The Fuji LM-1 Nikko is a Japanese light communications aircraft of the 1950s.
Development
Fuji Heavy Industries
, formerly , is a Japanese multinational corporation and conglomerate primarily involved in both terrestrial and aerospace transportation manufacturing. It is best known for its line of Subaru automobiles. Founded in 1953, the company was named ...
built 176
Beech T-34 Mentor two-seat
training aircraft
A trainer is a class of aircraft designed specifically to facilitate flight training of pilots and aircrews. The use of a dedicated trainer aircraft with additional safety features—such as tandem flight controls, forgiving flight characteristic ...
under licence in the early 1950s. Fuji then redesigned the basic Mentor as a four-seat communications aircraft under the designation LM-1. A new lengthened centre
fuselage
The fuselage (; from the French language, French ''fuselé'' "spindle-shaped") is an aircraft's main body section. It holds Aircrew, crew, passengers, or cargo. In single-engine aircraft, it will usually contain an Aircraft engine, engine as wel ...
was added to the Mentor's wing, undercarriage, and tail assembly. 27 LM-1s were produced during 1955-1956.
Operational history
The LM-1s were delivered to the
Japanese Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) and were used for communications and general duties.
After withdrawal from operation, several LM-1s were sold on the U.S. civil market and are flown by civil pilots as "
warbird
A warbird is any vintage military aircraft now operated by civilian organizations and individuals, or in some instances, by historic arms of military forces, such as the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, the Royal Australian Air Force's No. 100 ...
s".
Variants
;LM-1: four-seat communications aircraft with 225 h.p. (168 kW)
Continental engine (27 built)
;LM-2: higher-powered version with 340 h.p. (254 kW)
Lycoming engine
Lycoming Engines is a major American manufacturer of aircraft engines. With a factory in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, Lycoming produces a line of Flat engine, horizontally opposed, air-cooled, four, six and eight-cylinder engines.
The company ha ...
(2 built)
;
RTAF-2: a variant developed in
Thailand
Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
by
Thai Aviation Industry.
[Forsgren, John]
"Aircraft Production in Thailand"
''Aeroflight.co.uk''. 20 November 2004. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
;LM-11 Supernikko: A proposed more powerful version of the LM-1 powered by a
Lycoming GSO-480-B1A6 engine;
became the LM-2.
Specifications (LM-1)
References
;Notes
;Bibliography
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External links
{{Fuji aircraft
1950s Japanese military utility aircraft
LM-1
Low-wing aircraft
Single-engined tractor aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 1955
Aircraft with retractable tricycle landing gear
Single-engined piston aircraft