Japan’s very first Japanese-designed and manufactured aeroplane was the Kaishiki No. 1 (kaishiichigouki, 会式一号機), pusher aeroplane (propeller is behind the pilot, pushing the craft, as opposed to the puller type we commonly have nowadays that leads the aircraft) which was designed and flown by Captain Tokugawa Yoshitoshi (surname first), on October 13, 1911 at Tokorozawa in Saitama-ken (Saitama Prefecture).

The motor and propeller came from France, but everything else came from or was built in Japan. The aircraft’s frame was mostly made from hinoki (Japanese cypress), and was covered by two layers of silk glued together with sounds like liquid rubber.

All attachment fittings, bracing wires and turn buckles were purchased from iron works companies or bought from local hardware shops.

Differences from the Farman III design included a reduced wing area, which gave it more speed. The aerofoil had a larger front curve which was thought to provide better lift. Other differences between the Kaishiki No. 1 and the Farman III include the fact that ailerons were on the upper wing only, and the tail was simplified by having a single horizontal tail surface.

As well, the engine and propeller were mounted higher than in the original design, and therefore the undercarriage could be shortened. A windshield was added for the pilot.

When the aeroplane was constructed, it was called the Tokugawa Type, but was later officially identified as Kaishiki No.1 Aeroplane.

The aeroplane was moved to the Army facility and flying field at Tokorozawa where it made its first flight on October 13, 1911, piloted by Captain Tokugawa.

A later test flight on October 25, 1911 achieved an altitude of 50 meters (164 feet), reaching a top speed of 72 kilometers per hour (45 miles per hour).

Further testing had it reach 85 meters (278 feet) in altitude and flying a grand distance of 1,600 meters (1 mile).
Continued testing convinced the flight crew that the propeller ground clearance wasn’t high enough, as the blades would hit the grass below, slowing it down, causing the Kaishiki No. 1 to lose power.

Actually, it was only after the providing greater clearance that the aircraft was given the Kaishiki No.1 moniker.
More changes ensued, including changeable landing skids in case one broke; twin rudders replaced by a single and larger rudder which was part of the advantage of the gained from the propeller slipstream meaning improved directional control.

Longer interplane struts on the aircraft were added to provide more spacing between the two wings.
One other alteration from the Kaishiki‘s original design was the removal of the pilot windshield, while it did provide protection from bug’s flying in the pilot’s mouth while screaming for joy as he flies through the air, the team felt that pilot needed to feel the air so as to get a better sense of the aeroplane’s speed.

Kaishiki No.1
Engine: 1 × Gnome Omega 7-cylinder, 50 horsepower
Propeller: 2-bladed wooden Chauvière
Length: 11.5 m (37 ft 9 in)
Upper wingspan: 10.5 m (34 ft 5 in)
Lower wingspan: 8.0 m (26 ft 3 in)
Height: 3.90 m (12 ft 10 in)
Wing area: 41.0 sq.m (441 sq.ft)
Empty weight: 450 kg (992 lb)
Gross weight: 550 kg (1,213 lb)
Maximum speed: 72 kph (45 mph)
Endurance: 3 hr
Crew: 2

After years of effort, Miss E. Lillian Todd, of No. 131 West Twenty-third street, realized her ambition on Nov 7, 1910, when she had the pleasure of seeing a biplane, the work of her hands and brain, fly across the Garden City aviation field.

Designed and built by E. Lillian Todd and first flown by Didier Masson over the Garden City aviation field in Long Island during November of 1910.

Miss Todd was well known at the time, and her 1910 Biplane, powered by an eight cylinder 60 hp Rinek engine, was the first successful aeroplane built by an American woman. She then tried to get an engine, but met with repeated defeat, as the engines which she tried were not suitable. Finally a modified Rinek motor was declared satisfactory. Todd is told to have designed and built three full-size aircraft; her first – an engineless machine – in 1906.

A good sized crowd was on hand to witness the first attempt to fly the biplane. Mr. Didier Masson was the aviator. He ran the machine across the ground, then went to the air for twenty feet and made a turn at the far end, returning to the starting place, where he was enthusiastically received by Miss Todd and the crowd.

Miss Elizabeth L. Todd has entered the lists as a competitor in several long-distance flights and she has her mechanicians at work in her aerodrome at Hempstead Plains on three machines she designed. She has made several flights and has learned to manipulate her planes and her engines in masterly style.