Sen Yet Young assisted in unifying China by heeding Sun’s call to “save China through aviation”. He enrolled in the Curtiss Aviation School in Buffalo, New York and soloed as a pilot on October 2, 1916. Sen Yet Young became the first Hawaiian American to be licensed, with sea plane and land plane ratings, receiving the Aero Club of America certificates 600 and 62 respectively. He won second place in marksmanship from an airplane and stayed months longer studying aviation engineering.

Young was named head of the Chinese Aviation Bureau and is credited with producing the first flourishing of aviation experts in Guangdong. He spearheaded the first Chinese factory to manufacture airplanes, and commanded the design and building of the Rosamonde, named after Sun’s wife, Soong Ching-ling.

Designed May 1923, the ‘Rosamonde I’ biplane trainer was made in Guangzhou in 1923. Madame Song attended the ceremony of the plane’s first flight, in July 1923.

Soong would fly as a passenger in the plane with pilot Huang Guangrui at the controls.

Thirty of the Chung 28B fighter were built, looking like the Polikarpov I-152.

The AP-1 Fu-shing was a trainer built be Guangzhou/Kunming 1st Aircraft Manufacturer before August 1937. Five were built.

The AP-1 Type-Jia Fu-shing was a reconnaissance/attacker version. Twenty-two were built.

Four of the AP-2 Type-Bing-shing were built using Birch laminate.

One AP-1 Fu-shing was modified to take a 220 hp R-675 engine.

In 1934 the Yangcheng Kesai was built. Six were built at the same time with the same parts.

The Yangcheng Kesai was based on the O2U-1D who’s parts were in hand but not all of them to allow assembly of an identical plane. The planes have the same engine, but the fuselage, the stabilizer fin and the wings were locally made by the Chinese. The feature is that the O-2MC double-wing layout is changed to an upper-high single-wing layout. The fuselage structure is made of wood, and the cross-section is changed from rectangular to elliptical. The vertical tail and the shape of the rudder had also been modified. Initially supposed to be a monoplane, and took the air in the hand of Guo Hanting, deputy captain of the 3rd Squadron of the Air Force in 1933. He did a test flight near Tianhe Airport and, during a dive, the wing broke off due to the excessive speed and the pilot had to parachute. Later, Guangdong Aircraft Repair Factory repaired the aircraft to use as a ground testing machine.

It was after the failed test flight that the planes were converted into biplanes.

A single fix machine-gun was installed on the upper wing and the bomb rack was added making it a light bomber. The second test flight was successful, they made a trip of 480 km radius making it nearly reach his maximum range with a cruise speed of 161 km/h. The planes were not very manoeuvrable, a lot less flexible that the foreign planes. They were a bit out-dated for a 1934 plane but still showed performance as good as the average planes in services in China at that time.

The Guangdong Revolutionary Government did use them in service, as bomber and reconnaissance planes.

The fate of the six planes is unknown.

Monoplane
Powerplant: 1 × Pratt Whitney R-1340 Wasp, 425 hp
Wingspan: 10.52 m
Length: 7.46 m
Height: 3.08 m
Empty weight: 1062 kg
Max takeoff weight: 1649 kg
Power/mass: 0.13lb/hp (0.21 kW/kg)
Maximum speed: 241 km/h
Range: 978 km
Service ceiling: 5,700 m
Crew: Two
Armament: 2x .30 cal (7.62 mm) Browning machine guns
Bombload: 4x 116 lb (53 kg) or 10 30 lb (14 kg) bombs under lower wings

Engine: Pratt Whitney R-690-3 Hornet, 525 hp
Wingspan: 12.2 m
Height: 3.3 m
Length: 9.4 m
Empty weight: 1500 kg
Maximum take-off weight: 1776 kg
Max speed: 240 kph
Maximum range: 1126 km
Service ceiling: 5700 m
Weapons: Two 7.62mm Browning fixed machine guns
Bombload: four x 45kg
Crew: 2

The Guangzhou/Kunming 1st Aircraft Manufacturer Yang Ch’eng 74, 75, 76 and 77 were a modified copy of the Douglas O-2MC-3. The fuselage is shorter than the O-2MC.

Based on the “Douglas O-2MC” reconnaissance/bomber, the fuselage structure is made of wood, and the cross section is changed from rectangular to oval. The two-wing layout, the shape of the vertical tail and rudder have also been modified.

The first Yangcheng 74 was manufactured on March 16, 1934, and more than 10 were built.

Ten of these aircraft were incorporated into the third and fifth squadrons of the Guangdong Air Force, and they participated in the Red Army operations that encircled southwestern Jiangxi. After the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, the performance of the aircraft was completely behind the Japanese aircraft, so it retreated to the second line, used as Yichang shooting training class and parachuting training class, and then transferred to Chengdu Flying Non-commissioned Officer School as a trainer.

Engine: Pratt Whitney R-690-3 Hornet, 525 hp
Wingspan: 12.19 m
Length: 9.75 m
Height: 3.25 m
Empty weight: 940 kg
Maximum take-off weight: 2022kg
Maximum flight speed: 240 kph
Maximum range: 1126 km
Service limit: 6309 m
Weapons: 2 x 7.62 mm Browning fixed machine gun
Bombload: four x 45kg
Crew: 2 people

The Guangdong Aircraft repair shops built four modified copies of the Avro 616 Aphrodite as Yang Ch’eng 70, 71, 72 and 73 trainer aircraft.

The prototype No. 70-73 “Aphrodite” first flew in 1933.

Engine: ADC Cirrus I, 105 hp
Wingspan: 8.53 m
Length: 7.39 m
Height: 2.59 m
Empty weight: 456 kg
Maximum take-off weight: 691 kg
Max speed: 169 kph
Maximum range: 579 km
Service ceiling: 3800 m
Crew: 2
Armament: Two 7.62 mm Browning nose fixed machine guns

A total of two of this type of aircraft that flew for the first time in 1930 were manufactured by Guangdong Aircraft Repair Factory. They were made in 1931 and were numbered “Yangcheng 58” and “Yangcheng 59” respectively. They were incorporated into the Guangdong Air Force, mostly used as a high-speed reconnaissance aircraft.

Yangcheng 58
Engine: One Wright R-975-C, 420 hp
Wingspan: 7.82 m
Length: 5.19 m
Height: 2.15 m
Empty weight: 827 kg
Maximum take-off weight: 1120 kg
Max speed: 230 kph
Maximum range: 500 km
Service ceiling: 6000 m
Crew: 1
Armament: Two 7.62mm Browning machine guns

Developed based on the “Yangcheng 54” and “Yangcheng 55”, the Guangdong Aircraft Repair Factory Yangcheng 56 and Yangcheng 57 Nanxiong reconnaissance/bombers first flew in 1930. One each of this type of aircraft were built.

The Yangcheng 56 was equipped with the Waco ATO, dismantled from a crash, and the Yangcheng 57 used a Pratt Whitney Wasp engine. The Yangcheng 56 was built on August 30, 1930, and the Yangcheng 57 was built on September 22, named “Nanxiong”. The test flight was conducted by Ding Jixu and Tan Shou. The test flight found its oil system and manoeuvrability were poor.

After the two aircraft were made, they were incorporated into the third squadron of the Guangdong Air Force. They were once used for reconnaissance of the Red Army of Workers and Peasants in southwestern Jiangxi.

Yangcheng 56
Engine: Wright J-5, 220 hp
Wingspan: 9.82 m
Length: 8.3 m
Height: 3.1 m
Maximum take-off weight: 1497 kg
Maximum flight speed: 225 kph
Crew: 2
Armament: 1 x 7.7mm Lewis machine gun
Bombload: four 22.5kg

Yangcheng 57
Engine: Pratt Whitney Wasp, 200 hp
Wingspan: 9.82 m
Length: 8.3 m
Height: 3.1 m
Maximum take-off weight: 1497 kg
Maximum flight speed: 225 kph
Crew: 2
Armament: 1 x 7.7mm Lewis machine gun
Bombload: four 22.5kg

One each of the Yangcheng 54 and Yangcheng 55 trainer that flew for the first time in 1930 were built.

The Yangcheng 54 engine was from a damaged Waco ATO.

The Yangcheng 55 was completed on June 10, 1930. After the completion of the two aircraft, they were incorporated into the third squadron of the Guangdong Air Force. They were once used for reconnaissance of the Red Army of Workers and Peasants in southwestern Jiangxi.

Engine: Wright J-5, 220 hp
Wingspan: 10.98 m
Length: 8.3 m
Height: 3.1 m
Empty weight: 794 kg
Maximum take-off weight: 1497 kg
Maximum flight speed: 201 kph
Service ceiling: 6096 m
Crew: 2

The Yang Ch’eng 53 was developed on the basis of “Yangcheng 51” and “Yangcheng 52”, with a strengthened structure.

The one built first flew in 8 November 1929. The Guangdong Air Force received the aircraft for training use.

Yangcheng No. 53
Engine: Hispano Suiza, 180 hp
Wingspan: 9.82 m
Length: 7.5 m
Height: 2.71 m
Empty weight: 454 kg
Maximum take-off weight: 1089 kg
Crew: 2