Tokorozawa, Saitama
is a city located in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 344,194 in 163,675 households and a population density of 4800 persons per km². The total area of the city is .
Geography
Tokorozawa is located in the ce ...
dedicated to the history of aviation in Japan. It contains aircraft and other displays (many of which are interactive) and an
IMAX
IMAX is a proprietary system of high-resolution cameras, film formats, film projectors, and theaters known for having very large screens with a tall aspect ratio (approximately either 1.43:1 or 1.90:1) and steep stadium seating.
Graeme F ...
theatre. Located on the site of Japan's first airfield which started operations in 1911 with a flight by
Yoshitoshi Tokugawa
200px, Lieutenant General Baron Tokugawa Yoshitoshi
Baron was a lieutenant general in the Imperial Japanese Army and one of the pioneers of military aviation in Japan. He is credited with having made the first flight in a powered aircraft in Ja ...
, the original single runway is still visible and has been incorporated into a larger multifunction park adjacent to the museum. It is located in the Tokorozawa Aviation Memorial Park.
Aircraft in collection
At any given time the aircraft on display will vary. The
NAMC YS-11
The NAMC YS-11 is a turboprop airliner designed and built by the Nihon Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation (NAMC), a Japanese consortium. It was the only post-war airliner to be wholly designed and manufactured in Japan until the development of t ...
and the Curtiss EC-46 Commando are on permanent display in the park, but the collection visible in the museum itself changes. The collection is as follows:
* ''91-1143'' Curtiss EC-46A Commando (outside)Tokorozawa Aviation Museum Retrieved October 3, 2016
* ''JA8732''
NAMC YS-11
The NAMC YS-11 is a turboprop airliner designed and built by the Nihon Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation (NAMC), a Japanese consortium. It was the only post-war airliner to be wholly designed and manufactured in Japan until the development of t ...
(outside)
* ''52-0099''
North American T-6G Texan
The North American Aviation T-6 Texan is an American single-engined advanced trainer aircraft used to train pilots of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF), United States Navy, Royal Air Force, Royal Canadian Air Force and other air forces ...
Fuji T-1
The Fuji T-1 was Japan's first jet-powered trainer aircraft. Its first flight was in January 1958. A total of 66 T-1 planes were built.Simpson 2001, p.246 It was retired in March 2006.
Design and development
After World War II, Japanese aircr ...
* ''53-5025''
Stinson L-5 Sentinel
The Stinson L-5 Sentinel is a World War II-era liaison aircraft used by the United States Army Air Forces, U.S. Army Ground Forces, U.S. Marine Corps and the British Royal Air Force. It was produced by the Stinson Division of the Vultee Aircr ...
Beechcraft T-34 Mentor
The Beechcraft T-34 Mentor is an American propeller-driven, single-engined, military trainer aircraft derived from the Beechcraft Model 35 Bonanza. The earlier versions of the T-34, dating from around the late 1940s to the 1950s, were piston- ...
Kawasaki KAL-2
The Kawasaki KAL-2 is a Japanese four/five seat, single engine aircraft, designed for both military and civil markets in the mid-1950s. Only two were completed.
Design and development
The KAL-2 was a successor to the KAL-1, an earlier cabin mono ...
Nakajima Army Type 91 Fighter
The Nakajima Army Type 91 Fighter was a Japanese fighter of the 1930s. It was a single-engine, single-seat parasol monoplane with a fixed, tailwheel undercarriage.
Development
Designed in response to an Army requirement of 1927, the Type 91 w ...
Farman III
The Farman III, also known as the Henry Farman 1909 biplane, was an early French aircraft designed and built by Henry FarmanBell H-13E Sioux
* ''JA3052'' Cessna 170B
* ''JA5170'' Cessna T310P
* ''4253/18''
Fokker D.VIII
The Fokker E.V was a German parasol-monoplane fighter aircraft designed by Reinhold Platz and built by Fokker-Flugzeugwerke. The E.V was the last Fokker design to become operational with the ''Luftstreitkräfte,'' entering service in the last mon ...
North American F-86D Sabre
The North American F-86D/K/L Sabre (initially known as the YF-95 and widely known informally as the "Sabre Dog",) was an American transonic jet fighter aircraft. Developed for the United States Air Force in the late 1940s, it was an interceptor ...
SPAD S.XII
The SPAD S.XII or SPAD 12 was a French single-seat biplane fighter aircraft of the First World War developed from the successful SPAD VII by Louis Béchereau, chief designer of the Société Pour L'Aviation et ses Dérivés (SPAD).
Development ...
(replica)
Temporary displays
In 2013, an airworthy
Zero fighter
The Mitsubishi A6M "Zero" is a long-range carrier-based fighter aircraft formerly manufactured by Mitsubishi Aircraft Company, a part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and was operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy from 1940 to 1945. The A6M was ...
from World War II was exhibited at the museum, on loan from the
Asahi TV
JOEX-DTV (channel 5), branded as (also known as EX and and stylized as TV asahi), is a television station that is owned and operated by the subsidiary of certified broadcasting holding company , itself controlled by The Asahi Shimbun Compan ...
drama "Tsuma to Tonda Tokkouhei" was displayed at the museum.
Seibu Shinjuku Line
The is a Japanese railway line owned by the private railway operator Seibu Railway, connecting Seibu Shinjuku Station in Shinjuku, Tokyo with Hon-Kawagoe Station in Kawagoe, Saitama.
The Shinjuku Line is one of two main lines of the Seibu Rail ...
, approximately 30 to 45 minutes from central Tokyo.
See also
*
List of aerospace museums
This is a list of aviation museums and museums that contain significant aerospace-related exhibits throughout the world. The aviation museums are listed alphabetically by country and their article name.
Afghanistan
* OMAR Mine Museum, Kabul - inc ...