Trainer aircraft First flight: 1938 Kawanishi

In February 1937, the command of the Imperial Japanese Navy placed orders with Watanabe and Kawanishi for the development and construction of an intermediate training seaplane. At the beginning of 1938, the Kawanishi aircraft was completed and was a two-seat single-column biplane of a mixed design, equipped with a Nakajima Kotobuki 2 Kai 1 air-cooled nine-cylinder engine with 460 hp.

The first of three ordered aircraft took off on April 30, 1938 and was delivered to the base in the Navy in July under the designation K6K1 (11-Shi Intermediate Trainer Seaplane). During the tests, poor landing characteristics of the aircraft were revealed.

Once again, the aircraft was upgraded in January 1940, but even after that the military refused to conclude a contract.

Photo	Description
	Drawing Kawanishi K6K1

Trainer aircraft First flight: 1938 Kawanishi

In 1937, the Japanese Navy announced a competition for the construction of a promising primary training seaplane 12-Shi Primary Seaplane Trainer, designed to replace the Yokosuka K4Y (Navy Type 90 Seaplane Trainer). The competition was attended by Nippi (Nihon Airplane), Watanabe and Kawanishi. The terms of the competition stipulated the installation of the Gasuden Jimpu engine. Since the strict requirements of the competition did not give much freedom to the designers, then all the proposed machines were very similar both externally and in terms of flight characteristics.

The Kawanishi project was started in May 1937. It was a two-seat single-pillar biplane, equipped with a seven-cylinder air-cooled Gasuden Jimpu 2 engine with a power of 130 (165) hp. The first of three prototypes ordered flew on 6 July 1938. In August, the aircraft, which received the military designation K8K1, was handed over to the fleet for comparative tests with the Nippi K8Ni1 and Watanabe K8W1.

After the completion of testing, the K8K1 was put into service in June 1940 under the designation Naval training seaplane of initial training type 0-1-1 (later reduced to type 0). Serial production of aircraft with minor aerodynamic modifications was started in the same year and ended after the release of 15 copies, since by that time the fleet decided to limit itself to using the Yokosuka K5Y (Navy Type 93 Intermediate Seaplane Trainer).

Photo	Description
	Drawing Kawanishi K8K1

Bibliography

• Japanese aircraft of World War II /Doroshkevich O.V./
• Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War /Rene J Francillion./