking for a replacement for their old Dornier Wal flying boats in the Dutch East Indies, today’s Indonesia. The Do 24 was designed to fit this need precisely. The first prototype to fly was the V3 with the registration D-ADLP: it took off for its first flight in July 1937 at Manzell near Friedrichshafen. The exact date varies between July 3 and 5 depending on the source. The V3 was already built to Dutch specification, was handed over in autumn 1937 and went to Southeast Asia as X-1.
The Do 24 was not built only on Lake Constance. Aviolanda in the Netherlands built the majority, and further examples were built by CAMS/SNCAN in Sartrouville near Paris. A total of 313 flying boats is often cited, of which 32 at Dornier, 194 at Aviolanda and 87 in France. Other counts arrive at fewer aircraft. You can find more about the company’s history on the manufacturer page for Dornier.
Recognizing the Do 24: four features
Flying boats are so rare today that the boat hull alone stands out. To tell the Do 24 apart from other flying boats and amphibians, four observations help.
Count the engines
Three engines side by side on the wing are unusual for flying boats. Most types have two or four. On the Do 24, the middle engine sits directly above the hull.
Look at the wing position
The straight, rectangular wing doesn’t sit on the boat but on struts and a center structure well above it. That keeps the engines and propellers far from the spray.
Look for sponsons
Short, wing-like stubs stick out low on the sides of the hull. They keep the boat stable on the water. There are no wingtip floats.
Check the tail
At the rear, the Do 24 carries a horizontal stabilizer with two vertical fins at the ends. In profile, that makes the tail look flatter than on flying boats with one large central fin.
The sponsons are a family trait: the Dornier Wal and the giant flying boat Dornier Do X already used this principle. Anyone who knows the Do X from pictures sees the kinship immediately. The blog article on the Do X also tells more about the twelve-engine flagship.
Practical tip for the ATT
You recognize the Do 24 ATT immediately by its slender turboprop nacelles pulled forward. The original Do 24s have round radial engines with large cowlings. Watch for the landing gear when it taxis: wheels under a flying boat exist on this type only on the ATT.
Variants at a glance
The Do 24 developed mainly through its powerplant. The Dutch aircraft flew with American Wright radial engines, the German production versions with BMW-Bramo engines.
| Variant | Powerplant | Special features |
|---|---|---|
| Do 24 V1–V3 | varied | Prototypes; the V3 was the first to fly in 1937 |
| Do 24 K-1 / K-2 | 3 × Wright radial engine | For the Dutch naval air service, service in the Dutch East Indies |
| Do 24 N | Wright radial engines | Aircraft completed in the occupied Netherlands for the Luftwaffe |
| Do 24 T-1 to T-3 | 3 × Bramo 323 R-2 | German main series; the T versions made up most of production |
| Postwar production France | Radial engines | Built at SNCAN for the French Navy |
| Do 24 ATT | 3 × PT6A-45B turboprop | One-off, amphibian with new wing and retractable landing gear |
From the outside, K and T versions can only be told apart by details such as engine cowlings and gun positions. For spotters today, that matters mainly for museum exhibits – the signs usually name the exact version.
Service history: from the Pacific to Mallorca
Netherlands and Australia
In the Dutch East Indies, the naval air service had 34 Do 24 Ks in its inventory at the end of 1940, according to Dutch sources. After the start of the Pacific War, they flew reconnaissance patrols; in December 1941, a Do 24 is credited with sinking the Japanese destroyer Shinonome. After the collapse of the defense, six flying boats escaped to Australia. The Royal Australian Air Force took them over in early 1942 and used several of them with a transport squadron.
Luftwaffe air-sea rescue
In Europe, after the occupation of the Netherlands, the Luftwaffe took over the aircraft built there and kept production going. The Do 24 became the backbone of the air-sea rescue squadrons and picked up shot-down crews from the North Sea, Baltic Sea, Mediterranean and Atlantic. Two prototypes also flew troops to Narvik during the occupation of Norway in 1940. Toward the end of the war, Do 24s also took part in the evacuation of civilians on the Baltic Sea.
Spain, France, Sweden
After the war, the type did not disappear right away. France continued to use the flying boats built at SNCAN for sea rescue until the early 1950s. Sweden used an example that had landed in the neutral country in 1944 until the early 1950s.
The Do 24 flew longest in Spain. The country had received twelve aircraft in 1944 and operated them from Pollença on Mallorca as sea rescuers and reconnaissance aircraft. Statements on the end of service range from the late 1960s to the early 1970s; Dornier bought back one example in 1971. The fully preserved Do 24s come from this Spanish stock.
A historic type
Apart from the Do 24 ATT, no Do 24 is airworthy any longer. There has been no airline or military service for decades. If you see a flying boat with three radial engines in the air, it is worth a closer look – it is usually a different type.
The Do 24 ATT: an amphibian from Friedrichshafen
The best-known Do 24 today carries the serial number 5345. According to Flug Revue, it was built in 1943, served briefly with the Luftwaffe and then went to Spain, where it flew rescue missions from Mallorca. In 1971, Dornier bought the flying boat back and displayed it on Lake Constance.
In the early 1980s, the aircraft was converted into the Amphibischer Technologieträger (amphibious technology demonstrator), funded by the Federal Ministry for Research and Technology. Dornier wanted to use it to test a modern amphibian for sea rescue and maritime surveillance. The conversion was extensive:
- New wing with a wingspan of 30 meters instead of around 27 meters
- Three Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-45B turboprops instead of the Bramo radial engines
- Retractable landing gear, turning the flying boat into an amphibian
- Revised cockpit
In April 1983, the ATT flew for the first time as D-CATD; here too, sources give different days. Because the hull was already decades old, the Federal Aviation Office (Luftfahrt-Bundesamt) limited its operating time to 150 flight hours. After Daimler-Benz took over Dornier, the program ended, and the aircraft went to the Deutsches Museum’s Flugwerft Schleißheim as an exhibit.
World flight with Iren Dornier
In 2003, Iren Dornier, a grandson of company founder Claude Dornier, acquired the ATT. He had it made airworthy again in the Philippines and set off in 2004 on a world flight with which he raised donations for UNICEF. In the following years, the Do 24 ATT appeared at many events in Europe and landed on lakes and coastal waters.
In 2015, it was damaged by driftwood during a water landing on Lake Wolfgang in Austria. After an emergency repair, it made its way via Salzburg to Friedrichshafen. On September 11, 2021, Iren Dornier officially handed the aircraft over to the Dornier Museum Friedrichshafen, where it stood on the grounds at the airport.
Comeback 2026
On September 29, 2026, the ATT took off in Friedrichshafen for the first time in over eleven years and made two short test flights, with Iren Dornier as pilot and Johannes Pradler as copilot. According to Flug Revue, the landing gear could not yet be fully retracted, which is why the second flight was shorter. The aircraft is now registered in Malawi; the registration 7Q-DOX alludes to the Do X. According to the report, appearances at air shows are planned after further tests.
| Feature | Do 24 T (original) | Do 24 ATT |
|---|---|---|
| Role | Flying boat | Amphibian |
| Powerplant | 3 × Bramo 323 R-2 (radial engine) | 3 × PT6A-45B (turboprop) |
| Wingspan | around 27 m | 30 m |
| Landing gear | none (transport dolly on land only) | retractable |
| Registration | – | D-CATD (1983), now 7Q-DOX |
Why a Malawi registration and not a German D registration? Such arrangements are fairly common for one-off aircraft and private aircraft. How registrations are structured and what the prefixes mean is explained in the guide Understanding aircraft registrations.
Put 7Q-DOX on your wish list
Put the Do 24 ATT’s registration on your wish list and get a sighting alert when it approaches or lands at an airport. Planetrack is launching soon – join the waitlist here.
Where to see the Do 24 today
Friedrichshafen: home of the ATT
The first address is Friedrichshafen Airport, right next to the Dornier Museum. The ATT stands there, and it takes off from there. Whether it is outside, in the hangar or flying at a given time cannot be predicted – when in doubt, ask the museum. A visit combines well with the AERO Friedrichshafen trade show or the Zeppelin Museum in town.
Museums with a Do 24
Static Do 24s in original condition are rare. According to common type and museum lists, you can find them here:
| Place | What you see | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Nationaal Militair Museum, Soesterberg | Do 24 in the colors of the Dutch naval air service | Recalls service in the Dutch East Indies |
| Museo del Aire, Madrid-Cuatro Vientos | Do 24 T-3 from Spanish service | Fits the long Spanish service history |
| Dornier Museum, Friedrichshafen | Do 24 ATT | Airworthy, so not always on site |
| Australia and France | Hull sections | More for specialists |
For the detour to Soesterberg, it is also worth a look at the spot entry Nationaal Militair Museum Soesterberg with tips about the grounds.
Exhibits move
Museums restore, loan out or put aircraft in storage. Before a longer trip, check the museum’s website to see whether the Do 24 is currently on display.
Photo tips for a flying boat
The Do 24 is an unusual subject: short, tall and full of details. A few points help you capture what makes it special.
Side profile for the hull
Boat hull, step and sponsons show up best in profile. That way every viewer sees at once that it is a flying boat.
Front three-quarter for the engines
The three engines on the high wing look most impressive in a three-quarter view. On the ATT, the long turboprop nacelles come across well this way.
Keep an eye on the landing gear
When the ATT takes off from a land runway, the extending or retracting landing gear is a rare detail. Keep shooting a few more frames at liftoff.
Plan the light
The high wing casts strong shadows on the hull. Low light at your back keeps both well defined.
You can calculate in advance when the light works at the spot; the guide Planning the sun position for your photo spot shows how. For air show appearances, the article Photographing air shows is worthwhile, and which events are on offer in Europe is covered in the overview Air shows in Europe for plane spotters.
Ready for the Do 24 search?
- I checked with the Dornier Museum or the event calendar for ATT dates.
- I know whether the museum exhibit at my destination is currently on display.
- I know the runway direction in use at Friedrichshafen and the sun position.
- Battery full, memory card free, focal length matches the distance.
Ruling out mix-ups
Modern firefighting aircraft such as the Canadair CL-415 are also amphibians with a boat hull, but they have only two turboprops, a high wing directly on the fuselage and wingtip floats. Apart from the element of water, they have little in common with the Do 24.
It points to a Do 24 if …
- three engines sit side by side on a raised wing
- sponsons stick out from the sides of the boat hull
- the tail carries two vertical fins
- the registration reads 7Q-DOX
Look more closely if …
- you see only a model or a replica in a museum
- turboprops are fitted instead of radial engines – then it is the ATT
- only a hull section is on display
It is not a Do 24 if …
- you see only two engines or more than three
- wingtip floats hang under the wing tips
- a wheeled or float landing gear sits under a normal fuselage
- you count twelve engines in tandem arrangement – then you are looking at the Do X
How to classify vintage aircraft in general, in the air and on the ground, is explained in the article Identifying historic aircraft. Later Dornier types such as the Do 27 or the Do 228 show how the company moved toward land aircraft after the war.
Conclusion
The Do 24 combines Dornier’s flying boat tradition with a long career as a sea rescuer – from the Dutch East Indies via the North Sea and Baltic Sea to Mallorca. Three engines on the high wing, sponsons on the hull and the twin tail make it unmistakable. With the Do 24 ATT, there is also a one-off aircraft that, as an amphibian, takes off from land runways too and has been back in the air since autumn 2026.
Quick verdict
Boat hull, three engines on the high wing, sponsons on the sides: that is the Do 24. You can see only the ATT with the registration 7Q-DOX from Friedrichshafen in flight; static examples of the type are in museums in Soesterberg and Madrid.
Summary
- The Do 24 first flew in July 1937 and was built in three countries: at Dornier, at Aviolanda in the Netherlands and at CAMS/SNCAN in France.
- It served the Netherlands, the Luftwaffe, Australia, Spain, France and Sweden; Spain used it the longest.
- The fully preserved examples come from the Spanish stock, including serial number 5345, converted into the Do 24 ATT.
- Today, only the ATT can be seen flying; static Do 24s can be found in museums in the Netherlands, Spain and Friedrichshafen.
Frequently asked questions
What does ATT mean in Do 24 ATT?
ATT stands for Amphibischer Technologieträger (amphibious technology demonstrator). From the early 1980s, Dornier converted a retired Do 24 into a test aircraft, funded by the German federal research ministry. The goal was a modern amphibian for sea rescue and surveillance – but it never became a production aircraft.
Does the Do 24 have landing gear?
The original Do 24s are pure flying boats: they take off and land only on water and are moved on land on transport dollies. Only the Do 24 ATT received retractable landing gear and can therefore also take off from land runways such as the one in Friedrichshafen.
Why does the Do 24 have sponsons on the hull?
The stub fins on the sides are a typical Dornier feature that already appears on the Dornier Wal and the Do X. They stabilize the boat on the water and replace the wingtip floats that other flying boats need.
How many Do 24s were built?
The figures vary depending on how they are counted. Often cited is 313 aircraft, of which 32 at Dornier, 194 at Aviolanda and 87 at CAMS/SNCAN in France, where Do 24s for the French Navy were still built after the war ended.
What registration does the Do 24 ATT carry?
On its first flight in 1983, it flew as D-CATD. Today it is registered in Malawi and carries the registration 7Q-DOX – a nod to its big sister, the Do X.
Can I see the Do 24 ATT fly?
It is possible: on September 29, 2026, it made two test flights in Friedrichshafen after a break of more than eleven years. According to the trade press, appearances at air shows are planned after further tests. Fixed dates are only announced at short notice – check with the Dornier Museum and event calendars beforehand.
Where are other Do 24s in museums?
According to museum and type lists, the Nationaal Militair Museum in Soesterberg shows a Do 24 in the colors of the Dutch naval air service, and the Museo del Aire in Madrid a Do 24 T-3 from the Spanish stock. There are also hull sections, for example in Australia and France. Before visiting, check whether the exhibit is currently on display.
Collect the Dornier Do 24, don’t just see it
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Where to see the Dornier Do 24
Specific vantage points with the runway configuration, light times, coordinates and an honest take on whether the trip is worth it.
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