Kaishiki 1

In 1911, Capt Yoshitoshi Tokugawa, an Army committee member of the PMBRA, designed and supervised the construction of the first Japanese-manufactured military aeroplane. This work took place at the Army Balloon Corps facility at Nakano Village, west of Shinjuku, Tokyo. When completed, in October 1911, it was known as the Tokugawa Type aeroplane, but later was given the official identity Kaishiki No.1 Aeroplane. The aeroplane was moved to the Army facility and flying field at Tokorozawa where it made its first flight on 13 October, piloted by Capt Tokugawa.

The flight recorded on 25 October, 1911, indicated that the aeroplane reached an altitude of 50m (164ft) and attained a speed of 72km/h (45mph). Maximum height recorded was 85m (278ft) and distance covered was 1,600m (1 mile).

A controversy developed over which aeroplane was the first Japanese-made aeroplane to fly successfully: this Kaishiki No.1 or the civilian Narahara No.2. The problem was that after a straight flight of 60m at a height of 4m, the undercarriage of the Narahara aircraft had failed on landing after its flight on 5 May, 1911, at Tokorozawa, five months before the Army-built craft was flown.