Dakota Zero in the news...

[warbird1]

Technically, there are 5 Zero's that have flown since their restorations back to flying condition:

1) The CAF's - currently flying
2) The Mojave one - flies only rarely
3) Paul Allen's at FHC - it has flown but was converted to a 2 seat model and has not flown since the mod
4) The POF's original Sakae powered one - currently flying
5) This one at Tri-state, ex-Blayd corp - currently flying

There are another 2 in Japan that are airworthy that were restored in Japan by businessman Nabuo Harada, but they will never fly due to governmental red tape.

Don't forget #6 from our favorite movie (cough, cough) The Defender, the former CAF example. I think it's now at Ford Island?

True, but I was talking about currently flying Zero's since that one is grounded and will never fly again. I guess I should have qualified it with the phrase "currently".

For anyone interested here is the Pacific Aviation Museum's Zero, the former CAF's:
http://www.pacificaviationmuseum.org/ex ... rafts.html

I guess if you really want to get technical, we would have to add a 7th, the other Deimert example which flew with an R-2600 B-25 engine:
http://www.navalaviationmuseum.org/Exhi ... 81%29.aspx

[Steve Nelson]

there were two manufacturers for the Zero - Mitsubishi and Nakajima. This plane is a Nakajima, Pietsch said, because of the white circle around the red Hinomaru, which designates the rising sun.

<model geek mode on>

err...the white surround on the Hinomaru was specified for all Japanese aircraft, regardless of manufacturer (it was always 75mm wide..no matter how big the "meatball.") But that's immaterial..an overall gray-green Zero 21 should not have the white surround at all. It wasn't added until after they started painting Zekes green (later in the war it was often dispensed with..I'm not sure if it was to reduce visibilty or simply save time.)

This plane is the naval version of the Zero, and has folding wing tips

Hmm..so it take it army Zeroes didn't have folding wings (I mean every single-engine Japanese fighter was a Zero..right?) I suppose I could give him the benefit of the doubt and assume meant to say "carrier based version."

I'm just being overly nit-picky, of course. It's impossible to know how much of the story was simple confusion on the part of the reporter and the pilot being unclear.

SN

[Brad]

I know Warren and I very much doubt that he was trying to puff up the airplane and saying things he knows to be untrue. It might be that the only story he ever heard was that the Japanese used American engines. He certainly wouldn’t be the first person to repeat it. Up until a few years ago that was pretty much the only story I had ever heard and quite honestly I never cared enough to look into it and it never occurred to me to do so. It is still found in books, magazines and other places. I found out the real story quite by accident.

I have no doubt that he knows what engine is in this Zero (a twin row R-1830) being as he helped build it, flys it and if he did actually say R-1340, I’m sure it was an accident. He’s right; it is about twice the horsepower and half the weight of a T-6. So are some of the well done Tora conversions with that same engine.

As far as the statement "It's a 25-year restoration ... and it'd be the only one that you'd probably ever see fly." goes, I think he was talking about the people of Minot, North Dakota. Being as this is the local paper.

If I gave a crap about the “real vs. replica” argument, which I don’t; I just want to see flying airplanes, I’d have to say this is a replica. But it’s a very nice one, probably the nicest replica of anything I’ve seen! I saw it under construction in Manitoba a few times and took a lot of pictures of it in various phases. If I can find them I’ll post them. Reno a few years back was the last time I saw it but I’ll be glad to see it at Oshkosh.

[LARGEFLYER]

My BAD here! I got my numbers confused! When I talked with Warren in Grand Forks he did say R-1830. I mis-spoke when I stated in my earlier post R-1340. Must be old age getting to me I guess!

Greg