May 15, 2011- Chino Airshow
A6M5 Zero
This A6M Zero is owned and
operated by the Planes of Fame Museum in Chino. It is the only Zero
flying today that has the original Sakai engine. The Sakae was a
license copy of the Pratt and Whitney Wasp engine, but the Japanese
tuned it to get more power out of it. This Zero was captured by US
forces on Saipan in 1944. It was sent to San Diego for test and
evaluation. It was also evaluated in Maryland before ending up in
private ownership in 1950. The Zero's biggest advantage was it's great
range and manueverability below 275 MPH.