From here – http://news.yahoo.com/restored-zero-fighter-takes-skies-japan-115902341.html
Tokyo (AFP) – More than 70 years after striking fear into the hearts of Allied pilots, a restored Zero fighter took to the skies in southern Japan on Wednesday.
Japan’s most famous World War II fighter aircraft was developed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and was noted for its technological advancement.
The legendary planes took part in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor while “kamikaze” suicide pilots crashed them into US ships in the later stages of the war.
The restored plane took off from a Japanese military base on the island of Kyushu for two short flights, the Nikkan Sports newspaper reported.
The aircraft, painted dark green with round bright red “circle of the sun” symbols on its body and wings, was airborne for six minutes and 16 minutes, respectively, the report said.
The plane was found in 1970 in Papua New Guinea — the scene of fierce fighting during World War II — and restored, ending up in the United States before being brought to Japan in parts in 2014, the report said.
Other restored fighters have been flown over the country, but the Chunichi Shimbun daily reported that the flight Wednesday marked the first time since the end of the war that a Japanese-owned Zero took to the skies in Japan.
By: Consul - 30th January 2016 at 08:08
The Duxford wreck is now displayed at Lambeth.
By: skyskooter - 29th January 2016 at 19:38
What happened to the Zero wreck at IWM Duxford which a fair bit of my Lottery losses went towards buying?
By: JohnTerrell - 29th January 2016 at 19:27
Yep. The one that is owned/operated today by the Flying Heritage Collection (N3852) went to the OFMC around 1997, after the airframe had been built in Russia, but I think it was only there for a short time before it was shipped to the US. At Fighter Rebuilders in Chino, California, it was very nearly completed, but then remained for several more years receiving a two-seat conversion (based on original wartime 2-seat converted A6M’s) after the aircraft had been sold to FHC.
By: warhawk69 - 29th January 2016 at 17:12
Was it one of these new builds that was at Duxford for a while with the OFMC?
By: Oxcart - 27th January 2016 at 19:36
Great news-and thanks for the additional information, John
By: JohnTerrell - 27th January 2016 at 17:20
This isn’t a new restoration, but it is its latest location/owner. The aircraft used to be known as the “Mojave Zero”, for the location in which it was based when in California for a number of years. This is one of the three Zero airframes that were built-new in Russia in the 90’s, using some original parts and identities, and then imported/completed in the US (the other two being the examples owned/operated by the Commemorative Air Force SoCal Wing and the Flying Heritage Collection). This one, like the rest of A6M’s flying today (save for the Planes of Fame example), is powered by a P&W R-1830 engine (very close to the Japanese Sakae engine).
This one was one of the three A6M’s that were flown together at the 2012 Chino Planes of Fame airshow (shortly before the aircraft was flown to Anchorage, Alaska, where it remained until arriving in Japan in 2014), and was also one of the warbirds used in the filming of the movie “Pearl Harbor”. It has taken the owner (a Japanese businessman) a considerable amount of time and effort to get everything cleared so that the aircraft could be operated (hopefully now on a regular basis) in Japan.
http://www.pacificwrecks.com/aircraft/a6m3/3858_replica.html
By: j_jza80 - 27th January 2016 at 17:05
Who’s operating it? It looks magnificent 🙂
By: DazDaMan - 27th January 2016 at 16:53
Nice. I do like the Zero!
By: Creaking Door - 27th January 2016 at 15:50
A remarkable achievement, and a nice looking aeroplane. Original engine I presume?
…was noted for its technological advancement.
It may be a issue of translation but isn’t ‘technological advancement’ perpetuating something of an old myth?
No doubting how demanding the specification of the Zero was, or its successes in the early years of the war but these things were achieved by efficient, and somewhat compromised, design and by the training, skill and accumulated combat-experience of its pilots, rather than by any purely ‘technological advancement’ surely?
By: CeBro - 27th January 2016 at 15:45
That is certainly good news. Didn’t know about this one.
Cees
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January 27, 2016 at 2:30 pm