Blayd Zero?

[Rob Mears]

I recall that when Blayd fabricated the Zero (now owned by the Texas Flying Legends) essentially from scratch, they made numerous duplicates of each individual component in case the opportunity arose to build additional airframes in the future. Is this correct, and if so, what are the chances we might see a few more Zeros filter into the marketplace over time? I saw the Midland Airsho photo of the two A6M2's together on the ramp and figured it would be an attractive proposition if there were a few more authentic Zero designs populating the skies, if the components exist and there's a profit margin that could be exploited.

[Warbird Kid]

One can only hope! We can never have enough Zeros. Hopefully we'll see as many Zeros as Flug Werk 190s. Especially a few on the East Coast!

[Mark Allen M]

One can only hope! We can never have enough Zeros. Hopefully we'll see as many Zeros as Flug Werk 190s. Especially a few on the East Coast!

Actually Chris if I'm not mistaken (which happens a lot unfortunately!) I believe there are actually more flying zeros at the moment than Flug Werk 190s. At one point not too long ago (last year?) there were 5 flying zeros and maybe just a couple Flug Werk 190s flying. Anyone care to confirm this? Maybe I'm way off here.

[Dan Jones]

I toured Blayd's shop probably fifteen, sixteen years ago (the airframe was gone but they were still building the cowling for it, if that narrows the timeframe down) and the gentleman that showed my dad & I around said (this is from my sketchy memory, remember) that they had made enough pieces to put together an additional three airplanes. I think they settled on a run of four total because that was how many sets of salvageable main gear legs they had.

Beautiful work. Just beautiful.

Dan

[lmritger]

Never cared much for Zeroes until I had the incredible opportunity to watch the Blayd Zero put through a brief but amazing aerobatic display over the field in Urbana at sunrise last year after the B-25s took off for Dayton. It was, in a word, remarkable- it was beautiful and elegant and graceful as it swooped and climbed with the rays of the rising sun reflecting off of it.

I finally "got it"... now I know why people are so smitten with that airplane.

Lynn

[Mark Allen M]

Plenty of Zeros on Saipan to take home, all you needed was a truck and flatbed ... and a boat.


















Source (U.S. Air Force Photos) Fold3

[JonL]

and a time machine..........

[Richard W.]

... and a couple of carrier task forces and an amphibious invasion force.