Kawanishi H8K
The Kawanishi H8K was a Japanese Imperial Navy flying boat that was primarily used for maritime patrol. It was a plane designed for long flights over long distances, and it was usually flying solo over the ocean with no backup. During the war, the H8K was dubbed “Emily” by the Americans. On the radio, anyone who said “Emily” was always referring to this patrolling plane. It didn’t see combat until 1942, so it wasn’t fully functional until WWII.
Kawanishi H8K
Convair XC-99
It’s worth noting that one of the world’s largest planes is also one of the oldest. On its double cargo decks, the Convair XC-99 had a design capacity of 100,000 lbs for 400 fully equipped soldiers. The XC-99 flew for the first time in 1947 and was retired in 1957. The largest piston-engined, land-based transport plane was ever built and used by the United States Air Force as a heavy cargo plane.
Convair XC 99
