KAWANISHI H8K "EMILY" TYPE 2  FLYING BOAT CONSTRUCTION DIARY 124" wing span radio control model ~1/12th scale~

The Emily is a four engine Japanese flying boat first produced in 1940 as a prototype.  It entered active service in 1942.  Its range of  6,000 kilometers was quite remarkable for the time.  At the end of WW II one of remaining samples was taken to the US for trials.  It remained there in preserved storage until 1979 when it was repatriated to Japan.  The restored aircraft is on display at the Museum of Maritime Science in Tokyo.  Specifications for the original and a brief history may be found here.

I flew my first flying boat in the early 1990s and was infatuated with them ever since.  My thoughts often drifted to making a large multi engine one some day when I got the time and the confidence that I could build and fly it with a reasonable chance of success.  Two seasons ago the opportunity came and I scratch built a Grumman Albatross twin of 89" span.  That worked out well and the Albatross is a great flying plane.  You can learn more about its construction here.  With that project behind me the desire to build a large four engine plane began to grow.  Once committed  the search began for something that hadn't been modelled much.  That's how the Emily came to be chosen.

The display aircraft in Tokyo had been documented and published recently as Aero Detail 31 and the book is being used as a guide to draw and build the model.  At 1/12th scale the wingspan will be 124".  Power will be provided by four OS52s, the engines that worked so well on the Albatross.  Target weight is 30 pounds.  The Albatross weighs 15 pounds so you can see how the thinking is going with the engines and weight.  Construction of the fuse will be on a plywood crutch with plywood formers.  No longerons or stringers will be used with strength coming from 3/16" balsa sheeting and planking. This will then be glassed and painted.  The wing will be foam core sheeted with balsa.

February 2004.  The drawings are being done with DeltaCAD.  The views in the Aero Detail book looked very good but unfortunately there were no cross sections and the fuse changes continually along its length as you you see later.  Scans of the drawings turned up many inconsistencies leading to much guesswork.  I tried to buy a plastic model on Ebay to cut up for sections but the price seem to escalate whenever one came up.  By now I figure I don't need it.  There is always the danger that it would disagree with what is already done so I figure it's safer to remain ignorant at this point.  Drawing progress to this point is shown below.  Click for larger images.  Photo progress is shown in the galleries.

Photo galleries/videos of construction and flight

Gallery one: February 4, 2004
Gallery two: March 17, 2004
Gallery three: April 4, 2004
Gallery four: June 7, 2004
Gallery five: June 26, 2006
Video: Engine run up #1
Video: Engine run up #2
Video: Maiden flight
Video: More first day flights