The Deutsche Aircraft team has conducted its first ‘flight’ in a new engineering simulator. This simulator has been developed and built in partnership with Reiser Simulation and Training as well as Garmin – the supplier of the flight deck – and will provide further insights into the flight characteristics of the innovative 40-seater turboprop.

As an engineering simulator, the equipment will allow the flight test team to perform an early evaluation of systems, cockpit ergonomics and aircraft behaviour, which will serve as a baseline for overall customer feedback. This feedback will help the team to design the D328eco so it will correspond better to customer expectations as well as enable early risk mitigations.

“This device is a fundamental element of our test strategy for the D328eco,” said Tim Otte, Director of Flight and Integration Tests. “It provides early testing capability with the pilot in the loop, and as such, helps to ensure early system maturity. For our flight test activities, it will pave the way for an efficient, safe and environmentally friendly test campaign.”