A6M5 Model 52 Zero

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We've been in a shooting war in the desert for the last 30 years or so, counting Desert Storm and the insuing conflicts. The first time the guys in Humvees with machine guns on the back see an enemy aircraft fly over the ridge shouldn't be the first time they see that. So they take 'em out to Yuma, Arizona and fly radio control models (not drones) painted orange. When they can HIT then orange drones, they start mixing in the American / Allied and enemy aircraft. They're NOT supposed to shoot the American / Allied aircraft and ARE supposed to shoot the enemy aircraft. If they get that wrong, you don't want HIM or HER on the machine gun!

The company that made these models went out of business and donated them. They are good dust collectors!
 
I was like a kid in a candy store when I first got there and started volunteering. After awhile, it fades a bit and when you do it 6 days a week it CAN feel like work, but I still feel like a kid in a candy store on Saturdays when I volunteer because there is NOTHING I absolutely HAVE to get done.

So I mostly try to get project work done, but take time to talk with the visitors and occasionally even give a tour. That can be fun nwhen the group is both interested and knowledgeable. That's when I will take tome to do a tour ... when I get someone excited to see the planes and asking questions. I still love to see the planes fly and occasionally get a ride in either one of ours or a friend's warbird (I have a friend who owns and regularly flies a P-51D).

I marvel that these WWII birds fly so reliably. Yes, we have mechanical issues, but only rarely. Our Allisons, Merlins. Pratts,and Wrights are all quite reliable, as is our Nakajima Sakae 21 radial in the Zero. It hardly ever gives any trouble, similar to the American engines. I can see that long flights over water by either side were safer than I had expected even 10 years ago.

I have been attending, actually working, the Planes of Fame Airshow since 2006 and we average 30 - 35 WWII warbirds flying each day for 3 or 4 days. Usually Friday is mandatory practice and the airshow is Saturday and Sunday. Sometimes they have a second practice day on Thursday depending on the script. So that's 7 years of 90 - 110 warbird flights per year for a total of 630 - 770 sorties by a wide variety of warbirds. In that time we have had one aborted takeoff (a Tigercat), two radiator failues in our P-5A (a NEW radiator is under construction), and a couple of no starts or aborts before taxi, once due to a flat tire. Otherwise all warbirds flew on schedule including the ones used to airshow aerobatics.

So, if I win a lottery, I'll be getting a warbird to fly myself. Otherwise, the job and the volunteering is quite interesting and entertaining. If you live near a aviation museum and have the time on weekends, try being a volunteer. You never know what it may turn into.
 

Thank you for sharing your wonderful experiences. Please extend an assurance to the powers that be, that any photographs that you may take will be used by modelers that have the same love of these aircraft as the owners of the real ones do.
More detail shots of landing gear and cockpits, if you can!!!
Thanks, again.
On behalf of all of us,
Me.
 
Hi Meatloaf,

Since you asked ...

John Maloney was doing some work on the Raiden today and opened the canopy. I got these shots:

1) Best panel shot:


2) Here is the right side of the cockpit:


3) Here is the left side of the cockpit:


4) Here is the seat and pilot's armor plate:


5) Here is the left gear well:


Please keep in mind that this plane IS restorable to flight status. The engine is also restorable (I checked with John Maloney). The panel covers that are missing are in our possession, but the cockpit was quite dusty at this time and I shot these before the cockpit was cleaned. We alreasy have 5 projects going and only so much hangar space. The Raiden may come to the top of the list at a later date, but this plane was runnable not all that many years ago.

The cockpit is now cleaner and the bottom was sanded and repainted today along with some sanding and repainting of the dark green paint. It looks pretty good right now, but no new poics ... I actually got these shots today, but before the cockpit was cleaned. I got lazy and didn't go back later. My bad.

Hope to see some of you at the museum sometime. Tomorrow we will fly the Tora, Tora, Tora Val and taxi the Judy.

6) Here is the preliminary Judy startup. You can see the prop is turning!


All for now.
 
Last edited:
1) One more. If you are sitting in the pilot's seat looking forward, here is the view out:


The armor glass developed a crack at some point for some reason unknown.

Hope that helps!
 
Many thanks, excellent info Greg; I'm particularly interested in the J2M's cockpit - I take it all or most of the colours and details are original?
 
Thanks Ron!

Actually I don't know if the colors in the cockpit are original but that is inline with museum policy. Ron;s shot of the rear fuselage is very nice. When I stuck my head in, it looked bigger than a King Air! I'd estimate you could fit 5 or 6 Japanese troops inside, but would be badly out of balance.

Also, the back of the spinner is an integral fan for forced cooling. Here is a shot:
1) Cooling fan:
 
Aozora said:
Many thanks, excellent info Greg; I'm particularly interested in the J2M's cockpit - I take it all or most of the colours and details are original?
Click to expand...

In 1988 the cockpit of the Raiden was spray painted gloss metallic green. I love Planes of Fame - but I never understood why this was done. In 1986 Steve Hinton let me into the cockpit (there's a cool story there, but I'd digress). At that time everything was still original, except that the wooden instrument panel had been painted black. Some parts were missing, but the overall color was the appropriate Mitsubishi mat 'bamboo' green, as were all crew areas of Mitsubishi-built aircraft of the period. As a late war machine, there was no Aotake (translucent blue/green primer) to be seen. That picture I posted shows how it looked in 1986, with the original interior color.

- RC
 
Zoukei Mura's 1/32 scale super-model kit of the J2M3 Raiden was released three weeks ago (not to toot my own horn, but I did the box art). They've also released their usual book of reference photographs, which is by far and away the best reference for this aircraft ever printed. The PoF aircraft shed most of its 'shedable' access panels and the cowing to reveal the a/c as never before.

Highly recommended!


 
I don't think they were put in for show. I think they were put in for flight test in the USA and were there when the Planes of Fame got the aircraft.

We have the original Japanese interuments for the Zero, but American instruments are required for certification. When ATC gives you an altitude of 5,000 feet, they don't trust you to know it is 1,524 meters immediately. Foreign aircraft CAN fly here with metric instruments, but certified and licensed US aircraft must use the domestic system.

Back when the Raiden was flying, the rules were even MORE restrictive.

By the way, I have been asked not to post interior pics, so this will be the last until that changes. Sorry.

Not my decision ...
 
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