Showing posts with label Civilian Aviation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Civilian Aviation. Show all posts

Thursday, 23 April 2026

"Grand Flight to Europe" - Breguet 19A "Hatsukaze" "Kochikaze"


On July 25, 1925, two Breguet 19A2 aircraft, the "初風" (Hatsukaze - The First Wind; civilian registration: J-KIKU) and "東風" (Kochikaze - Eastern Wind; civilian registration: J-KIRI) of the Asahi Shimbun newspaper, took off from Yoyogi Parade Ground to the cheers of many government officials and citizens, embarking on their grand journey to Europe. 
Their crew consisted of:
"Hatsukaze": Pilot-Abe Hiroshi (Overall Leader), Engineer-Shinohara Shunichiro
"Kochikaze": Pilot-Kawachi Kazuhiko, Engineer-Katagiri Shohei
The two aircraft traveled from Tokyo to Osaka, Kyushu, Korea, and Manchuria, crossing the Siberian continent and overcoming numerous difficulties before arriving in Moscow on August 23, where they received a warm welcome.
Then, they reached Berlin on September 18 and Paris on September 28, receiving enthusiastic welcomes for this remarkable feat, including from the aircraft manufacturer Breguet and the engine manufacturer Lorraine. They then continued on to London, Brussels, and Rome, before returning to Japan on November 29 from Marseille aboard the NYK Line's Kashima Maru, receiving widespread acclaim from the Japanese people in January 1926.
These aircraft were purchased and assembled by Nakajima Aircraft Company through Mitsui & Co. at the request of the Asahi Shimbun. 
A few more Breguet 19A were produced besides these two, but they did not become fully adopted by the military or civilian authorites or massively produced aircraft and were used as communication and mail aircraft for the Asahi Shimbun newspaper.

"Hatsukaze" crew: Abe Hiroshi left (pilot&overall leader), Shinohara Shunichiro right (engineer)

"Kochikaze" crew: Kawachi Kazuhiko left (pilot), Katagiri Shohei right (engineer)

Beautiful artwork by Koike Shigeo

If you want to read a more detailed account of the adventure flight of the two Breaguet 19A2, J-KIKU "Hatsukaze" & J-KIRI "Kochikaze", as well as other equally fascinating articles, check out issue #13 of our magazine; HERE.

Monday, 23 February 2026

Nakajima AT-2 - video


A short but gorgeous and very rare video today features a Nakajima AT-2, the predecessor and civilian version of the IJAAF Ki-34 transport. Its civilian registration is J-BBOK and originally flown by Nihon Koku Yuso (Japan Air Transport) and then by Dai Nippon Koku (Imperial Japanese Airways. According to a source, it was also loaned to Chuka Koku (China Airways). After takeoff in March 1939, the engine malfunctioned and the plane made an emergency landing outside the Beijing West Suburban Airport. A month later was removed from the fleet of the airline.

Thursday, 13 November 2025

Fokker Super Universal - video


A rare and exquisite vintage video features a Fokker Super Universal taking off on a mail transport flight. The particular aircraft has the civilian registration "J-BAVO" and was built in the USA, s/n: #834. The engine was a Bristol Jupiter and was operated by the Japan Air Transport (Nippon Koku Yuso) fleet originally based at Tachikawa Airport and later in Osaka. 
On December 16, 1935, soon after taking off from Tokyo's Haneda Airport, the flight crew experienced trouble with the engine and decided to return to the airport. However, a lack of sufficient altitude forced them to make an emergency landing, damaging the airplane. 
A month and a half later, on January 30, 1936, during a flight from Osaka to Tachiarai, it encountered a blizzard and was again forced to make an emergency landing on a beach in Fukuoka Prefecture. Unfortunately, it turned upside down and was so seriously damaged that it was removed from the register. 
Interestingly, on September 14, 1939, "J-BAVO" is recorded as being pressed into a fixed flight from Tachiarai to Tsingtao (present-day Qingdao), but again was forced to make an emergency landing due to engine trouble at Hakata Bay
This fact would indicate that either the original imported Super Universal was repaired or that a new one built by Nakajima received the same registration. 

In the attached photo, the original "J-BAVO" had a smooth dark blue cowling and a two-blade propeller. In the video and in the photo on the right, it has a rough cowling, typical of Nakajima built Supers. Note also that in the video it has a two-blade prop but a three-blade prop in the photo on the right.

Tuesday, 16 September 2025

Mitsubishi Type 10 Torpedo Bomber 1MT1

An 1MT1N belonging to the Kasumigaura Kokutai as indicated by the letter "R2 on its tail.

The Type 10 Torpedo Bomber (company code: 1MT1. The number ten refers to the 10th year of the reign of Emperor Taisho, i.e. 1921) was the third* aircraft designed by former Sopwith designer Engineer Herbert Smith in Japan and was Japan's first domestically produced torpedo bomber. The first prototype was completed at the Nagoya Factory on August 9, 1922. On the same day, it was test flown by pilot William Jordan and armed with a 908  lb dummy torpedo, it successfully completed its maiden flight of approximately 30 minutes at the factory airfield. Subsequently, the second prototype was completed, and further trials were conducted at Kasumigaura Airfield in November. 
It was a fixed-landing-gear, single-engine, single-seat aircraft with a wooden frame covered in fabric. The first prototype was fitted with a 450-horsepower Napier Lion engine (hence the letter N in the 1MT1N designation), while the second aircraft was equipped with a 370-horsepower Lorraine engine (indicated by the L in the 1MT1L designation).
The first model was approximately 7 kg heavier due to the engine's weight, but its greater power enabled a maximum speed 13.5 knots faster under light load (1,605 kg) and a climb time to 3,048 meters reduced by 4 minutes and 12 seconds. Consequently, the type equipped with the Napier Lion engine (1MT1N) entered production, with 10 aircraft manufactured in fiscal year 1922 and 10 in fiscal year 1923, totaling 20 units. 
This Type 10 Torpedo Bomber was characterized by its adoption of a triplane configuration and its single-seat design, which meant it possessed absolutely no defensive armament against enemy fighters or other threats. The triplane configuration had been employed during the First World War in aircraft such as the British Sopwith Triplane fighter and the German Fokker Dr I fighter. It offered advantages in terms of reducing airframe size, improving maneuverability, and increasing payload capacity. The 1MT was adopted precisely for these advantages. It surpassed the biplane Blackburn Swift carrier-based torpedo bomber and Sopwith Cuckoo carrier-based torpedo bomber in agility and maneuverability, while its speed and climb rate exceeded those of the Type 10 Carrier Reconnaissance Plane (Mitsubishi 2MR). However, the triplane configuration also presented the problem of increased overall height. In the case of the 1MT, when loaded onto the aircraft carrier Hosho, its height proved excessive, leaving insufficient clearance beneath the hangar ceiling and causing difficulties in handling within the ship. Being single-seat and lacking machine guns was a trait shared with the imported Swift and Cuckoo, but practical trials demonstrated the necessity for defensive armament. Consequently, development of its successor, the biplane, two-seat Model 13 Carrier-based Attack Aircraft (Mitsubishi B1M), commenced urgently and the 1MT disappeared from the list of aircraft in service in 1924. 
Among the three Type 10 models designed by Engineer Smith, this was the shortest-lived. However, during its service, LTJG Kikuchi Tomozo(?), an instructor at Kasumigaura Air School, successfully ascended to an altitude of 7,620 meters in an 1MT equipped with an oxygen inhalation apparatus on July 4, 1923. This surpassed the Japanese altitude record set five days earlier by LTJG Ohashi in a Type 10 carrier fighter. Furthermore, on December 5 of the same year, this aircraft achieved the first successful aerial launch test of the 18-inch (45cm) domestically produced torpedo. This torpedo, developed at the Yokosuka Naval Arsenal based on the Type 44 45cm naval torpedo, saw its prototype completed in 1921. Following over fifty launch trials conducted by LT Akashiba and LTJG Kikuchi using the Type 10 Torpedo Bomber, it was confirmed that both the diving and running performance were significantly superior to the existing 14-inch short torpedo, leading to its adoption as the Type 44 Aerial Torpedo. It remained in service until around 1934, when it was replaced by the Type 91 Aerial Torpedo, developed from the outset as an aerial torpedo. This torpedo was transitional in nature for an air-launched type, and the 1MT itself proved short-lived. Nevertheless, its contribution in paving the way for air-launched torpedo attacks, which later achieved numerous combat successes, cannot be forgotten.

General characteristics
Single-engine triplane carrier-borne torpedo carrier. Wooden structure with fabric covering. Non-folding wings.
Crew: One pilot in open cockpit
Length: 9.779m (32ft lin)
Wingspan: 13.259m (43ft 6in)
Height: 4.457m (14ft 71/2in)
Wing area: 43sq m (462.863sq ft)
Wing loading 36.1kg/sq m (7.31b/sq ft)
Power loading 5.56kg/hp (12.21b/hp)
Empty weight: 1,370kg (3,0201b)
Gross weight: 2,500 kg (5,511 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × Napier Lion , 336 kW (450 hp)

Performance
Maximum speed: 209 km/h (130 mph, 113 kn)
Cruising speed 130 km/h (81 mph, 70 kn)
Climb to 3,050m (10,000ft) in 13min 30sec
Service ceiling: 6,000 m (19,680 ft)
Endurance 2.3 hours

Armament
1 × 457 mm (18 in), 800 kg (1,764 lb) torpedo

*The other two aircraft were the Mitsubishi 1MF carrier fighter and the Mitsubishi 2MR carrier-based reconnaissance aircraft.

Artwork by Nohara Shigeru of a Kasumigaura Kokutai 1MT1N featured in Model Art #553.

A photo of an 1MT1 without a tail marking I spotted on the net. Is it undergoing trials? Could it be the 1MT1N prototype with pilot William Jordan climbing in the cockpit and the dummy torpedo hanging on the belly? Note the two smaller oppenings under the exhausts and the bigger one behind them mirroring the port side seen in the previous photo.

On the other hand in this photo from Wiki, the cowling openings are different. Could this be one of the 1MT1L aircraft with the Napier Lion engine?

One of the 1MTs was converted into a seaplane by Ando Aeroplane Research Studio at Shin-Maiko beach, Chita Peninsula, Aichi Prefecture, in 1926 and was used as a passenger transport and pilot trainer.

In the 2015 Modelling Show in Shizuoka, I spotted a fantastic 1MT1 built by Tanaka Yoshihiro of Stall. (Marusan 1/50 kit seen below)

Sunday, 7 September 2025

Mitsubishi MC-20 - video


A vintage video introducing the latest civilian transport aircraft; the Mitsubishi MC-20.
The name, MC, was inspired by the Douglas series of transports like the DC-2 and the DC-3 and it naturally meant"Mitsubishi Commercial".
It should be noted that as a name it was an one-off, i.e. there were no "MC-19" or "MC-22". The civilian version of he Mitsubishi Ki-21 "Sally" bomber is sometimes reffered to as "MC-21" but the Army was unwilling to adopt a civilian-based designation and opted, at least officially, for "M-21" instead. 
The Army version of the MC-20 was the Ki-57. More about the type, here.
Of particular interest is the overall look of the aircraft fresh out of the factory, with some parts painted gray and others seemed to be left unpainted.

Friday, 16 May 2025

Mitsubishi Ki-15 Karigane "Kamikaze-Go" 九七式司令部偵察機 神風号 - video


The 25th episode, entitled "Suicide For Glory" from the 1952 documentary series "Victory at Sea" includes a variety of footage—some from entirely unrelated Japanese films, some notable ones depicting "Giretsu Kutetai" paratroopers getting ready for their Okinawa mission, and some authentic "tokkotai" segments. Included is a captivating, brief piece showcasing the renowned "Kamikaze-Go" Asahi Shimbun "Babs," which we initially saw in THIS series of posts.
This time, the airplane features what appears to be a thick green camouflage stripe on the fuselage and, interestingly, it doesn’t have its anti-glare panel, at least right in front of the cockpit! Also, It doesn't appear as glossy as in the other clip (HERE) of the reccord breaking flight, so maybe it was overcoated with IJAAF "hairyokushoku" (gray-green)? That would definitely create an intriguing modelling subject using the Fine Molds kit.
(Did you notice the Puss Moth in the background?)

Monday, 29 July 2024

HEADS UP! - NEW Nakajima-Fokker Super Universal kit by Kora Models - Manchukuo Aviation

Together with Japan Air Transport kit we saw in the previous post, Kora Models also released a separate kit of a Nakajima-Fokker Super Universal in 1/72, with markings for three Manchukuo Aviation Co., Ltd. (Manshu Koku Kabushiki Kaisha - MKKK) aircraft, all built under license by Nakajima and equipped with Bristol Jupiter engines.
Very special thanks to Kora Models for the sample kit!
A photo of M-117. Originally, this Nakajima-built Super Universal belonged to the fleet of the Japan Air Transport (Nippon Koku Yuso) but was initially borrowed and then purchased by Manchukuo Aviation.

Sunday, 28 July 2024

HEADS UP! - NEW Nakajima-Fokker Super Universal kit by Kora Models - Japan Air Transport (Nippon Koku Yuso)

Kora Models recently released a limited edition brand new Japanese Nakajima-Fokker Super Universal kit in 1/72, with markings for three Japan Air Transport (Nippon Koku Yuso) aircraft. 
Very special thanks to Kora Models for the sample kit!

The kit includes decals for three aircraft: J-BBXO, J-BBVO and J-BCVO.
J-BBXO was built in the USA, s/n: #874. The engine was Bristol Jupiter and joined the Japan Air Transport (Nippon Koku Yuso) fleet on August 8, 1930.
J-BBVO was also built in the US, s/n #872. Engine Bristol Jupiter. Joined Japan Air Transport on August 27, 1930.
J-BCVO was built under license by Nakajima, s/n #29. Engine Bristol Jupiter. Joined Japan Air Transport on April 5, 1934.

Artwork of J-BBXO by Koike Shigeo.

The kit included one...ski. J-BBXO was at some point in its career fitted with skis so perhaps Kora will release a special edition?

In the sample kit Kora sent over, very kindly included two extra "Resin Detail Parts" that are available for the Super Universal kit.

Saturday, 27 July 2024

Fokker Super Universal & Fokker Trimotor

In the Spring of 1932, the Lytton Commission headed by Lord Lytton, and including four other members, from the US (Major General Frank Ross McCoy), Germany (Doctor Heinrich Schnee), Italy (Count Luigi Aldrovandi Marescotti), and France (General Henri Claudel), spent six weeks in Manchuria (present-day North East China) on a fact-finding mission regarding the Mukden Incident. The Commision returned to Manchuria in early September but this time, the area was plagued by a large series of trains attacks. More specifically, bandits were planning an attack on the express train transporting the German governor Heinrich Schnee and French general Henri Claudel, during their voyage back to Europe, aiming to kidnap them for ransom. Due to the dangerous situation, airplanes were instead used during their journey as a safety measure. 
This short video, shows the members of the Commision traveling to Tsitsihar (present-day Qiqihar) on board a Fokker Super Universal and a Ford F.VII Trimotor.


The Super Universal is registered "J-EJDO". It was built in the US, s/n #875 and had a Bristol Jupiter engine. Note the "Fokker" logo behind the engine and on the tail. After its purchase, it joined the Japan Air Transport (Nippon Koku Yuso) fleet on September 27, 1930, and was based in Dairen (present-day Dalian).

The Ford Trimotor is registered "J-BBTO". It was built by Fokker, s/n #5214 and had three Wright Whirlwind radial engines. It joined the Japan Air Transport fleet on August 6, 1930, was based in Tachikawa and was nicknamed "Kamo" (duck).

Thursday, 2 May 2024

Mitsubishi MC-1 Passenger Transport - video

An incredibly rare beauty today for true Japanese aviation fans.

In November 1927, the Aviation Bureau of the Japanese Department of Communications launched a competition to design and build an indigenous passenger transport aircraft. Mitsubishi's design to meet this requirement based the wings on its Navy Type 13 Carrier Attack Aircraft a.k.a. Mitsubishi B1M torpedo bomber, combined with a new fuselage. 
The Mitsubishi MC-1 Passenger Transport was completed in April 1928, and was evaluated against the other two competitors, the Aichi AB-1 and Nakajima N-36, both of which were also biplanes. No production followed of any of the aircraft, as biplanes were considered obsolete compared with foreign types, and Japan Air Transport (Nippon Koku Yuso Kabushiki Kaisha, NKYKK ) ordered Fokker Universal monoplanes instead.
The MC-1 with registration J-BAKG, was used experimentally on the scheduled service of the East-West Regular Aviation Association between Tokyo and Osaka, a project established by Asahi Shimbun from June 1928 until April 1929. After that, the MC-1 was flown by NKYKK in its regular service connecting Fukuoka and Ulsan in Korea from June 1929 until May 1930. 
Since the video clip is dated 1928, it was certainly shot at Tachikawa airfield where Asahi had a hangar, seen in the background of the video.

The MC-1 was a large three-bay biplane powered by a 385 hp (287 kW) Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar radial engine for which Mitsubishi acquired a license. It had an open cockpit behind the wings for the pilot and an additional crew member as well as room for four passengers in an enclosed cabin in the forward fuselage.

The MC-1 had a fixed conventional landing gear but could also be fitted with twin floats.
From around August 1931, the MC-1 was reassigned to sight-seeing flights as a seaplane, as the first aeroplane of Nihonkai Koku Kaisha based on Kinosaki, Yogo Prefecture, on the north coast of Honshu. It continued to fly with this airline until 1938.

A large model of the floatplane version of the aircraft is at Tajima Airport, Hyogo Prefecture.

Thursday, 7 December 2023

Japan Air Transport Co. Airspeed Envoy

A family photo today, recently on sale on Japanese ebay, featuring an Airspeed Envoy, registered J-BAOP, flown by Nippon Koku Yuso KK (Japan Air Transport C.). 
The particular aircraft was the 5th produced under license by Mitsubishi and was equipped with Armstrong Siddeley Lynx engines.
The photo was taken in April 1937, probably at the Pyongyang airport, in present-day North Korea.

Monday, 21 February 2022

Nieuport 81 - Munesato Etsutaro

A very rare photo today I spotted on the Japanese ebay. It features a Nieuport 81 registered J-BAAF and belonging to the "1st Aviation School" of Munesato Etsutaro, seen in the photo in pilot's uniform. 

Munesato Etsutaro was born in 1886 in Yamaguchi Prefecture. He became interested in aviation from 1909, and two years later designed his own amphibian aircraft. From 1917 until 1921 he was chief engineer at Akabane Aeroplane Manufacturing Works and after this went under, he started his own flying school. On May 1923, opened the "1st Aviation School" at an airfield that bore his name, at Ushioda, Kanagawa Prefecture (present-day part of Tsurumi Ward). 
A local newspaper reported:
“At Ushioda City, a licence was issued to teach new pilots how to fly. On April 28, 1923, at 10:45, pilot Okura Seizo flew for about nine minutes to an altitude of over 200 meters with an Avro 80hp, before landing. Then, with pilot Kamei he took turns to fly the aircraft either solo or together. At 11:56 these first flights of the school were concluded.”
The "1st Aviation School" had seven aircraft and usually about 15 trainees. In addition to the training, the general public could enjoy a tour over Yokohama for a fee of 15 yen. One of the more famous students of the school was 19-year-old Kibe Shigeno, the second female aviator in Japan.
The land for the school airfield was obtained for free on a 3-year lease, so in February 1926, the school relocated to Funabashi in Chiba prefecture. On May 2, 1934, Munesato passed away from illness, aged 48. At the time of his death, there were nine students, making a total of 50 students who graduated from his school.
His wife, Sono, took over and continued to be involved in aviation matters until the school was taken over by the military in 1939.

The photo was taken during the Yamagata City Industrial Exhibition on Sept 10, 1927. The inscription under the top wing reads “Yamagata-shi SangyoHaku” (Yamagata City Industrial Exhibition). The particular aircraft was built under licence by Mitsubishi, s/n 527, had a Le Rhône 9J engine, and was damaged beyond repair on March 16, 1929.

Thursday, 13 January 2022

Yokosuka H5Y Chuo Kishodai

Our friend Peter Rathgeb sent over the following question:

I will build a 1/144 model (by A&W Models) of a Yokosuka H5Y (Type 99) Flying Boat. One of the aircraft was registered for the Central Meteorological Observatory, Yokohama (J-AAMG).
I would like to have a friend of mine make me decals for this aircraft, but I have found only one photograph, as per attachments. Do you think there are more photos to be found?
By the way, the Emily in the photo is the H8K1 13-Shi Prototype #3 converted to the Type 2 Transport Flying Boat 横鎮74 of Yokosuka Chinjufu Kokutai with the name of 敷島 Shikishima.



My answer is:
As far as I know this is the only photo that shows the aircraft in question. The name of the plane was "沖風" (Okikaze - offshore wind) so the two kanji would have been painted in white on the fuselage side next to the cockpit, similar to Emily's name.
Personally, I wouldn't dismiss painting the Okikaze overall dark blue (top and bottom surfaces) with black registration letters.
As early as 1937, when the Second Sino-Japanese War begun, and especially during the Pacific War, the vast majority of civilian aircraft that could be used by the IJAAF & IJNAF were taken over by the military and camouflaged. Most lost completely their civilian registrations and sometimes only very short inscriptions were applied on the tail to indicate the original civilian owner of the aircraft. And in general, civilian aircraft would not have been allowed to fly except in very rare occasions. Lack of fuel would be one reason. 
The photo above was taken in the summer of 1944, quite late in the war, and a civilian seaplane to have survived with pristine civilian registration is extremely rare.
According to "J-BIRD", the Chuo Kishodai Yokohama (Central Meteorological Observatory, Yokohama) had the following aircraft in its fleet:
J-AAMA - Nakajima A1N, name unknown 
J-AAMB - Nakajima A1N, name "Amakaze" (heavenly wind)
J-AAMC - Mitsubishi B1M, name "Umikaze" (sea wind)
J-AAMD - Nakajima A2N, name "Yamakaze" (mountain wind)
J-AAME - Mitsubishi B2M1, name "Shiokaze" (tidal wind)
J-AAMF - type unknown, name "Asakaze" (morning wind)

It is very possible the Chuo Kishodai had more aircraft in their fleet with registrations reaching J-AAMP and maybe more.
There are three known photos of Chuo Kishodai aircraft apart from the Okikaze...
J-AAMB, photo: Arawasi Collection

J-AAMC, photo: "J-BIRD"

J-AAMD, photo: "J-BIRD"

...and all three of them are painted in blue.

Wednesday, 24 November 2021

Utsunomiya Matsuri

Two weekends ago, the Teikyo University in Utsunomiya organized a matsuri (festival) and the hangar of its Aerospace Department featured some interesting exhibits.
First up, Kojima-san had abrough the propeller of a Nakajima Type 5 Trainer, which most probably belonged to the J-TIBE of the Ito Hikoki Kenkyujo, flown by Fujiwara Nobu.


On top was a model built by Kojima-san of another Nakajima Type 5 with the civilian registration J-TOBF.

The particular aircraft was the first in the fleet of Asahi Shimbun, receiving the name "Asahi 1 go" and was purchased from the IJAAF. It had the Nakajima serial number 97 and a Hall-Scott 150hp engine.
It belonged to "Tozai Teiki Kokuki" and was based on Tokyo's Susaki airfield (see HERE).
It first flew with its civilian designation, J-TOBF, on January 9, 1923. 
In 1923 Asahi Shimbun in cooperation with Shirato and Ito Hikoki, established the "Tozai Teiki Kokuki" to fly weekly mail services between Tokyo and Osaka. Actually, since there were no aircraft available at the time to fly the distance, one aircraft would take off from Osaka's Joto parade grounds, another from Tokyo's Susaki airfield, and they would meet at Mikatagahara airfield in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, where they would exchange their mail bags.
There were six Nakajima Model 5 purchased from the IJAAF and one aircraft each from Shirato and Ito. The latter civilian schools provided ten pilots.
The first flight was on January 11, 1923, and the whole endeavour lasted for only three months.
J-TOBF was destroyed during the "Great Kando Earthquake" of September 1923, when the Susaki airfield was ravaged by a tsunami and the facilities caught fire.

As you have probably noticed, Kojima-san chose to depict the aircraft with what looks like white circles on the wing top surfaces. Below is a close up of J-TOBF and the white circles are easily visible. Note that the civilian registration is clearly in black. In some photos the hinomaru don't look dark at all, more like white, either due to the film quality or the angle the photo was taken causing the hinomaru to sign. In the J-TOBF case it is very probable that they were overpainted so that the aircraft resembled more a civilian one than a military. Asahi Shimbun aircraft had the newspaper logo painted on the top and bottom surfaces of the wings, so perhaps this was a preliminary effort before the Asahi logo was applied.

The Nakajima Type 5 Trainer was based on the U.S. Standard H-3 and the German Albatros C II. 101 were built from 1919 to 1921 and had numerous problems until they were replaced by other types.
In the photo below is a Nakajima Type 5, s/n 15.

Another contribution to the exhbition was by Taiki-san who brought a Ho-103 machine gun together with its box. 

On another table there was a nice collection of Japanese aircraft models, mainly Pearl Harbor themed.

There were a couple surprises too, including a scratch built Kyushu K11W "Shiragiku" and a 5-shiki-sen on a top of an original front windshield of a Ki-100; all by Kojima-san.