After a few days of silence it is with great pleasure and enthusiasm that we announce that as of today our move to the new Arawasi headquarters, in Kawaguchi, Saitama Prefecture, Kanto region, is finally completed. All our friends who would like to contact us by post should first get in touch by email to get our new snail address.
After more than a year and 200+ posts we continue stronger and more organised than ever. The average of 19 posts per month will continue but we would like to ask for your support by at least leaving the occasional comment; helps us to feel you closer!
Stay tuned for even more interesting photos, translations, research, articles, artwork, modeling subjects and more. And don't forget that this blog is open to any Japanese aviation (until the end of WWII) related contribution: photos of your models, material or even just questions.
Thank you all for your support, comments or just visits this past year.
A photo today from a vintage magazine showing a line-up of 97Sens, probably belonging to a training school, having their engines started.
More Tachikawa Ki-54 "Hickory" photos today, all from a vintage publication.
A Ki-54Ko belonging to the "Rikugun Koku Tsushin Gakko" (Army Aviation Communication School) just before taking off on another training flight. The school was located in Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture. The katakana "ロ" (RO) above the unit marking indicates that this is probably the second aircraft of the school or the second aircraft of the type belonging to the school. It was very common for IJAAF schools to use the more traditional "I-RO-HA" numbering system for their aircraft.
This system was actually the older order of the 47 kana characters (Hiragana & Katakana, here) and its first usage dates back to the Edo period. Around 1720, the firefighter groups Tokyo neighbourhoods around Sumida river had named themselves after this system. There was for example the "I Gumi" (1st group), "RO Gumi" (2nd group) etc.
The "I-RO-HA" numbering system was recited as a song to make it easier to memorise and goes like this:
Occasionally IJAAF units wrote on the tail the first kana of the pilot's name. In order to understand which of the two a kana on a tail is meant to signify, first the "I-RO-HA" system should be consulted. If the corresponding number is too high (over 20 for example) then it would mean that it probably comes from the pilot's name since units with a lot of aircraft didn't really bother with songs and prefered the Arabic numerals.
Inside the cabin of a "Hickory"
A Ki-54 belonging to the Mito Rikugun Hiko Gakko (Mito Army Aviation School) is just back from a shooting training flight for machine gunners.
"In 1927, the British minister at the foreign office, Austin Chamberlain, brother of British Prime Minister Neville, severed diplomatic ties with the USSR. In response, the next journey by an ANT-3 was a flight from Moscow to Tokyo and back to Moscow, which took place between August 20 and September 1, 1927, and the plane was titled “Our Reply.” The flight was titled “The Great Eastern Overflight,” and was piloted by Semion Shestakov. The ANT-3 used was powered by a Mikulin M-5. The expedition covered about 22,140 km (13,500 mi) in 153 flying hours (today, it would take 18 hours), by going from Moscow- Sarapul- Omsk- Novosibirsk- Krasnoyarsk- Irkutsk- Chita- Blagovenshensk- Nanian- Yokohama- Tokyo, and then return. Though not the most direct possible, there were good propaganda opportunities."
From the net:
Registration was "RR-INT" Osoaviakhim SSSR Nash Otvet (Our Answer). Pilot S. A. Shestakov and mechanic D.V. Fufaev were awarded the Order of the Red Banner for their effort.
One more photo from our collection:
Iskender sent the following:
I'd like to provide some information regarding the pilot.
Shestakov Semen Aleksandrovich (1898-1943). Test pilot, Colonel. Participated in Great October Revolution (1917), Russian Civil War (1917-1923), Great Patriotic War (1942-1943).
In 1920’s Shestakov worked as a test pilot at Scientific Research Institute of the Air Force (NII VVS). In spring 1927 he was also a member of commission accepting (in Leningrad) Junkers C.30 (Yug-1) bombers produced in Germany for VVS RKKA.
He participated in a number of long distance flights. Between August 20 and September 1, 1927 pilot Shestakov and flight mechanic Fufayev D.V. completed the long distance flight in ANT-3 (R-3) “Nash otvet” (Our Answer) between Moscow-Sarapul-Omsk-Novosibirsk-Krasnoyarsk-Irkutsk-Verkhneudinsk-Chita-Nerchinsk-Blagoveshensk-Spassk-Nanyan-Okayama-Tokyo and back (September 10-22), covering 21 700 km. in 153 flight hours. Shestakov was awarded the Red Banner order for this feat.
Shestakov had approached Tupolev A.N. (aircraft designer) and Baranov P.I. (VVS RKKA commander in chief) with a suggestion for a transcontinental flight. Boris Sterligov – leading specialist at NII VVS (later to become chief navigator of VVS) and navy pilot Filipp Bolotov (commander of seaplane detachment) were invited to the crew. The first unsuccessful flight commenced on August 6, 1929 in TB-1 (ANT-4) named “Strana Sovetov” (Soviet Country). Engines stopped after the fuel has run out close to the city of Chita and the plane crashed in taiga.
The crew returned back to Moscow and took off on a second flight using a backup plane. First pilot Shestakov S.A., second pilot Bolotov F.Y., navigator Sterligov B.V. and flight mechanic Fufayev D.V. flew the path of Moscow- Chelyabinsk-Novosibirsk-Krasnoyarsk-Irkutsk-Chita-Blagoveshensk-Khabarovsk-Nikolayevsk on Amur-Petropavlovsk Kamchatskiy-Attu-Unalaksha-Seward-Sitka-Waterfall-Seattle-Oakland-San-Fransisco-Chicago-Detroit-New York. The distance of 21 242 km. was covered under extremely unfavorable weather conditions (constant fog and storms along the whole course) in 141 hours 53 minutes of flight time. Wheels were changed for floats in Khabarovsk and back to wheels in Seattle. The distance of 8 000 km. was flown over the ocean in 50 hours and 30 minutes. The welcome party in Seattle on November 1, 1929 was triumphant.
Later in his career Shestakov commanded TB-1 bomber detachment in the Soviet Far East. In 1933 his detachment was reequipped with TB-3 bombers. On October 16, 1941 together with flight engineer Rozenfeld A.A. he took off in the experimental Pe-2M plane equipped with M-105TK (turbocharged) engines and flew it from Kazan to Moscow.
Shestakov took part in the Great Patriotic War. In October 1942 he took command of 146th fighter regiment, which was at the time fighting on South-Western Front. He was shot down flying his Yak-7b fighter and wounded in both legs on August 1, 1943 during heavy fighting close to Lokno-Borilovo village at Orel salient (Battle for Kursk). According to a later research after bailing out over the enemy lines he became POW and perished in German captivity. His wingman was also shot down and captured in the same fight, but later managed to escape.
Unfortunately Shestakov and his long distance flights were undeservedly forgotten in the USSR, unlike the pre war deeds of other famous Soviet flyers: Chkalov, Baidukov, Levanevskiy, Grizodubova, Kokkinaki etc.
A beautiful ad from a vintage, November 1943, magazine of the "Naikoku Chokin Ginko" (Domestic Savings Bank). The text is quite difficult to translate but the bank was founded in 1912 and in May 1945 merged with eight other banks to form "Nippon Chokin Ginko" (Japan Savings Bank) which in turn after various name changes and mergers became today's Resona Bank.
The Ministry of Railways gave an order in 1935 for two survey aircraft to Mitsubishi and Nakajima to be used for geographical surveys of projected railway tracks and to monitor railway construction progress. Mitsubishi modified their Army Type 92 Reconnaissance by adding a closed canopy for the rear observer and wheel covers (although removed in the photo below), named it "Hato-gata" (Pigeon-type) and delivered it in May 1936. It received the civilian register J-AARA, the letter "A" after the J- registration indicating that it belonged to the government. It was also designated "Tetsudosho 1 go" (Ministry of Railways No. 1) and it had a pretty cool paint job.
Note the civilian registration J-AARA in black with white surround repeated above and under the wings and the "Tetsudosho 1go" inscription on the fuselage sides and on the tail. The other marking "エ" repeated on the ends of the wing and on the tail is the marking of the Ministry of Railways (HERE). The colour looks particularly dark for a gray and usually gray or silver aircraft did not have their registration with a white surround. Perhaps it was painted orange-yellow with the area in front of the cockpit in blue.
Choroszy Modelbud is the only company that has released a Type 92 Reconnaissance that could be modified to become a "Hato type". HERE
Nakajima delivered a modified Super Universal with a Kotobuki Model 2 engine, which received the civilian registration J-AARB and the designation "Tetsudosho 2 go" (Ministry of Railways No. 2). It could carry one pilot, one flight engineer and six passengers or, if cameras were installed, only a pilot and an observer. This would suggest that there were a number of fixed flight cameras installed on the cabin floor.
It has an extremely unusual for a Super Universal paint job. Although Supers as a rule had blue fuselage (see previous posting), this one seems to be painted in the same colour with the Mitsubishi "Hato" with similar markings.
Note the absence of hinomaru on both aircraft. Unfortunately the photos of Tachikawa KS-1 are not clear enough to show if it has the same paint job with the other two Ministry of Railways aircraft or if it is overall gray as the box art suggests.
There is also an apparent mystery regarding the aircraft designations. Their first aircraft was J-AARA, their second J-AARB and their fifth was J-AARD! We were unable to locate any information about the other aircraft, J-AARC or "Tetsudosho" 3 & 4.
Amodels has also released the KS-1 version of the KKY (HERE).
This type was built following a request by the Ministry of Railways for a survey aircraft for the Shin Tokaido railway Line which was to be built from 1939. The KKY-2 version was modified with a large window in the rear of the cabin and another one in the cabin floor. Instead of stretchers and patients the cabin could accommodate three surveying passengers as well as equipment for mapping and aerial photography. A large automatic aerial camera was also installed and the Tachikawa designation KS meant Kogata Sokuryoki (Small Survey Aircraft).
Two were built, the maiden flight of the first was in May 1939 and received the registration J-AARD which is the subject of the Amodel kit. There is no information regarding the second KS-1.
Below is a photo from a vintage publication of rather poor quality (our apologies) that shows the markings apart from the J- registration that seem to be missing from the box art of the kit.
The inscription on the side of the fuselage and on the tail read "Tetsudosho 5go" (Ministry of Railways No. 5) and looked very similar to this:
Our good friend Harold K sent us the following heads-up:
"A new release from Amodel (as shown on the Modelimex site HERE); two other variants as well. I have never even heard of this airplane; can you tell us something about it?"
First the KKY-1.
It was designed by Endo Ryokichi under the supervision of Nakagawa Moriyuki inspired by imported deHavilland D.H. 83 Fox Moth. The designation KKY stands for "Kogata Kei Kanja Yusoki" (Small Type Light Patient Transport). The first prototype was completed in the beginning of December 1933 with the first flight taking place on December 9. It was not built under orders of the Army so it didn't have any Ki or Shi registration but it was still an Army type. It could carry two patients on stretchers, one medical attendant and medical supplies. It could land and take off from short airstrips making it particularly useful for emergency evacuations. Total 25 were produced until 1940.
Originally the type was fitted with a Cirrus Hermes Mk.IV and was registered KKY-1 but due to vibration problems the engine was changed to Gasuden Jinpu Model 3, 150hp which solved the problems and increased the overall performance. With the Gasuden engine the designation became KKY-2. Originally the propeller was metal but later it was wooden. The type was widely used during the Sino-Japanese War in patient transport and communication duties until the beginning of the Pacific War.
Most of them were Aikoku (donated) aircraft. Three examples below.
Aikoku 97 "Osaka Yakushu Seiyaku" - Donated by drug manufacturing and retailer associations on April 22, 1934. Note the metal propeller.
Aikoku 127 "Katoriku" - Donated by Catholic groups of Nagasaki in May 1937. Wooden propeller.
Aikoku 136 "Shonen Sekijuji" - Donated by the Japanese Red Cross and their Youth Organisations on May 30, 1938.
Tachikawa KKY-1 Data (source - vintage publication):
A Ki-54 Otsu belonging to the Mito Rikugun Hiko Gakko (IJAAF Aviation School). A Kawasaki Ki-32 "Mary" in the background. All previous photos from vintage publications.
A Ki-54Ko of an unknown unit found after the end of the War in Itazuke airfield. "Itazuke" is another name of the Fukuoka airport. NARA
Prince Kuni Asaakira became vice-commander of the Yokohama Kokutai on December 1st, 1938 and is seen here in this photo, from a vintage magazine, in front of a Kawanishi H6K "Mavis" and Hiro H4H2 flying boat. Note the ladder used by members of the "Mavis" crew to get into the flying boat.
Staying home and getting tortured by typhoon No. 17, "Jelawat" decided to upload a U-Tube video featuring a part of one of the most important manga, "The Cockpit".
I hope you'll excuse us for any mistakes in the translation.
0:12-August 6, 1945...0:38-Today's escort includes "Shiden", right?...0:41-There are 40 fighters, of them 16 are "Shiden"...0:44-"Shiden" has short range so it's actually an interceptor. Until we reach our target only 24 "Rei-sen" will be escorting us...0:54-So, are they going to protect until we launch the "Ohka"?..1:03-Again? Sometimes the engine is coughing...1:07-You can't help it. Parts of the latest planes are built by junior-high and girl students...1:12-(joke difficult to translate...)And they're using pots and pans...1:21-Compared to the tin Tanks, the planes are much better...1:27-They should apologise to the soldiers for building this kind of Tanks. I wonder what the designer of the "Ohka" had in mind...1:35-I studied rocket engineering so I understand. The engineer who made him design it must have been very sorrowful. So, if they were actually going to build it at the very least it should have very high performance. Sorrowful, sorrowful...anyhow somobody has to get in the cockpit and if you fly it, there is no return...2:07-Eh, the "Shiden" are dropping their extra fuel tanks...2:10-Are they going back?..2:12-If they don't get back they won't have enough fuel...2:21-No, they just threw them away because they're empty...2:27-Enemy unit, north direction, 30 degrees, altitude 4,000, spotted. Ship protecting fighter units take-off immediately...2:36-They came, crazy bastards. Shoot them all down...2:56-Are you getting in already?..3:00-It's my coffin, I want to get used to it...3:20-Poor Nogami inside such a tight place, can you hear me?..3:25-The difference with the "1shiki Rikko" (Betty) is that I'm alone so I'm comfortable...3:29-I see. Hang in there...3:31-Thank you, LTJG Yamaoka..3:52-The enemy!..3:54-Right upper side, 30 degrees, enemy planes. All planes get into battle formation...4:00-Enemy fighters on the left upper side. They are coming down from the sun...4:05-Go! Shoot down the crazies...4:10-Dive and loop!..4:17-They shot the commander's plane...4:52-Get away! Fly under the cloud shadow...4:55-We can't get rid off one of them...4:56-Shake it off no matter what...5:03-You can't get away from me...5:07-Our right wing is shot...5:08-Damn, we lose fuel...5:22-Lieutenant, release me. You'll become lighter...5:25-Stupid! Not yet. Only when we see the enemy ships...5:31-He's coming again!..5:32-Coming, coming, coming!..5:38-Enough. Release me quickly...5:42-We're still flying...5:44-RELEASE ME!..5:50-Cherry blossom, finished off...5:53-Albert, right side up enemy planes...6:06-I see the enemy...6:08-Thank you. That's enough. Thank you...6:13-Nogami, I'm leaving it to you...6:31-There he goes. He switched his rocket on...6:38-Sorry...6:41-One enemy rocket plane approaching...6:44-What? Cherry blossom, the human bomb...6:57-No good. It's too fast...7:38-Damn. Broke the sound barrier. What's that? From the Japanese plane? A photo with a woman with a koto* on her back? Crazy!..8:00-Captain sudden message. Right now the atomic bomb has been dropped on Hiroshima ...8:13-Everybody's crazy. The enemy. Us. Everybody's crazy. 8:38-The history of the human guided bomb was a short lived vain dream. In the Pacific the "Ohka" units spilled their blood. What is left now is big nuclear missiles. The nuclear bombs are waiting to ruin the world and...they don't have a heart (spirit). 9:12-April 1961, first flight to space...July 1969, man on the moon.
