Dornier Do 27

Updated: October 2026 – A summer weekend at a club airfield: a high-wing aircraft with a tailwheel drones low and full over the threshold, touches down after a surprisingly short distance and taxis to the hangar with its nose held high. No wing strut, but a narrow gap on the wing leading edge and a cabin that seems to consist almost entirely of glass. That is most likely a Dornier Do 27 – the first powered aircraft to be built in series in Germany again after World War II. Here you will learn where it comes from, why the Bundeswehr flew hundreds of them and how you can still get it in front of your lens today.

What is the Dornier Do 27?

The Do 27 is a single-engine high-wing aircraft with short takeoff and landing capability (STOL) for the crew and, depending on the version, up to six passengers. It was designed as a liaison and observation aircraft: moving officers, messages and light loads from A to B, even from meadows and field strips. Later it found its place as a touring, tow, jump and utility aircraft in civil aviation.

Its story begins not in Germany but in Spain. After the war, aircraft building in the Federal Republic was initially forbidden. Claudius Dornier therefore ran a design office in Madrid from 1951 and took part there in a Spanish Air Force tender for a short-takeoff liaison aircraft. The result was the Do 25, which CASA built in Spain and which first flew in 1954.

The Do 27 emerged from the Do 25 through a thorough redesign: a revised wing, a changed vertical tail, tanks in the wing instead of on the outside and above all a more powerful engine, the Lycoming GO-480 with reduction gearbox. Because the engine was heavier, the landing gear also had to be moved and strengthened. A prototype was presented in August 1955 in Oberpfaffenhofen, and the first flight in Germany followed on October 17, 1956. With series production, which started up shortly afterward, the Do 27 became the first powered aircraft to be built in series in Germany again after the war. You can find more on the company’s history on the manufacturer page for Dornier.

Design and technology

Technically, the Do 27 is a typical child of the 1950s, but with a few unusual solutions. The shoulder-mounted wing is a cantilever all-metal structure – there are no struts, which almost all comparable bush planes have. Fixed slats on the leading edge keep the airflow attached to the wing at low speed. The fuselage is of monocoque construction, the tail is metal-skinned, and the control surfaces are fabric-covered.

Up front works a Lycoming six-cylinder flat-opposed engine with around 270 PS; BMW built some engines under license. The reduction gearbox – the “G” in GO-480 – makes the propeller turn more slowly than the crankshaft. That gives thrust at low speed and also shapes the sound: a Do 27 drones deeper than many other single-engine aircraft.

The tailwheel landing gear is rigid, and the main legs have oil-air shock absorbers. Skis were available for snow operations; a floatplane version was tested but remained a one-off. According to the Q-1 data, a takeoff run of around 250 meters is enough to clear a 15-meter obstacle – a strong figure for an aircraft with six seats.

Figure	Value (Do 27 Q-1)
Wingspan	12.00 m
Length	9.60 m
Wing area	19.4 m²
Empty mass	around 1,050 kg
Max. takeoff mass	around 1,750 kg
Maximum speed	around 250 km/h
Cruise speed	around 200 km/h
Range	a good 800 km

The values differ slightly by version and source, especially for length and weight. For identification at the airfield, they hardly matter anyway – what counts there is the silhouette.

The variants at a glance

The Do 27 came in many sub-variants. The letter roughly tells the purpose: A for the basic military version, B for trainers with dual controls, Q for civil versions, plus export letters for individual countries.

Variant	Use	Special feature
Do 27 A-1	Liaison, observation	first production version, six seats, largest quantity
A-3	like A-1	higher takeoff weight
A-4	like A-1	wider landing gear track, higher takeoff weight
B-1 to B-3	Training	dual controls
H-2	Switzerland	export version for the Swiss Air Force
J-1	Belgium	export version for the Belgian Army
K-1 / K-2	Portugal	export versions for the Portuguese Air Force
Q-1 to Q-6	civil	touring, utility and tow aircraft, Q-4 with more fuel
CASA C-127	Spain	license production at CASA from 1959

On the total number, sources differ. The figures range from a good 570 to over 620 aircraft built, the higher numbers including the Spanish license-built aircraft, produced mainly between 1956 and 1965. The very last example was built years later from spare parts.

The Do 27 with the Bundeswehr

The Do 27 came at just the right time for the young Bundeswehr. The first production aircraft went to an army aviation squadron in Niedermendig in January 1957. In total, the army, air force and navy procured 428 aircraft – making the Bundeswehr by far the largest operator.

The army aviation in particular relied heavily on the Do 27 in the early years. Helicopters were not yet available in sufficient numbers, so the short-takeoff high-wing aircraft took over close reconnaissance, liaison flights and light transport. In addition, the Do 27 served as a trainer and, in almost all flying units, as a liaison aircraft.

As more and more helicopters became available – later, for example, the Bo 105 – the Do 27 lost its main role. Many aircraft went abroad, a large share to Portugal. Some stayed with the Bundeswehr’s flying clubs as touring and tow aircraft until these were dissolved in 1980. That ended Bundeswehr operations. How the military registrations of Bundeswehr aircraft are structured is explained in the article Bundeswehr aircraft registrations.

In service worldwide

Besides Germany, around 20 other countries flew the Do 27. The most important operators at a glance:

• Portugal was the second-largest user after the Bundeswehr, with new aircraft and over a hundred former Bundeswehr aircraft. In the colonial wars in Africa, they served for reconnaissance and transport.
• Spain used the CASA license-built aircraft as the C-127, supplemented by used aircraft from Germany.
• Israel flew the Do 27 under the name “Dror” from 1964 to 1981.
• Belgium used twelve J-1s with the army, and some later went to Malawi.
• Sweden operated five aircraft as the Fpl 53 until 1991.
• Switzerland bought seven H-2s in 1958, and the last were retired only in 2008.
• Added to these were Nigeria, Turkey, Sudan, several former Portuguese colonies in Africa and other countries.

In civil use, the Do 27 also found many tasks: air taxi, surveying, photo flights, forest fire observation, glider towing and parachutist drops. A zebra-striped Do 27 became world-famous through Bernhard and Michael Grzimek, who used it to count animal populations in the Serengeti. Michael Grzimek was killed in January 1959 when the aircraft collided with a vulture over Tanzania. The documentary film “Serengeti Shall Not Die” made the story known.

Reliably identifying the Do 27

The vintage scene is teeming with single-engine high-wing aircraft. But the Do 27 has a combination of features that makes it almost unmistakable.

As always, the registration provides the final proof. How to read and assign it is shown in the guide Understanding aircraft registrations. A broader introduction to identifying vintage aircraft is offered by Identifying vintage aircraft in the sky.

Feature	Do 27	PC-6 Porter	DHC-2 Beaver	Cessna 180/185
Wing strut	no	yes	yes	yes
Slats	fixed, visible	no	no	no
Engine	Flat-opposed with gearbox	mostly turboprop	Radial engine	Flat-opposed
Landing gear	Tailwheel	Tailwheel	Tailwheel	Tailwheel

You can find the comparison types in detail on the pages for the Pilatus PC-6 Porter, the DHC-2 Beaver and the Piper PA-18 Super Cub. You recognize its big brother, the twin-engine Do 28, immediately by the two engines on sponsons on the sides of the fuselage.

Where to see the Do 27 today

Because the Do 27 is rugged and easy to maintain, a surprising number still fly today. In 2018, around 50 aircraft were registered in Germany, with more in other European countries and Turkey. How many of them are currently airworthy keeps changing – before a trip, better check the current event programs.

Place	Chance of a hit	Why
Deutsches Museum Munich	certain	former Bundeswehr aircraft on display
Vintage fly-ins, e.g. Hahnweide	high	Meeting point of the vintage aircraft scene
Airfield festivals	medium	Club aircraft and guest aircraft
Club airfields	occasional	Tow and jump operations
Large commercial airports	very low	hardly any traffic of this class

For a guaranteed photo, go to the Deutsches Museum Munich. The Dornier Museum Friedrichshafen revolves a lot around the Do 27, and you can experience it there in a simulator too. Exhibited examples can also be found at the Swedish Air Force Museum in Linköping, the Royal Army Museum in Brussels and the Museo del Aire near Madrid.

You are most likely to meet the Do 27 in flight at the Hahnweide vintage aircraft fly-in and at airfield festivals in Germany. Events around the Bundeswehr Open Day may also have vintage aircraft in the flying program. Because many Do 27s don’t transmit ADS-B, flight tracking remains patchy for this type – tips for a targeted search are provided by Spotting rare aircraft.

Photo tips for the Do 27

A small vintage aircraft calls for a different approach than an airliner. The Do 27 is slow, takes off short and often flies low – good conditions.

You plan when the light is right at your vantage point with Planning the sun position for your photo spot.

Conclusion

The Dornier Do 27 stands for the fresh start of German aircraft building after the war: developed in Spain, built in series in Oberpfaffenhofen and in service by the hundreds with the Bundeswehr. Its short-takeoff capability, large cabin and rugged construction keep it in the air to this day. For spotters, it is a rewarding target at vintage fly-ins and club airfields.