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

Itoh Emi 3 Seaplane

   In 1916, with the failure of Ikunosuke Umino to provide aerial demonstrations with his Christofferson Flying-boat because of its unreliable Hall-Scott engine, newspaper reporter Kokutempu Koyama of the Asahi Shimbun urged Itoh while performing at Iida-cho, Nagano Prefecture, to equip his Emi 1 Aeroplane with floats for water operations. While touring, he purchased the Hall-Scott engine from Umino, despite the problems it caused while installed in the Christofferson Flying-boat including an inflight fire.
   Using his experience of land-based aircraft, Otojiro Itoh designed a seaplane with twin wooden floats and built it at Inage Beach. Assisted by Toyokichi Daiguchi and Toyotaro Yamagata, and with the help of student pilots, the aeroplane was completed in August 1917 and proved to have excellent flying characteristics. It was then dismantled and transported to Osaka by rail.
   In preparation for demonstration flights, the Emi 3 Seaplane was assembled and maintained in a hangar located on the beach at Nishinomiya, just west of Osaka. It proved a successful venture for Itoh with frequent visitors paying to see this seaplane in operation. This became known as japan's first civil float aircraft, and it had a reputation for good stability and flying performance. Itoh named the Emi 3, Kamome-go, meaning seagull.

   Single-engine twin-float biplane. Wooden structure with fabric covering. Pilot and one passenger in open cockpit.
   80hp Hall-Scott eight-cylinder vee water-cooled engine, driving a two-bladed wooden propeller.
   Span 15.41m (50ft 6 1/2in); length 7.27m (23ft 10 1/4in); height 4.51 m (14ft 9 1/2in); wing area 46.5sq m (500.53sq ft)
   Empty weight 580kg (1,278Ib)
   Maximum speed 43kt (50mph).
   One built in 1917.