Picture of the Day - Miscellaneous (20 Viewers)

[MiTasol]

A Nakajima B5N2 'Kate' bomber of the Imperial Japanese Navy coded '302', was the last flyable bomber left at Rabaul by the end of the Second World War. The aircraft was operated by the 105th Naval Base Air Unit WIKI
View attachment 863579

That aircraft had an A6M5 engine fitted and ended up in RNZAF hands. It was flown down to Jacquinot Bay where they cut out an upper section of the rear fuselage and shipped it out.

I diss-assembled it (and a Ki-46) and prepared them for shipping to the USA but before that could happen the PNG government declared them Nation Cultural Heritage.

Six months later the government decided to upgrade the wharf where they were and they became landfill.

 

[wheelsup_cavu]

XP-59 Airacomet in drag.

That's actually Planes of Fame's YP-59

Bell YP-59A 'Airacomet' | Planes of Fame Air Museum

View our aircraft collection and information about each aircraft.

planesoffame.org

 https://planesoffame.org/aircraft/plane-YP-59A

They did it up with the fake wooden prop at the 2006 airshow.

View: https://www.flickr.com/photos/50393882@N00/341955230/in/photostream/
The prop is laying on the ground in the image above.

Here are some better pictures taken by evangilder at the 2006 airshow.

Van Gilder Aviation Photography, Chino AS, 2006- P-59 Aircomet

https://www.vg-photo.com/airshow/chino/p59.html

Wheels

 

[Viking1066]

Kawanishi E7K1s and E7K2s aboard IJNS Mizuho 1942 AMER

 

[Viking1066]

Kawasaki K-102s at Tatebayashi AF April 1945 REDD

 

[Viking1066]

Kawasaki Ki-45 Army Type 2 Two-Seat Fighter 'Toryu' from 4th Sentai, 1st Chutai takes off from Ozuki airfield in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan sometime during January or February 1944 FACB

 

[Gnomey]

Good shots!

 

[Viking1066]

Kawasaki Ki-61 fighters of the 55th Sentai REDD

 

[Viking1066]

Kawasaki Ki-61-I Otsu with skis coming in for landing Hokkaido 1943 REDD

 

[Zippythehog]

Kawasaki Ki-61-I Otsu with skis coming in for landing Hokkaido 1943 REDD
View attachment 863778

How bizarre.

 

[Lucky13]

How bizarre.

....and just like that, it popped up in my head! B*städa!


View: https://youtu.be/C2cMG33mWVY?si=nEi0ZhnBNE3vxLgS

 

[Supercharged]

Kawasaki K-102s at Tatebayashi AF April 1945 REDD
View attachment 863704

Looks like Ki-46 II ?

 

[CATCH 22]

Kawasaki Ki-61 fighters of the 55th Sentai REDD

Now we all know that there were "short nosed" and "long nosed" Ki-61. The former from types Ki-61 I Ko, Otsu and Hei, the latter from type Ki-61 I Tei only. It's not easy to define an a/c just looking at a photo - the difference is only 190mm/7.5" (at least for me it is not so easy - for Japan aviation pros it's probably different). IMHO the darker camouflaged a/c is a "long nose" and the nearest N/M planes are "short nose" - variants.
The clue I know is for the other side of the plane - the position of the air intake:
Long nosed Tei - air intake front edge completely behind the exhausts:

Short nosed earlier variants: front edge of the air intake is slightly over the exhausts:

Not too sure about this though.
Cheers!

 

[Viking1066]

Fomation of Ki-32s of the 2nd chutai, 75 Hikō Sentai Chinese front 1938-1939 unique id code "Ichi-Haku" is before the rudder MODE

 

[Viking1066]

Kawasaki Ki-48 of the 75th Hiko Sentai taking off during training 1943 REDD

 

[Viking1066]

Lt. Asaeda Kuniomi posing by the cockpit of an early-production A6M2 Zero Model 21 (カ-103) of the Kasumigaura Kokutai FACB

 

[SaparotRob]

Lt. Asaeda Kuniomi posing by the cockpit of an early-production A6M2 Zero Model 21 (カ-103) of the Kasumigaura Kokutai FACB
View attachment 863859

I think this must be the cleanest, non museum Zero I've ever seen.

 

[Viking1066]

P1Y on the ground Japan WORD

 

[Viking1066]

Tachikawa Ki-17 being put to use after the war FACB

 

[Viking1066]

The Type 2 aircraft, manufactured by Kyoritsu Aircraft Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (Shimadzu), is shown alongside the KSY2 "Yo-2" of the Yokosuka Ku 1943 BURI

 

[Viking1066]

Tested in Germany. Nakajima E8N floatplane ALTH