Kawanishi K-2

The Kawanishi K-2 was the first specialised racing aircraft built in Japan, a single-seat low-wing monoplane of wooden construction with fabric covering. It was made in the early 1920s, when the Imperial Flying Association sponsored flying exhibitions that included racing, after the pilot who flew the Kawanishi K-1 at those events suggested the company build a dedicated racer. It was advanced for its biplane-dominated times, with an internally braced cantilever wing that was later given bracing struts, a streamlined cowling around its Hall-Scott L-6 water-cooled straight six engine, and no separate fin. It first flew in the summer of 1921 and reached 235 kilometres per hour in early tests, with an unofficial timing of 257 kilometres per hour on 11 July 1921. A series of accidents, some involving propeller damage, kept it from the national speed record, so the sole K-2 won no races and set no records.