The Tachihi R-53 was amongst the first aircraft built in

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

after the relaxation of the ban imposed at the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. It is a

parasol-wing A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple wings. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing config ...

, 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 ...

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

engine. Only one was produced.

Design and development

From the end of World War II until the passage of the Air Law in July 1952, aircraft manufacture in Japan was forbidden. The Tachihi R-52, the R-53's immediate predecessor, was the first post-war Japanese aircraft built with local materials and powered by a Japanese engine. It flew in September 1952, soon followed by the similar but

Blackburn Cirrus Major The Blackburn Cirrus Major is a British, inline-four aircraft engine which was developed in the late 1930s, but continued development and production into the 1940s and post war. Design and development The Blackburn Cirrus Major started life as ...

powered R-53. The R-53 is a parasol-wing

monoplane A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple wings. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing con ...

. In plan its wing is unswept and has constant chord, with no flaps or

leading edge slot A leading-edge slot is a fixed aerodynamics, aerodynamic feature of the wing of some aircraft to reduce the Stall (flight), stall speed and promote good low-speed handling qualities. A leading-edge slot is a spanwise gap in each wing, allowing ai ...

s; it is built around two spars made from Japanese

cypress Cypress is a common name for various coniferous trees or shrubs from the ''Cupressus'' genus of the '' Cupressaceae'' family, typically found in temperate climates and subtropical regions of Asia, Europe, and North America. The word ''cypress'' ...

, with

duralumin Duralumin (also called duraluminum, duraluminium, duralum, dural(l)ium, or dural) is a trade name for one of the earliest types of age hardening, age-hardenable aluminium–copper alloys. The term is a combination of ''Düren'' and ''aluminium'' ...

ribs and fabric covering. On each side there are two sets of wing struts to transfer loads to the

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 ...

, one an unequal length and angle X-form pair from the lower fuselage

longeron In engineering, a longeron or stringer is a load-bearing component of a framework. The term is commonly used in connection with aircraft fuselages and automobile chassis. Longerons are used in conjunction with stringers to form structural fram ...

s to the wing spars, the other pair

cabane strut In aeronautics, bracing comprises additional structural members which stiffen the functional airframe to give it rigidity and strength under load. Bracing may be applied both internally and externally, and may take the form of struts, which act in ...

s from the upper fuselage to the wing centre section, leaning together. The fuselage has a welded steel tube frame, fabric covered, with rounded upper decking. There are two

tandem Tandem, or in tandem, is an arrangement in which two or more animals, machines, or people are lined up one behind another, all facing in the same direction. ''Tandem'' can also be used more generally to refer to any group of persons or objects w ...

open

cockpit A cockpit or flight deck is the area, on the front part of an aircraft, spacecraft, or submersible, from which a pilot controls the vehicle. The cockpit of an aircraft contains flight instruments on an instrument panel, and the controls th ...

s, one below the wing

trailing edge The trailing edge of an aerodynamic surface such as a wing is its rear edge, where the airflow separated by the leading edge meets.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third edition'', page 521. Aviation Supplies & Academics, 1997. ...

and the other below mid-chord. The tailplane is attached to the top of the fuselage, with a

trim tab Trim tabs are small surfaces connected to the trailing edge of a larger Flight control surfaces, control surface on a boat or aircraft, used to control the trim of the controls, i.e. to counteract hydro- or aerodynamic forces and stabilise the ...

on the

elevator An elevator (American English) or lift (Commonwealth English) is a machine that vertically transports people or freight between levels. They are typically powered by electric motors that drive traction cables and counterweight systems suc ...

; the

fin A fin is a thin component or appendage attached to a larger body or structure. Fins typically function as foils that produce lift or thrust, or provide the ability to steer or stabilize motion while traveling in water, air, or other fluids. F ...

and rudder are curved, the fin extended forward by a lengthy

fillet Fillet may refer to: *Annulet (architecture), part of a column capital, also called a fillet *Fillet (aircraft), a fairing smoothing the airflow at a joint between two components *Fillet (clothing), a headband *Fillet (heraldry), diminutive of the ...

. The R-53 is powered by a 155 hp (116 kW)

four-cylinder inverted inline engine, distinguishing it from the short-nosed

radial engine The radial engine is a reciprocating engine, reciprocating type internal combustion engine, internal combustion engine configuration in which the cylinder (engine), cylinders "radiate" outward from a central crankcase like the spokes of a wheel. ...

installation on the R-52. It has a fixed

conventional undercarriage Conventional landing gear, or tailwheel-type landing gear, is an aircraft undercarriage consisting of two main wheels forward of the center of gravity and a small wheel or skid to support the tail.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Ter ...

with mainwheels fitted with brakes on independent hinged V-form legs with oil spring

shock absorber A shock absorber or damper is a mechanical or hydraulics, hydraulic device designed to absorb and Damping ratio, damp shock (mechanics), shock impulses. It does this by converting the kinetic energy of the shock into another form of energy (typic ...

s in separate, more upright, struts from the X-intersection of the wing struts, made more rigid by a secondary strut to mid-fuselage. The tail wheel is steel sprung and steerable. The first flight date of the R-53 is not precisely known, but it followed that of the R-52 (September 1952) and it was flying by April 1953. The prototype ''JA3070'' is the only one of its type recorded on the Japanese register before late 1955 so probably the only one built. This aircraft is now restored and displayed in Tachihi's real estate office in Tokyo, although not in airworthy condition.

Specifications

References

{{reflist, refs= {{cite book , title= Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1956-57, last= Bridgman , first= Leonard , year=1956, publisher= Jane's All the World's Aircraft Publishing Co. Ltd, location= London, page=185 {{cite web, url=http://ksa.axisz.jp/RS-0003-FirstJA-Numbers3001.htm, title=The first 100 JA registrations of single engine aircraft, access-date=11 September 2012, url-status=dead, archive-url=https://archive.today/20130111172402/http://ksa.axisz.jp/RS-0003-FirstJA-Numbers3001.htm, archive-date=11 January 2013 1950s Japanese aircraft