R.Mikesh, A.Shorzoe Japanese Aircraft, 1910-1941 (Putnam)

Itoh Emi 9 Trainer

   A number of new student pilots arrived at the Itoh Aeroplane Research Studio after it relocated to Tsudanuma Beach following the tidal wave. A new two-seat trainer became a necessity. A frequent visitor to ltoh Airfield, Tomotari Inagaki involved himself with this project and, while still not employed by the company, he created a stable and practical two-seat trainer powered by an 80hp Hall-Scott engine which had been installed in the Emi 3 Seaplane. This was designated the Emi 9, and became the first authentic trainer aircraft at the Itoh Airfield.
   The design was started in the summer of 1918. To case manufacture, the two-bay wings were without taper, dihedral, and stagger. Ailerons were on the upper wing only. The fuselage was also of simple design, to a large extent based on the Emi 5 with similar nose configuration and side radiator arrangement.
   To obtain more effective control, horn-balances were used on the rudder and elevators, the first on a japanese-built civil aeroplane.

   Single-engine two-bay biplane. Wooden structure with fabric covering. Pupil and instructor in open cockpit.
   80hp Hall-Scott eight-cylinder vee water-cooled engine, driving a two-bladed wooden propeller.
   Span 9.80m (32ft 2in); length 7.45m (24ft 5 1/4in); height 2.30m (7ft 6 1/2in).
   Empty weight 350kg (771Ib).
   Maximum speed 60kt (69mph).
   One built in 1918.