Warbird Information Exchange

Here are a few shots of the North Dakota Zero taken on Sunday at Flying Cloud before Warren Pietsch departed for Oshkosh.

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Dan Johnson

Cool pictures, thanks! Is that the first time she has flown since going to Reno several years ago?

The Young fella standing to the right is Ltc. Col Jim Hill from the VMF214 Blacksheep.

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FLY SAFE--FLY FAST
F4U Corsair Historian
Mint Moore III

Someone should talk to the pilot about proper flight gear, safety first.

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It was put back in annual this spring and flown from the Fargo Air Museum to the museum in Minot for a couple months. It stopped in at Flying Cloud for Air Expo on its way to Oshkosh. The airplane is currently owned by Cindy Beck, Warren Pietch, Tim McPherson and the Blyde Corporation and is for sale.

John

I agree, and have been "preaching" that for years, but you can't force people to do something they don't want to do. All it takes is one "flash fire" in the cockpit or an off-airport forced landing to realize the value of a helmet and fire-resistant Nomex flight suit. But hey, that's just me. To each their own, I guess.

Thanks for the information John. A few questions for you:

1) What is the asking price for the Zero right now? Yes, I know, I know - if you have to ask............I want to know so I can get a "data point" to compare it to the ex-MOF Mojave Zero that was for sale a few years ago. It's always interesting to compare prices for extremely unique and rare warbirds.

2) What is the status of the other Zero's and parts that the Blayd corporation made before the sale to Beck and company? Will they eventually result in more flying Zero's?

I was lucky to be in the right place at the right time to catch Jim Hill checking out the Zero.

What really sets Wings of the North's show apart is the number of veterans they bring in. On the same day the Zero was there, I was privileged to see another US Marine Corsair pilot receive a ride in the N3N, the type he had learned to fly in.

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Dan Johnson

Beautiful aircraft !

But notice once again the trend : a non US-aircraft is almost always restored in historically correct colors and marking, what is of course excellent. But if it is a US warbird, fantasy colors, "it's my plane" badges or badly designed pinups are believed to be "cool".

"Someone should talk to the pilot about proper flight gear, safety first."

After the loss of a Pilatus Porter flying in heavy turbulences, it's now obliged in the Swiss airforce to fly all light aircrafts with a helmet, what is good.

Love that Zero. Wish more were flying. Hopefully one day.

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Keep Em' Flying,
Christopher Soltis
Dedicated to the preservation and education of The Sikorsky Memorial Airport

CASC Blog Page: http://ctair-space.blogspot.com/
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Chicks Dig Warbirds.......right?

Well,...if you have to ask... It does seem appropriate in this case! Around 4 million is what they estimate its value. What they get for it and what they need for it are two different numbers I don’t have the answers to. I know that sounds like a lot of money but considering how rare it is and that the number of Zero’s is pretty well established and won’t be growing much, if that number is off the mark it isn’t off by much. This is truly a flawless machine and few if any can claim a nicer restoration in any type of aircraft in my opinion.

This is actually an A6M2 which I believe makes it the earliest Zero model flying. It’s the only airframe of the three (Or was it four) that were salvaged off the island of Yap (but spelled with a "J") that was built. The remaining airframes and new build components that Blayd built are still up in Carmine. I believe the balance of the parts and salvage is either currently tied up in a lawsuit (With another well known Carmine resident) or as a result of a lawsuit may end up never being built or sold. In the end it’s hard to say what the final outcome will be with those projects, if or when they will ever come to market and be built. In today’s market, I wouldn’t doubt it would cost nearly what Dakota/Blayd is asking for this complete airplane, to build up one of those projects into a flyer.

The Zero appears to be a very simple airplane until you start looking at it closely and consider the materials of construction. The front wing spar is a study in machining...machining curves, angles and twists. It’s as technologically difficult as the Corsair spar is. The thin sheet most of the airframe is made of takes a very deft hand to work with in order to end up with a skin that doesn’t look like a golf ball or ends up all oil canned. A bit of history on this project: The first attempt at the wing spar was scrapped when it was nearly finished because the endmill broke and left a small blemish on the surface. The guys at Blayd were not happy with the results even though it was only a minor surface flaw, so they scrapped it and started over. That’s true dedication to quality!

Regards,
John

I agree with you totally. Value is extremely difficult to assess, because rarity does not always mean an aircraft is worth more money. That Zero is probably the finest example in the world in terms of restoration, and the only one I would consider more valuable would be the POF's example which is 100% original, including the Sakae engine. I don't think 4 Million is unrealistic for that aircraft, and I hope they get it. Unfortunately, history has proven that Axis aircraft are almost always never worth as much as popular Allied aircraft like the Spit, Mustang, and Bearcat. I just hope that whoever they sell it to can keep it flying and on public display.




I have been following this restoration since the 90's when Blayd first acquired the airframes from Diemert. The Blayd corporation is very impressive to say the least. Their attention to detail and uncompromising standards are a sight to behold. They are truly dedicated to putting out a fantastic product. I hope they get the lawsuit resolved so more Zero's can be restored. You are right about the number of Zero's being finite. The probability of having many more Zero's restored to flying condition is slim, with just a couple in the works presently.

Thanks again for the info, it's most appreciated!

And you see this as a trend only with US types?

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It was a good idea, it just didn't work.

Well, not totally. While the gray-green is pretty spot on, the white border on the hinomaru (meatball) wasn't introduced until after they started painting Zeroes dark green. Overall gray-green Zekes had simple red discs. Still, a stunning machine! I'd love to see her in flight..maybe someday she'll make it to Thunder (how about a Pacific War theme for next year's show?)

SN