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Restored Zero flies over Japan

The news about the aircraft this month has been special, not just for the fact that a Zero has been flown/flying over Japan (which is not the first time since WWII), but that a Japanese-born pilot has been at the controls, which is a first since WWII. As I recall, the owner of this particular Zero, Masahide Ishizuka, had the goal in mind of having a Japanese pilot flying a Japanese WWII aircraft, such as the Zero, over Japan, to help inspire a drive to build a larger/stronger aviation industry in Japan, as there was during/before WWII. The Japanese-born pilot that has been flying the aircraft, Kazuaki Yanagida, is a California resident and highly experienced flight instructor. This particular Zero was flown over Japan back in January 2016, by Skip Holm, but since then it was shipped back to the US and Yanagida got checked out in the aircraft at Chino, CA this past spring, before the aircraft was shipped back to Japan. Ishizuka has had a troublesome time, facing various hurdles for several years now, trying to get the Zero on the civil aviation registration in Japan, but he has finally settled on keeping it on the American FAA registration. I recall it took a long time in Germany too, before they began more widely accepting WWII-era fighters/warbirds on the civil register there, finally largely due to the efforts of MeierMotors.

This particular Zero, an A6M3, was one of three that were built-up as "restorations"/reproductions in Russia in the 90's, using limited original parts, original drawings, original identities from recovered wrecks, and R-1830 engines (essentially identical in specs to the Japanese Sakae engine). This particular example first flew in 1999, as I recall, and spent many years based at the Mojave airport - as a result, it was usually referred to as "The Mojave Zero".

The aircraft is one of five airworthy Zero's - this includes Paul Allen's/FHCAM's A6M3, the Commemorative Air Force SoCal Wing's A6M3, Ishizuka's A6M3, the Planes of Fame's A6M5 (the only one with original engine), and the Texas Flying Legends A6M2 (repairs and upgrades are completed and it will be flying again within the next few weeks, in-time for Oshkosh). A 6th flying Zero is nearing completion at Legend Flyers, quite possibly to fly by the end of the year.
 
I should have added these to my post...

Article from early May, when Yanagida was getting checked out in the aircraft at Chino, CA:
http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201705010043.html

First articles from early June, when Yanagida flew the aircraft in Japan on June 3rd:
http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201706040009.html
http://www.cetusnews.com/views/Ske3...over-Japan-with-a-Japanese-pilot-at-the-stick

(Note that when the aircraft was shipped back to Japan in May, there wasn't much time to get it re-assembled/tested before the scheduled appearance at the Red Bull event on June 3rd, so for that first flight, they just kept the landing gear locked down as a precaution. Subsequent flights since then they have been back to retracting the gear, as usual.)

Some more videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWo-r3Q73ho
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ln5amMH5w5U

Prior to this particular Zero flying over Japan for the first time back in January 2016, the Planes of Fame Zero also had visited Japan three times since originally being restored in the 70's, and making flights over Japan on two of those visits ('78 and '95).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOM5baRWTDA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSm74IgkOXE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErL87I2ZOEA
 
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Bomber_12th said:
The aircraft is one of five airworthy Zero's - this includes Paul Allen's/FHCAM's A6M3, the Commemorative Air Force SoCal Wing's A6M3, Ishizuka's A6M3, the Planes of Fame's A6M5 (the only one with original engine), and the Texas Flying Legends A6M2 (repairs and upgrades are completed and it will be flying again within the next few weeks, in-time for Oshkosh). A 6th flying Zero is nearing completion at Legend Flyers, quite possibly to fly by the end of the year.
Click to expand...

I just found out on Facebook that the Texas Flying Legends Zero is actually set to make its first test flight today, for the first time since the spring of 2016. As some may remember, it was involved in a taxiing accident with the TFL Corsair in the spring of 2016, which tore apart the tail section of the Zero. Unlike most American-built aircraft of the period, in which the tail surfaces can be removed from the empennage, on the Zero, the vertical tail fin, empennage, and whole rear fuselage is all one large singular unit. So what ended up happening is that the whole rear fuselage was rebuilt from the ground-up (by AirCorps Aviation). During the process of this taking place, as this particular Zero is a Navy-variant, the A6M2, an authentic tailhook has been re-manufactured and installed as it should be as well, and it works (can be raised and lowered from the cockpit). Some accurate-looking faux Japanese machine guns have been installed on either side of the instrument panel where they belong too.
 
Bomber_12th said:
This particular Zero, an A6M3, was one of three that were built-up as "restorations"/reproductions in Russia in the 90's, using limited original parts, original drawings, original identities from recovered wrecks, and R-1830 engines (essentially identical in specs to the Japanese Sakae engine).
Click to expand...

Hello Bomber_12th,

There are some visual differences between the Sakae engine equipped aeroplanes and the modern (all but one) R-1830 equipped aeroplanes.
As you probably know, the R-1830 is a bit larger diameter and changes the relative proportions in the nose area.
Most obvious is the extra height in the upper edge of the cowl in relation to the fuselage.

It makes me wonder how close this would be to the last (non-production) versions of the A6M that had the Kinsei engine?

They are still beautiful birds and one of my favourite types.

- Ivan.
 
Awesome news. Have a love affair with WWII aircraft and this is one iv'e always been interested in. Thanks for the info...Regards,Scott
 
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