Tachikawa Ki-55 Ida (oz8621)

About this Plan

Tachikawa Ki-55 Ida. Scale model for radio control.

Quote: "Looking for something diffeent for your next scale projct? How about this great looking super flying WWII Advanced Trainer? Tachikawa Ki-55 Ida by David Andersen.

The prototype lda was completed in March 1938 and flew its maiden flight at Tachikawa airfield in Tokyo on April 20, 1938. It was designed to Japanese Army specifications which called for a two-seat monoplane to support Army ground forces. Primary requirements were extreme maneuver-ability at low altitudes and short-field performance from small, rough strips immediately behind front lines.

Provisions were made for photographic and radio equipment in addition to bomb racks, for light anti-personnel bombs. It was armed with a single forward-firing rifle caliber machine gun in the cowl with a second rear-firing flexible gun for the observer. To obtain the necessary low-speed handling characteristics, designer Ryokichi Endo chose a light airframe combined with a large wing area to achieve a low wing loading. A large tail provided stability and large control surfaces provided sensitivity. Downward visibility was enhanced by the sweepback of the wing with the bonus of added stability. Wingspan was 38 ft 8 in. Max speed was 217 mph at 7000 feet and cruise speed was 146 mph.

Designated the Ki-36, Idas were assigned directly to Army ground units. During the Second Sino-Japanese conflict they were popular with ground commanders because of their ability to demoralize hard-pressed Chinese ground troops.

When the Pacific War began, the Ki-36s were no match for Allied fighters. From 1943 onwards, they were assigned to units in the interior of China, far from Allied aircraft. For this reason, the airplane is little known in the West.

It was the policy at the time to adapt operational aircraft designs to become trainers, rather than design entirely new aircraft as was the practice in the West. The good handling characteristics of the Ki-36 rendered it well suited for an advanced training role. All unnecessary equipment, including the wheel pants, were removed, balloon tires were substituted for the original high-pressure tires. The result was the Ki-55, which was manufactured in large numbers by both Tachikawa and Kawasaki. Pilots received their training in civilian flying schools under military contracts as well as regular Army flying schools. Nearly all Army pilots received their wings only after soloing the Ki-55.

Production continued until January 1944 when desperate shortages of material and skilled workers (who were indiscriminately drafted) shifted production to high-performance aircraft for home defense. By then, a total of 2723 Idas had been built. During the last year of the war, the remaining Idas were expended in kamakazi sorties in which they carried a single externally mounted 250kg or 500kg bomb.

The simplicity and docile handling of the Ida are what we seek in a scale model aircraft. Designed around the OS 108 for reliability, the model presented here is an excellent choice for operation from small grass flying fields. It is just big enough to meet the IMAA criterion for giant scale. Its traditional wood construction is familiar to modellers with some scale model building experience. It is well suited to casual sport flying as well as serious sport scale competition. The model was designed by enlarging the Koku-Fan drawings and filling in the structure so all dimensions are exactly scale. By the addition of surface detail it could be adapted to precision scale...."

Supplementary file notes

Article pages, thanks to hlsat. In two parts.

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