Itoh Emi 14
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| Emi 14 | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Type | Long range aircraft |
| National origin | Japan |
| Manufacturer | Itoh Aeroplane Research Studio |
| Designer | Tomotari Inagaki |
| Number built | 1 |
| History | |
| First flight | Early 1920 |
The Itoh Emi 14 was a Japanese biplane designed in 1920 for a long distance competitive flight from Tokyo to Osaka and back, which it won. It was also successful at a contest later that summer, before suffering terminal structural failure during aerobatics a few weeks later.
Stimulated by 1920 reports of flights from Italy to Japan the Imperial Flying Association launched a long distance contest for Japanese aircraft with a non-stop return trip from Tokyo to Osaka and back, a distance of just over 1,000 km (620 mi; 540 nmi). Four companies prepared designs but only the Nakajama Type 7 and the Itoh Emi 14 were ready when the race was due.[1]
For many early, long distance flights the main design challenge was to ensure the aircraft, heavily loaded with fuel, could become airborne in the distance available. At Susaki the runway was only 600 m (2,000 ft) long, so Inagaki gave the wings an aspect ratio of eight, at the time unusually high, to minimize induced drag. Otherwise, the Emi 14 was a conventional two bay biplane with rectangular plan wings braced together with pairs of vertical, parallel interplane struts. Two parallel pairs of short cabane struts braced the central upper wing to the upper fuselage longerons. The Emi 14, like some other Itoh designs, had overhung ailerons, placed only on the upper wing.[1]
The Emi 14 was powered by a 110 kW (150 hp) Gorham engine in a smoothly-tapered cowling but with its upper half exposed. Its flat, narrow, rectangular radiator was attached edge on and vertically just behind on the port side, where the engine cowling joined a flat-sided fuselage. It was originally designed with two open cockpits and flown from the rear seat, but for the long round trip the forward cockpit was used to hold extra fuel. There was a small, central trailing edge cut-out to improve the pilot's upward field of view. The tailplane was mounted on top of the fuselage and the fin was triangular, with a rounded rudder.[1]
Its fixed undercarriage was of the single axle type, mounted on V-struts from the lower fuselage longerons. During development the Emi 14 had a conventional tailskid but for the challenging contest flight takeoff the tail was raised on a wheeled dolly, dropped as the Emi 14 became airborne.[1]