- Aircraft with Skis
-
- Hayas with skis
- Posted By: Elephtheriou George
<elgeorge@otenet.gr>
- Date: Saturday, 29 July 2000, at 4:46 p.m.
-
- Since I'm so bored to see only German or
Russian planes on a snow diorama, I'm thinking, why not
try one with Japanese planes. FAOW 65 of the Hayabusa,
page 31 has a photo with a machine with skis. It says,
among others, that the landing gear was not changed, only
the wheels were removed and skis fitted. Although I can
see the yellow id. stripe, it mentions nothing about the
color of the plane or the Sentai. But it says that the
photo was taken at Hokkaido or Northern Japan. Also in
Model Art 329, page 135, there is a photo with a Hayate
with skis with even less details. How these skis looked
like? How were they connected to the landing gear? Which
Sentais used/tested these planes and how were they
painted? Don't you think that it would make an
interesting small diorama?
-
- Re: Hayas with skis
- Posted By: Ryan Boerema
<ryann1k2j@aol.com>
- Date: Tuesday, 1 August 2000, at 9:33 p.m.
-
- In Response To: Hayas with skis
(Elephtheriou George)
-
- In Schiffer's "Nakajima Ki-43
Hayabusa" by Richard Bueschel there is the same
picture on p.46 with the caption, "Some tests led to
field modifications to meet special needs. Model II-Kai
in Manchukuo is equipped with retractable skis. Aircraft
is probably with the 48th or 203rd (sic) Air Regiment of
the Counter-Soviet Patrol which saw brief action in
August 1945." It looks NMF to me, but who knows.
Beside the above photo is another of a testbed Ki-43IIA
with a four bladed prop (!) and somewhat less triangular
skis and a darker paint scheme.
- See? Every answer just leads to more
questions.
-
- Re: Hayas with skis
- Posted By: Elephtheriou George
<elgeorge@otenet.gr>
- Date: Tuesday, 1 August 2000, at 11:16
p.m.
-
- In Response To: Re: Hayas with skis (Ryan
Boerema)
-
- Ki-43IIA with four bladed
prop??????????????????????? FAOW mention nothing about
it. Unfortunately, I don't have the Model Art issue about
the Hayabusa (is there one?). Maybe it mention something
there. Or maybe not.......
- Yes, one question leeds to more, but
that's the fun of it and that's how you learn more. No?
-
- Re: Hayas with skis
- Posted By: Ryan Boerema
<ryann1k2j@aol.com>
- Date: Wednesday, 2 August 2000, at 7:53
p.m.
-
- In Response To: Re: Hayas with skis
(Elephtheriou George)
-
- Model Art #395 covers the Ki-43, but no
mention -- or at least no photo for us kanji-impaired --
of ski-equipped Ki-43. BTW, neither Model Art or
"Emblems of the Rising Sun" mentions a 203'd
sentai -- although Bueschel and Thorpe do, the former
saying it was formed in Manchoukuo in 4/42 for Counter
Soviet Patrol. Of course, as the Russians invaded in
August there's little chance, whoever flew them, that
they saw action on skis. Although, maybe, the 54th, up
there on Paramushiro Island....
-
- Re: Hayas with skis
- Posted By: Elephtheriou George
<elgeorge@otenet.gr>
- Date: Wednesday, 2 August 2000, at 10:31
p.m.
-
- In Response To: Re: Hayas with skis (Ryan
Boerema)
-
- It looks more and more like a very
difficult subject...... But the diorama idea sound more
and more fascinated to me. Maybe I will settle with the
unknown (?) Sentai of the fantastic photo of page 125 of
emblems of the rising sun book. As the Japanese say:
Sorre ga jinsei desu
-
- Re: Hayas with skis
- Posted By: Jim Broshot
<jbroshot@socket.net>
- Date: Wednesday, 2 August 2000, at 10:29
p.m.
-
- In Response To: Re: Hayas with skis (Ryan
Boerema)
-
- Sorry for the belated posting:
- Caption under photo found in Aircraft in
Profile No. 46 -"The Nakajima Ki.43 Hayabusa"
(Martin C. Windrow and R. F. Francillon)
- "An unusual modification of the
Ki-43-II KAI: a ski main undercarriage fitted for testing
in Manchuria. Main gear legs were presumably locked down
though this machine retains open wheel wells."
- Markings are hard to make out. Skis are
pretty much concealed in snow.
- Wasn't the Ki-27 tested/used with a ski
undercarriage?
-
- Re: Hayas with skis
- Posted By: Elephtheriou George
<elgeorge@otenet.gr>
- Date: Wednesday, 2 August 2000, at 10:43
p.m.
-
- In Response To: Re: Hayas with skis (Jim
Broshot)
-
- Dear Jim,
- Never heard of the Ki-27 with skis. Wonder
if there are any photos around. But there is an
interesting photo in Schifer's Mitsubishi G3M book, of a
bomber with skis. On the other hand, the FAOW book about
the Hayate, says that the drag of the skis while the
plane was in flight made it very difficult to control. My
thought is that the upper surface of the skis (the
section they fitted with the "wheel legs") had
roughly the shape of the undercarriage wheel wells, so
the skis might fit in. Just a thought. Otherwise the
plane shoud always fly with the undercarriage down.
-
- Re: Hayas with skis
- Posted By: Hiroyuki Takeuchi
- Date: Tuesday, 1 August 2000, at 11:06
p.m.
-
- In Response To: Re: Hayas with skis
(Elephtheriou George)
-
- I know that the Koku Shinsabu (IJA air
testing department - headquartered in Yokota AB) was
responsible for testing just about all IJA types with
skis. I don't know if they served with any operational
units.
-
- Tonyski *PIC*
- Posted By: David_Aiken
<David_Aiken@hotmail.com>
- Date: Thursday, 3 August 2000, at 7:49
a.m.
-
- Aloha All,
- Found this neat shot of a Tony with skis.
- Editors note: Photo not included; see the
Army message board for photo
-