The pilot briefly rested before returning back to Hualien, making the event as the first time Yilan residents saw an “iron bird’ land.

The airfield was completed by 1938 with compacted earth reinforced runways with stone rollers, which was prone to flooding from the nearby Yilan River.

Shortly after the completion, torrential rainfall submerged the runway, which underwent significant repairs and resumed operations by the end of 1938.

As the war progresses, students and locals were recruited to construct aircraft decoys using the nearby bamboo and install them on the wrong side of the airfield.

The airfield was renamed to Yilan, was paved by 5000 feet, and maintenance facilities installed approximately on the north-eastern side.

There was plans by the Navy to expand and upgrade the airfield’s capabilities, however, it faced issues from the local government and nearby residents.