Ki-43 'Oscar' airborne again

摘要

On march 2 at the Tillamook Air Museum (TAM) in Oregon, Nakajima Ki-43 "Oscar" NX43JE made a successful 30min flight, reports Ed Storo. Over the next three days, pilot Brent Conners put a further 15hr of test flying on to the aircraft, which is now ready for air display duties alongside three American fighters already operated by the TAM.rnConstruction of four Ki-43s - using the remains of several Oscars recovered from the Kurile Islands by Doug Champlin - began back in 1997 at the Texas Airplane Factory in Fort Worth.rnThe first example, NX43JE, made a brief flight on February 21, 2005, but during preparations for a second flight it suffered an undercarriage collapse. The Ki-43 then went to GossHawk Aviation at Casa Grande, Arizona, for repairs. The second Ki-43 is currently being completed at GossHawk before delivery to the Museum of Flight at Seattle.