The Mitsubishi MC-20 was a Japanese passenger aircraft, derived from the Mitsubishi Ki-57 transport. First flying in late 1940, it was powered by a pair of Mitsubishi Ha-102 Zuisei piston engines with a standard range of 1,500 kilometres.
Operated by four crew, it had the ability to carry 11 passengers. It entered service with Imperial Japanese Airways (Dai Nippon Kōkū) and was also operated by Manchuria Airlines and China Airlines (not the current one based in Taipei).
Mitsubishi MC-20 Video
Following on from the last video about the French Bloch MB.220, this time we head to Japan for a look a the Mitsubishi MC-20. The video here is from a Japanese newsreel promoting air travel in the country and runs for around seven minutes.
One fascinating thing about the video is that the accompanying sound evokes old horror movies. Very strange, but I suppose wartime Japan was a bit like that.
Happily the film shows everything, from the terminal pre-flight, boarding (quite quick when you only have 11 passengers), and take-off. There are even shots inside the cabin showing the inflight service, complete with passengers smoking. I did appreciate the look inside the meal box, which appears to contain fruit and sandwiches.
There are lots of glorious air to air shots of the plane in flight and naturally Mount Fuji makes an appearance. It’s an interesting look into an almost forgotten time.
Overall Thoughts
Imperial Japanese Airways operated 27 of the Mitsubishi MC-20-I, and apparently 100 aircraft were produced, flying people around China and Japan during those turbulent times. The last ones are reported to have been flying in China as trainers through to 1957.
It is great to see that film such as this is still available for viewing and has not been lost. I wonder just how ephemeral our digital videos will be, when compared to physical film, in years to come.
What did you think of the video? Did you know about the Mitsubishi MC-20? Thank you for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.
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