Pictures of Doug Champlin's Number One Oscar during a taxi test, Sep 2006, in Casa Grande.
This Oscar is now on display at the Tillamook Air Museum in Oregon, it was delivered Dec, 2006.
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The 21st Century Oscars
Probably the most ambitious warbird project of
all time was construction of six new Me-262s, begun by the Tischler family’s
Texas Airplane Factory near Ft. Worth in 1993. When that program was taken over
by a Seattle consortium six years later, Herbert and George Tischler turned to a
far different but equally intriguing challenge: construction of four WW II
Japanese fighters: Nakajima Ki-43s, called ”Oscar” by Allied airmen.
The project began in 1995 (?) when Doug Champlin of Mesa, AZ, imported
the remains of four Oscars from the Kurile Islands, north of Japan. They had
been left when the Japanese Army’s 54th Sentai evacuated the islands in 1945.
Though more Oscars were built than any Japanese aircraft except the Mitsubishi
Zero (10,500 delivered), engineering data was rare. Therefore, lacking detailed
drawings, Champlin and Tischler had the available parts disassembled for reverse
engineering.
The engine is Pratt & Whitney’s R1830, within four inches of the
diameter of the original Nakajima Ha-115 powerplant. Propellers are composites
of DC-3 hubs and Lockheed Lodestar blades.
When
Dave Goss’ restoration and maintenance business moved from Mesa to Casa Grande,
AZ, in 2005, the Oscar project transferred to Goss Hawk Unlimited.
Four Oscars are being built, of which one has been sold. The
number-one airplane first flew in 2004, with the remainder being completed by
Goss Hawk Unlimited.
Production: 5,919 aircraft from 1938-45.
Deployment: 34 fighter regiments and a dozen other units from 1941-45.
Ki-43-IIIa engine: Nakajima Ha-115-III (1,150 hp) nine-cylinder radial.
Ki-43-III dimensions: Span 35 ft 7 in; length 29 ft 3 in.
Ki-43-III weights: 4,233 lbs empty; 5,644 loaded.
Ki-43-IIIa top speed: 358 mph @ 21,900 ft; cruise 275 @ 16,400.
Ki-43-IIIa armament: two 12.7mm (.50 cal.) machine guns.
Kawanishi N1K George 1,400 from 1943-45
Kawasaki Ki-61 Tony 3,000 from 1942-45
Kawasaki Ki-100 (no code name) 400 in 1945
Mitsubishi A6M Zero/Rufe 10,500 from 1939-45
Mitsubishi J2M Jack 475 from 1942-44
Nakajima Ki-44 Tojo 1,100 from 1940-44
Nakajima Ki-84 Frank 3,500 from 1943-45
Bell P-39 Airacobra 9,500 from 1940-44
Curtiss P-40 series 13,700 from 1938-44
Grumman F4F/FM Wildcat 6,700 from 1940-45
Grumman F6F Hellcat 12,200 from 1942-45
Lockheed P-38 Lightning 9,900 from 1939-45
North American P-51 series 15,200 from 1940-45
Republic P-47 Thunderbolt 15,500 from 1941-45
Vought F4U Corsair 11,400 from 1940-45
Photos above courtesy of Jay Miller of Aerofax in Arlington, Texas.
Oscars at Champlin Museum before restoration.
Side view of the Oscar being restored at GossHawk Unlimited
Barrett and Dave Goss with the Oscar
Dave Goss owner of GossHawk Unlimited
More views of the Oscar click on the photos to enlarge the image.
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Related Links on the Oscar
http://www.diggerhistory.info/pages-air-support/ww2-enemy/oscar.htm
http://www.nasm.si.edu/research/aero/aircraft/nakaoscar.htm
http://www.xs4all.nl/~fbonne/warbirds/ww2htmls/nakaki43.html
http://home.st.net.au/~dunn/usaaf/atiu.htm
http://www.kotfsc.com/aviation/ki-43.htm
http://www.j-aircraft.com/faq/ki43pt2.htm#Ki-43%20Specifications
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