An exquisite and extremely rare clip in three parts, dated 1923, features Prince Yamashina Takehiko (Check the guy's tragic history here) visiting Yokosuka and going for a ride on an Avro seaplane.
It is one of those brought to Japan by the Sempill Mission, note the "JN751" on the fuselage side.
According to the Japanese Wiki:
The Japanese Navy signed a contract with Avro in 1920 to purchase a number of completed aircraft and acquire the manufacturing rights. At the same time dispatched engineers to Avro to study manufacturing techniques. In 1921, the Sempill Training Mission came to Japan from the UK, bringing with them 68 land-based (504K) and 10 sea-based (504L) aircraft. Aircraft pilot training was conducted using these aircraft. Domestic production began at Hiro Arsenal in 1922, and in November 1923, it was officially adopted as the Avro trainer due to its high performance and ease of use. The land-based models were mainly produced by Nakajima, and the sea-based models were mainly produced in Aichi, and a total of 222 aircraft (some say 280) were produced under license. It was used as the Navy's main trainer until the early Showa period, and was gradually retired when the Type 3 land-based basic trainer was adopted. After that, many of the aircraft were sold off and used by civilian aviation schools.
The Japanese Navy signed a contract with Avro in 1920 to purchase a number of completed aircraft and acquire the manufacturing rights. At the same time dispatched engineers to Avro to study manufacturing techniques. In 1921, the Sempill Training Mission came to Japan from the UK, bringing with them 68 land-based (504K) and 10 sea-based (504L) aircraft. Aircraft pilot training was conducted using these aircraft. Domestic production began at Hiro Arsenal in 1922, and in November 1923, it was officially adopted as the Avro trainer due to its high performance and ease of use. The land-based models were mainly produced by Nakajima, and the sea-based models were mainly produced in Aichi, and a total of 222 aircraft (some say 280) were produced under license. It was used as the Navy's main trainer until the early Showa period, and was gradually retired when the Type 3 land-based basic trainer was adopted. After that, many of the aircraft were sold off and used by civilian aviation schools.
The brilliant article in "Cross & Cockade" magazine, Vol.39 No.1 2008, features a photo of seaplane "JN752" and identifies it as an Avro 536. I suppose "JN751" is also an Avro 536 but since I'm not proficient in British aircraft, leave a comment confirming or correcting the designation.
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