'Oscar' and Zero together again

摘要

A Mitsubishi A6M Zero recently flew in close formation with a Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusa'Oscar'over Madras, Oregon, probably the first time since the closing days of World War Two that such a pairing had been seen. The Ki-43, NX43JE, is owned by the locally-based Erickson Aircraft Collection, and doesn't fly often due to its high crosswind sensitivity. It was one of four built using the hulks of several aircraft recovered from the Kuril Islands in the western Pacific by Doug Champlin during the 1990s. It is the only flying example of the breed in the world, and was rebuilt between 1997 and 2004 by the Texas Airplane Factory at Fort Worth, making its first flight at Meacham Field in February 2005.