Nippon (aircraft)

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.

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.

The round the World flight

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

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 - Agadir Morocco - Casablanca, Spain - Rhodos, Greece - Basra (Iraq) - Karachi - Kolkata, India - Bangkok - Taipei - Haneda, Tokyo

Specifications (Mitsubishi G3M2 Model 21)

Data from The Mitsubishi G3M "Nell";[3] Imperial Japanese Navy Bombers of World War Two;[1][4][5]

General characteristics

Performance

Armament

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.

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Francillon, Rene J. (1970). Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War. London: Putnam and Company. pp. 350–357. ISBN 0-370-00033-1.
  2. now Tokyo International Airport
  3. Francillon 1967, p. 16.
  4. Francillon 1969, p. 64.
  5. Francillon 1979, p. 357.

References

  • Francillon, Rene J. (1970). Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War. London: Putnam and Company. pp. 350–357. ISBN 0-370-00033-1. 
  • 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

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