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Tachikawa Ki-54
Japanese trainer aircraft From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Tachikawa Ki-54 was a Japanese, twin-engine advanced trainer used during World War II. The aircraft was named Hickory by the Allies.
 | You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in Japanese. (March 2016) Click [show] for important translation instructions.
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History
The Ki-54 was developed in response to an Imperial Japanese Army requirement for a twin-engine advanced trainer, principally for crew training. The prototype first flew in the summer of 1940 and, on completing trials, entered production in 1941 as Army Type 1 Advanced Trainer Model A (Ki-54a). The Ki-54a was soon followed by the Ki-54b as Army Type 1 Operations Trainer Model B and Ki-54c as Army Type 1 Transport Model C. The Ki-54b and -c enjoyed successful careers until the end of the war. A few captured aircraft were flown after the war by various users.
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Operators
- Imperial Japanese Army Air Force used them for training as per their design.
- Manchukuo Air Force Three were provided by Japan as VIP transports.
- Republic of China Air Force Nationalist Chinese (captured).
- People's Liberation Army Air Force Communist Chinese (captured): Four captured Ki-54s were used, including in 1951 to train the first class of female pilots in China. They were retired in 1952.[citation needed]
- Armée de l'Air At least seven Ki-54 were recovered by the French in French Indochina between 1945 and 1947, after the Japanese surrender.
- One aircraft operated briefly by No. 273 Squadron RAF during September and October 1945 in French Indochina.[1]
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Variants
- Ki-54a - unarmed pilot trainer
- Ki-54b - armed crew trainer
- Ki-54c - eight-passenger light transport, communications aircraft. Civil designation Y-59.
- Ki-54d - maritime reconnaissance/ASW, carried 8x 60-kg (132-lb) depth charges
- Ki-110 - one prototype Ki-54c of all-wood construction, destroyed in US bombing attack
- Ki-111 - projected fuel tanker (none built)
- Ki-114 - projected fuel tanker of all-wood construction (none built)
Surviving aircraft
- A Ki-54 fuselage is in Australia in storage at the Australian War Museum Annex. It was previously part of a playground at the RAAF Fairbairn base kindergarten.[2][3]
- Another Ki-54 fuselage is stored in China at the Chinese Aviation Museum.[4]
- A nearly intact Ki-54 is proposed to be restored by Tachichi Holdings, the successor to the aircraft's manufacturer. It was found at the bottom of Lake Towada in Aomori Prefecture on 13 August 2010 and recovered on 5 September 2012.[5] It was preserved for display at the Misawa Aviation & Science Museum in the damaged state it was found.[6] It remained at that museum until 2020 when it was given to Tachichi Holdings for a proposed restoration. The aircraft was briefly on display in 2022 in Tokyo in the same condition as it was in Misawa.[7]
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Specifications (Ki-54c light transport)
Data from The Concise Guide to Axis Aircraft of World War II;[8] Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War[9]
General characteristics
- Crew: 2
- Capacity: 8
- Length: 11.94 m (39 ft 2 in)
- Wingspan: 17.9 m (58 ft 9 in)
- Height: 3.58 m (11 ft 9 in)
- Wing area: 40 m2 (430 sq ft)
- Empty weight: 2,954 kg (6,512 lb)
- Gross weight: 3,897 kg (8,591 lb)
- Powerplant: 2 × Hitachi Ha13a (Army Type 98 450hp Air Cooled Radial) 9-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine, 380 kW (510 hp) each for take-off
- 350 kW (470 hp) at 1,700 m (5,600 ft)
- Propellers: 2-bladed metal propeller
Performance
- Maximum speed: 375 km/h (233 mph, 202 kn)
- Cruise speed: 240 km/h (150 mph, 130 kn)
- Range: 960 km (600 mi, 520 nmi)
- Service ceiling: 7,180 m (23,560 ft)
- Wing loading: 97.4 kg/m2 (19.9 lb/sq ft)
- Power/mass: 0.195 kW/kg (0.119 hp/lb)
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See also
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
Related lists
References
External links
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