Virtual Museum - Japanese aviation items

Ref. No. 1148. MITSUBISHI A6M TYPE 92 COMPASS. This instrument type was manufactured by Yokogawa Kenki Seisakusho beginning in 1938. The outer heading can be manually rotated to set the desired heading course at the top for a constant reference.

Ref. No. 1217. OXYGEN FLOW REGULATOR FROM MITSUBISHI A6M ZERO SOUVENIRED IN PACIFIC BY RNZAF CORSAIR PILOT. Measures 162 mm high x 120 mm wide x 62 mm deep (from face plate to back).  This unit is very rare and was used on early production A6Ms. It varies from later installations. A photograph of this type of unit is shown in page 127 of Robert Mikesh’s book Japanese Aircraft Interiors 1940-1945 which was removed from the “China Zero”. A diagram of the unit is shown where it is mounted in relation to the instrument panel of an A6M2 on page 125 and the place where it is mounted is clearly shown in a photograph of a cockpit of an A6M2 which was ready to be place into the hands of the USAAF for flight-testing.

The Wikipedia description of the “China Zero” is as follows: One Mitsubishi A6M2 type Zero carrier fighter,Model 11 s/n 3372 originally marked "V-172" and belonging to the "Tainan Kokutai",part of "22nd Koku Sentai"; piloted by Tainan buntaicho Lt.Kikuichi Inano, departed from Tainan airfield (Taiwan) en route to Saigon (French Indochina) and crashed in Leichou Pantao (also known as Leizhou or Luichow Peninsula), near the town of Qian Shan (Teitsan),China. The pilot was captured by Chinese forces on November 26, 1941. The aircraft was later sent by AVG to United States was the very first intact Japanese Zero fighter captured as a prize of war, also known as the "Mystery Zero","China Zero"or "Tiger Zeke".

Ref. No. 1205. MITSUBISHI A6M ZERO THROTTLE QUADRANT PLATE. This rare item made up part of the throttle quadrant, which was located on the port side of the cockpit wall. The left hand slot contained the aircraft's mixture control lever and the right hand slot had the aircraft's propeller pitch control (this regulated the RPM). The throttle lever was located to the left of this plate. Construction is aluminium with a serrated steel plate riveted to the rear of the right edge which would have held the pitch control lever in place via a spring mechanism.

Ref. No. 325. JAPANESE ZERO FIGHTER FUEL PRIMER. Circa 1940s. Brass and aluminium. Total length 230mm. Knob has Japanese characters. Brass ring for panel mounting has “15341” with star symbols. Inlet and outlets are marked “In” and “Out” and there are star symbols on line nuts.

Ref. No. 208. WWII JAPANESE AIRCRAFT CLOCK. Probably 1943. Plate on top has faded kanji and stamped numbers “6465” and “17” and “12”. The 12-Shi of the Japanese calendar (twelfth year of the Showa reign) would put the clock manufactured date at 1938 if the “12” figure was used or 1943 if the “17” number relates to the year. Kanji also on face in luminous paint as well as engraved/etched/stamped. Luminous numbers from one to 12. Face has two “bugs”, one red, the other blue. Blue bug moved by bezel and blue pushes red around to set. Dial diameter 55mm. Interior of clock is stainless steel and bears the name “SEIKOSHA” and “7 JEWELS”. Inside the aluminium case is stamped 0203 and this number is also on the inside of the exterior back cover plate. There is also kanji handwritten on the outside of the back cover plate. Also on the back cover plate is written, in very small letters “JLM222” and, on the inside, an unusual symbol with numerals “217102”. Very rare.

Ref. No. 1108. JAPANESE TURN AND SLIP INDICATOR FROM MITSUBISHI A6M ZERO FIGHTER. Serial Number 330347. In Zeros, this was fitted to the top instrument panel.

*Ref. No. 1103. JAPANESE ARMY AIRCRAFT COMPASS. Vertical reading Navy Type 2 Navigator’s Compass Model 2 was commonly found at navigator’s stations in bombers, but also floor mounted forward of the control stick in some fighters and single engine bombers.

Ref. No. 993. JAPANESE Ki-21 SALLY BOMBER COMPASS – MK 1 MODEL 2. This type of compass was fitted above the instrument panel in Sally (Ki-21) bombers of the Imperial Japanese Army. Data plate (see below) has Army Star stamped on it. 
The data plate shows that the serial number is 9623 and the date of manufacture was January and the year was in the Emperor’s Reign Showa 16 – this being 1941, the year Japan attacked Pearl Harbor.  A photograph of this compass is shown on page 66 of Japanese Aircraft Interiors 1940-1945 by Robert C. Mikesh and on page 67 it is shown in a Sally being flown on operations. 

Ref. No. 959. J03252 (IJN) AIR-BUBBLE SEXTANT. A blackened alloy sextant. The sextant is approximately 9 1/2" in overall length. Its right forward section features a flange for the thumb to its underside and its uppermost surface is moulded to fit the fingers. A large dial is to the reverse of this section, which, when moved, advances the indicator with large red numbers and smaller increments of sixty, positioned along the side above the thumb flange. A screw-off cap is to the front of this section, which, when unscrewed, reveals a 1 3/8" diameter cavity for a battery. "04," and anchor and the accompanying inspection symbol used by the Tokyo Office Supervisor of the Naval Technical Department, and "N242" is stamped alongside the thumb flange. Behind this section, but still to the right side of the sextant, is a pentagonal compartment with a 1 9/16" x 1 3/16" white plate, upon which are divisions and kanji characters, riveted to it. A 1 1/4" x 5/8" alloy plate is also riveted to the reverse of this compartment. The left side of the sextant has an open top and bottom. Within are a couple of rectangular filters, and the front of this side features an angled tube with a lens and one of the circular filters, with a post, slid over it. Beneath this lens is a movable aluminium disk, and hidden bubble level, identical to that already described. "05," the anchor and the, now familiar, accompanying inspection symbol, and "N242" is stamped to the angled tube. A large, 2 13/16" diameter knob is to the left side, which has sliding toggle within a groove along its edge, to either end of which are kanji characters. A three-position toggle is between this knob and the body of the sextant, which also has corresponding kanji characters alongside it.  This instrument is shown being used during WWII on page 237 of “Japanese Aircraft Interiors” by Mikesh.

Ref. No. 994. JAPANESE ALTIMETER FACE AND POINTERS.