Mitsubishi Ki-15-1 Babs (oz6052)

About this Plan

Mitsubishi Ki-15-1 Babs. Sport scale model for RC. Wingspan 75in, 803 sq in area for .91 power and 5 channel RC. Model # pl-1100. Scale is 1/6. Designed by David Andersen. Featured in RCM 9-91.

Note this plan is also available online as a free download from the designer himself at http://www.mnbigbirds.com/Andersen%20Plans.htm where there is also an excellent 5 page construction summary, including notes and colour photos, available as a free download.

Quote: "For a brief period in 1937, the Mitsubishi Ki-15, codenamed Babs by the Allies, was the fastest production aircraft in the world.

The Ki-15 Karigane (Wild Goose) was a two-seat reconnaissance aircraft with a top speed of 300 mph. Construction to military specifications began in December 1935. The prototypes exceeded all expectations. About the same size as a P-47 Thunderbolt but only one third as heavy, its range was four times that of a Spitfire and its ceiling was 6000 feet higher. No fighter could catch it at the time.

The model described in this article is a quarter-scale version of the second prototype, named Kamikaze-Go. The right side of the airplane contains its name, Kamikaze, and other Japanese markings while the left side contains their English equivalents. Kamikaze-Go was identical to the military versions except for internal equipment and markings.

The name 'Kamikaze' had a different meaning in 1937. Meaning Divine Wind, it was a patriotic slogan referring to a typhoon that saved Japan from a Mongolian invasion in the 13th century. The appendage Go means the one and only as when naming a ship, such as The Queen Mary or The USS Constitution.

In those days, communication across Asia was slow and difficult - no long-distance telephones, no portable radios, no email. So the large Tokyo newspaper Asahi Shimbun purchased the first two Ki-15 prototypes for use as couriers. The idea was to fly to developing news sites, gather information and aerial photos and return home. Although it carried a radio, communication with the ground and other aircraft was also performed with Morse code. Large red lights were installed on the top and bottom of the fuselage, connected to a telegraph key in the observer’s position. Large and colorful markings on the underside helped reporters on the ground identify the airplane when it appeared overhead.

To achieve long range, the Ki- 15 was very light but held large fuel tanks. It could penetrate deep into China and return without refueling. This made it a candidate for a prize offered by a Paris newspaper for the first flight from Japan to Paris in less than 100 hours. And so, the Asahi Shimbun sent the second prototype, Kamikaze-Go, piloted by Masaaki Linuma and navigator Kenji Tsukagoshi. It flew 9,542 miles across French Indochina, India, Iraq and the Middle East to Europe in less than 95 hours to capture the prize and lots of publicity for Asahi Shimbun and Japanese aviation. Nearly all surviving photos of Kamikaze-Go are from this trip.

While in Europe, Kamikaze-Go flew to London to photograph the coronation parade of HM King George VI. Although meant as a tribute to the King, it was an embarrassment to British aviation because the fastest British aircraft in production at the time was an open-cockpit biplane. Most of the West was unaware that Japan even had an aviation industry. After giving rides to some dignitaries in England, Kamikaze-Go quietly flew home.

A detailed construction article containing 250+ color photos is available on CD. To purchase, go to http://www.mnbigbirds.com/Micko%20Products.htm

During the second Sino-Japanese conflict, hundreds of Ki-15s covered China from their bases in Manchuria. They were faster than all Chinese interceptors with the possible exception of the Russian Polikarpov I-16. During the first year of WW2, facing faster Allied aircraft, they were withdrawn from combat service. The last were expended, ironically, as Kamikaze bombers in the closing months of the war.

The model presented here is precisely scale, suitable for competition, at exactly 1/4 scale. The prototype model shown here won the Best of Show award at the 2010 Northern Alliance Military Fly-In in Owatonna, Minnesota, USA.

Wingspan: 120 inches
Length: 83 inches
Weight: 30 lbs
Wing area: 1900 sq. inches
Wing loading: 36 oz./sq. ft.
Engine: 65-100 cc.

Full-size plans in the form of PDF files are available on CD and free download at http:/www.mnbigbirds.com For paper copy, take these files, as CD or email, to a print shop capable of printing 36 in wide and any length. A complete construction article of almost 300 color photos is available on the same CD.

With its three-piece wing and removable horizontal stabilizer, Babs will fit in most compact hatch-back cars. Babs can be built with common materials and common tools. It requires no third-party custom-made parts. If you prefer, fiberglass, metal and plastic parts are available from the venders shown on the plans and in the parts list.

Construction Summary. The stab & elevator and fin & rudder are assembled as two clam-shelves over the plans. The rudder is 1/16 sheet balsa with ribs and leading edge spar attached to both sides. Sheet the fin and fit the rudder before assembling the fuselage. Also, sheet the stab and fit the elevator before proceeding with the fuselage; they will be needed during fuselage assembly. Assemble the wing center section upright on a flat surface..."

Supplementary file notes

Article.

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