Mitsubishi MC-1

Mitsubishi Aircraft Company · Japan · first flew 1928 · airliner

The Mitsubishi MC-1 was a 1920s Japanese single-engined biplane airliner designed and built by the Mitsubishi Aircraft Company.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Mid-mounted, straight
E — Engines	1 × piston, nose-mounted
F — Fuselage	Enclosed passenger cabin in the forward fuselage with the pilot in an open cockpit behind the wings
T — Tail	Conventional

WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.

Spot it by:

Large three-bay biplane
Enclosed passenger cabin in the forward fuselage with the pilot in an open cockpit behind the wings
Fixed conventional landing gear, which could be replaced by twin floats

A large three-bay biplane with a radial engine in the nose, a passenger cabin ahead of the wings and a pilot seated in an open cockpit behind them.

Specifications

The Mitsubishi MC-1 has a length of 10.48 m (34 ft).
It has a wingspan of 14.75 m (48 ft).
Its maximum speed is 191 km/h (119 mph).
Typical crew: 2.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

In 1927 the Japanese Department of Communications launched a competition for an indigenous passenger transport. Mitsubishi based its entry on the B1M torpedo bomber, using the wings of the earlier aircraft with a new fuselage. It was completed in April 1928.

Variants

Only one was built. It was powered by a 385 hp Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar radial engine and carried four passengers, although some sources say eight.

Where you'll see it

No production followed, as the type was considered obsolete and Japan Air Transport ordered Fokker Universal monoplanes instead. The prototype flew an experimental Tokyo to Osaka service for the Asahi Shimbun from June 1928 to April 1929, then served Japan Air Transport in Korea until May 1930.

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