Nippon (aircraft) explained
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.
The round the World flight
Nippon took off from Haneda airport[1] 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 52886km (32,862miles) in 194 flying hours.
The aircraft
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.
Flight course
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
Occupants
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.
References
- Book: Francillon, René J.. Japanese aircraft of the Pacific War. 1979. Putnam. 0-370-30251-6. London. 6124909. (new edition 1987 by Putnam Aeronautical Books, .)
- Book: Francillon, René J.. The Kawasaki Ki-61 Hien (Aircraft in Profile, Volume 5, No. 118). 1966. Profile Publications Ltd.. Windsor, Berkshire, UK.
- 翼をください, 2009,
- 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
Notes and References
- now Tokyo International Airport