Japanese Airfields, Equipment & stuff #3

Tarps & covers

IJAAF ground crew used tarpaulins to protect their planes from the elements, especially the engine area. When the planes were maintained or were ready for take off, these were removed and discarded on the ground near the a/c. Sometimes the ground crew were more tidy and neatly folded them, sometimes just casually threw them around. In the top photo the number painted on the tarp cover is the number on the tail of the "Shoki".

When tarps were not available other fabric covers were incorporated as the last photo of the "Nate" testifies. But these really depended on the theatre and the time. Home based units, for example, are never seen without proper tarps. Finally I included a couple tarp images from the net.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jack stands

The most common jack stand used by the IJAAF is the metal tripod seen in the top photo which could collapse or had the legs permanently attached. Wooden jack stands are a lot less common in combat units. These were used by the aircraft manufacturers and are seen supporting prototypes. I discovered a rarely seen double stand found near a Ki-100 and in the last photo a "Hien" is having her guns calibrated. Note the special stand.

Except for the last one all stands had a wooden top and above that I'm almost certain they had some rubber or alternatively a piece of cloth for smoother attachment to the plane surface. These stands can be seen in all units even at the front in the Pacific or in the CBI.

I also attach a photo of a vintage jack stand from the net to give you an idea of the design in color. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Japanese Airfields, Equipment & stuff #2

Ladders

IJAAF ground crew usually used 3-step ladders to reach to the engines of the single-seat fighters and shorter aircraft but needed taller ladders for aircraft like the "Babs" or bombers like the "Sally". All these ladders were made of wood but "Lilly" bomber crews used a small three-step ladder made of metal for the bombardier to enter the plane from the front hatch. 

In the front, any kind of ladder substitutes were used including stools or small tables.  

 

Oil drums

Although cumbersome, more popular than ladders were empty oil drums that presumably provided a more stable platform to work from. And so, an oil drum on its side near the tail of a combat aircraft, as seen in the bottom photo, wouldn't look as if the aircraft was abandoned but simply that it waited maintenance.  

 

 

 

Japanese Airfields, Equipment & stuff #1

While waiting for a some sunshine to take photos of my finished models for the current contest, I thought of sharing some quick information I gathered while working on the "Nate" model base.
Let's start with some airfield equipment.

Chocks
There are various photos of different chock designs, some more solid, some more simple, some with numbers, some without. All seem to be made of wood except of the last one. Check also the photo of the two ground crew ready to remove them.
The most common design is in the top photo.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Model Art #329 featured artwork by Hasegawa Ichiro showing various types of chocks.