The first domestic passenger aircraft YS-11 after the war was relocated to mass production No. 1 on August 29 at 17:46

Regarding the first mass-produced aircraft of the first domestic passenger aircraft “YS-11” after the war, the National Science Museum once dismantled the aircraft and moved from Haneda Airport, where it is currently stored, to a private facility in Ibaraki Prefecture by land and assembled again. We decided to aim for exhibition and release.

The “YS-11” was developed in the Showa 30s, and was the first post-war domestic passenger aircraft that had been in service for 41 years from 1965 to 2006, including prototypes. The machine was produced.

Of these, the first mass-produced unit was retired in 1998, and was taken over by the National Science Museum and stored in the Haneda Airport hangar. It was decided.

According to the National Museum of Science, it is necessary to dismantle the aircraft in order to carry it by land, and engines and propellers that have been maintained in a state where they can be moved will not work after the move.

On the 29th, the operation of the last aircraft was confirmed, and when the power was turned on and the propellers started to move, the people concerned gathered to take photos so as not to miss a precious moment.

The National Science Museum intends to reassemble the aircraft after transporting it in the spring of next year, and display and release it in the fall of next year.

Kazuyoshi Suzuki, Director of the National Museum of Science and Technology History Information Center, National Science Museum said, “The path Japan has taken as a scientific nation can be known for the first time through such heritage. I think it's meaningful to be able to make it publicly available so that we can understand its value. "

Selected as “machine heritage” but limited to public disclosure

The “YS-11” is known not only for its regular routes in Japan but also for overseas airlines, and for carrying a torch at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.

The first mass-produced aircraft was delivered to the Aviation Bureau of the Ministry of Transport at that time in 1965, and as a flight inspection machine to check the radio situation at the airport, etc., it has been in flight for over 20,000 hours until retirement in 1998 .

After that, the National Museum of Science took over as an asset that should be inherited in the future when talking about the history of science and technology in Japan. .

In 2007, it was selected along with the Tokaido Shinkansen “Series 0” as the first “Mechanical Heritage” established by the Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers to pass down the history of machines to future generations.

In 2010, it was pointed out that the government should sort out how to store and open the project, but it was placed in the airport, so the opportunities for public release were limited.

To be assembled and released after moving

According to the National Science Museum, the aircraft will be dismantled around October and the main wing, tail wing and propeller will be removed.

It is the first time that the YS-11 aircraft has been disassembled on the assumption that it will be reassembled, and it will be difficult to understand because it is necessary to work carefully while grasping the structure of the aircraft. .

The work is scheduled to end around next spring, and the dismantled aircraft will be put on a trailer and transported to the private facility “The Hirosawa City” in Chikusei City, Ibaraki Prefecture.

After that, the aircraft is assembled, but since the electrical wiring is not restored, the engine will not operate as before.

This means that a new exhibition facility will be established locally.

“The Hirosawa City” is proceeding with the preservation and release of retired railway vehicles, etc. “Accepting the precious legacy to the future” I want to make it available to everyone in the country. "