Nippon (aircraft)
Nippon (ニッポン, Nippon) was a converted Mitsubishi G3M2 Model 21 bomber operated by the Mainichi Shimbun newspaper and used to make a round-the-world flight in 1939.
| Nippon | |
|---|---|
| Nipon side view | |
| Type | Mitsubishi G3M2 Model 21[1] |
| Manufacturer | Mitsubishi |
| Construction number | 328[1] |
| Registration | J-BACI[1] |
| Owners and operators | Mainichi Shimbun[1] |
| Flights | One around the world flight from 26 August 1939 to 20 october 1939 covering 52,867 km; 28,546 nmi (32,850 mi) in 194 flying hours.[1] |
| Fate | Unknown, probably scrapped. |
The round the World flight edit
Nippon took off from Haneda airport[2] in the district of Kamata in Tokyo on 25 August 1939, flew around the globe and returned to Tokyo, after 55 days, on 20 October 1939 having flown 52,886 km (32,862 mi; 28,556 nmi) in 194 flying hours.
The aircraft edit
Nippon had the armament removed, was equipped with the latest autopilot and could carry 5,200 L of fuel enabling it to fly continuously for 24 hours.[citation needed]
Flight course edit
Tokyo - Chitose - Nome, Alaska - Fairbanks, USA - Whitehorse - Seattle - Oakland, USA - Los Angeles - Albuquerque, USA - Chicago - New York - Washington D.C - Miami - San Salvador, El Salvador - Cali, Colombia - Lima - Arica - Santiago - Buenos Aires - Santos (Brazil) - Dakar - Casablanca Morocco - Seville, Spain - Rhodos, Greece - Basra (Iraq) - Karachi - Kolkata, India - Bangkok - Taipei - Haneda, Tokyo
Specifications (Mitsubishi G3M2 Model 21) edit
Data from The Mitsubishi G3M "Nell";[3] Imperial Japanese Navy Bombers of World War Two;[1][4][5]
General characteristics
- Crew: 7
- Length: 16.45 m (54 ft 0 in)
- Wingspan: 25 m (82 ft 0 in)
- Height: 3.68 m (12 ft 1 in)
- Wing area: 75 m2 (810 sq ft)
- Empty weight: 4,965 kg (10,946 lb)
- Gross weight: 8,000 kg (17,637 lb)
- Fuel capacity: 3,874 L (852.2 imp gal; 1,023.4 US gal) (Nippon 5,200 L (1,143.8 imp gal; 1,373.7 US gal))[citation needed]
- Powerplant: 2 × Mitsubishi Kinsei 9-cyl. air-cooled radial piston engines, 791 kW (1,061 hp) each
Performance
- Maximum speed: 375 km/h (233 mph, 202 kn) (Nippon 400 km/h (249 mph; 216 kn))
- Cruise speed: 280 km/h (170 mph, 150 kn)
- Range: 4,400 km (2,700 mi, 2,400 nmi)
- Endurance: (Nippon: 24 hours)
- Service ceiling: 9,200 m (30,200 ft)
- Rate of climb: 6 m/s (1,200 ft/min)
Armament
- Guns:
- 1× 20 mm (0.066 ft) Type 99 cannon in rear dorsal turret
- 4× 7.7 mm (0.025 ft) Type 92 Heavy Machine Gun in cockpit, left and right side positions, and in retractable forward dorsal turret.
- (Nippon: un-armed)
- Bombs: 800 kg (1,763.698 lb) of bombs or 1× aerial torpedo
Occupants edit
There were seven occupants in total.
- Captain
- Sumitoshi NAKAO 中尾純利
- Flight engineer
- Hajime SHIMOKAWA 下川一
- Communication operator
- Nobusada SATO 佐藤信貞
- Pilot
- Shigeo YOSHIDA 吉田重雄
- Professional Engineer
- Hiroshi SAEKI 佐伯弘
- Flight engineer
- Nagasaku YAOKAWA 八尾川長作
- Ambassador of goodwill
- Takeo OHARA 大原武夫, Aerial director of Mainichi Shimbun.
Notes edit
- ^ a b c d e f Francillon 1979, pp. 350–357
- ^ now Tokyo International Airport
- ^ Francillon 1967, p. 16.
- ^ Francillon 1969, p. 64.
- ^ Francillon 1979, p. 357
References edit
- Francillon, René J. (1979). Japanese aircraft of the Pacific War. London: Putnam. ISBN 0-370-30251-6. OCLC 6124909. (new edition 1987 by Putnam Aeronautical Books, ISBN 0-85177-801-1.)
- Francillon, René J. (1966). The Kawasaki Ki-61 Hien (Aircraft in Profile, Volume 5, No. 118). Windsor, Berkshire, UK: Profile Publications Ltd.
- 翼をください, 2009, ISBN 462010745X
- 毎日新聞ウェブページ・ニッポン号：世界一周の快挙から70年
- JCAL NIPPON Round the World Flight Japanese
External links edit
- A blog with images