Great Zero information Japanese website

kelticheart

kelticheart

Charter Member
Hi everybody! :wavey:

Following an interesting discussion about Nakajima and Mitsubishi built A6M Zeros, born out of the great repaints posted by Captain Kurt for his upcoming campaign, I was able to dig out this great link of a 1996 Japanese author, Mr. K. Kato, which describes in detail all Zero versions.

http://home.interlink.or.jp/~katoh00/kaigun/a6m/a6m552.html

It's all in English and it's still, incredibly considering when it was posted, online.

The above page is dedicated to the A6M5, and it explains how to identify a Nakajima-built from a Mitsubishi built aircraft from its paint scheme. If you click on the links at the bottom you'll get great info about all Zero models.

Cheers!
KH :ernae:
 
Thanks Kelti!

Here is a Zero at the Heritage Museum in Everet, Washington. The had to put an American engine in it; but like most of the planes there, it is airworthy.
 
Thank you, Jagd!

I bet from the shape of the spinner this was a Nakajima-built aircraft. Being a restored warbirds with parts from other planes, who knows now? The attached below is definitely an early Nakajima product, both from the spinner shape and the white ring around the fuselage Hinomaru's, as I learned from the above website.

The important thing is that it's airworthy! I'd love to see one close and hear it running!

The other week there was a rare (the last one held dates back to 2000....) airshow at the airport in Parma and I had the pleasure, despite the sh..... weather, to see the only airworthy still flying in the world, two-seater Fiat G-59 owned and piloted by wealthy Pino Valenti, who restored it to flight status over a seven year period. This aircraft, fictitionally painted in Luftwaffe colours, was filmed in the famous WWII movie where the Allies recover the Enigma codes from a captured U-boot submarine.
Boy, did I love the growl of its Merlin engine during takeoff! While taxiing around it sounded just like all of me CFS2 P-51s! :wiggle:

The thought that its airframe derives directly from WWII Fiat G-55 Centauro gave me the chills! It was to me better than seeing our "Frecce Tricolori" aerobatic team, the stunning evolutions of a Typhoon Eurofighter and a 300' low pass, at a speed of 1,100 Km/h, of a Tornado fighter bomber with full afterburners on!

I am definitely not a jet plane fan!

Cheers!
KH :ernae:
 
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