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A6M3-22 and P-40C Flying Together: Pics, Videos, Skins

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fight2flyphoto:
Flying Heritage Collection had their first official "Fly Day," June 9th, which featured their newly finished Mitsubishi A6M3-22 Zero and their newly repainted AVG 1st Pursuit Squadron P-40C Tomahawk. 

The Tomahawk is one of only TWO originals flying today and this one, though originally serving with the Soviet Union and being shot down there, was chosen to represent Seattle native, Robert Neale, who also had the squadron’s highest number of kills.  This aircraft still features a bullet hole near the fuel tank in the back, and several bullet-hole patches from its service on the Eastern Front.  In an attempt to be as historically accurate as possible, FHC replicated the techniques used to paint the aircraft, both in the factory and "on the field."  You will notice the camouflage pattern is that which the British were going to use, even with empty "blanks" where the RAF roundel should go on the wings.  Camouflage lines do not match up between vertical stabilizer/rudder, fillet/fuselage/wing, etc. as these parts were painted in different parts of the assembly plant prior to final assembly.  Also, large rubber mats were used as stencils to create the pattern, just as was done during the war, which creates some soft lines and visible over-spray.  The shark mouth was painted on by hand by an artist who painstakingly referenced original photographs of Neale and his aircraft.  The "1st Pur" emblem of Adam being chased by Eve was created using an original photograph that was enlarged 1:1 and cutout to use as a stencil.  Doesn't get much more authentic than that!  Last, but not least, the legendary Flying Tiger.  Yes, it is a REAL decal, having a coat of lacquer, just as it did in 1941.


Tomahawk VIII by fight2flyphoto, on Flickr
Here you can see the mouth is outlined with chalk.  The artist, Mick Flynn, was meticulous with the details.  I think he even counted the number of teeth to match with the photographs.  It looks bsolutely gorgeous.


301_stitch by fight2flyphoto, on Flickr
Here you can see some of the camouflage details I mentioned earlier.  Where the "7" is located you can see the partial outline in the green where the RAF roundel was originally going to go before these were sent to China.  You can also see one of the many photographs referenced for this artwork taped to the aircraft.


393 by fight2flyphoto, on Flickr
Teeth are painted, now adding the tongue. 


012 by fight2flyphoto, on Flickr
And here is more work on the 1st Pursuit Squadron "Adam and Eve" marking on the tail.


005 by fight2flyphoto, on Flickr
Finished product, fighting end!


095 by fight2flyphoto, on Flickr
Complete with "Flying Tiger" decal.  I had to ask if they used one of those small plastic kiddy-pools for the water and a broom to help it slide off the backing and onto the model-er- airplane.  They reminded me it was not the same as a 1:48 scale model. :-D

FHC owned their A6M3-22 Zero for several years and was even on display bare aluminum before being sent a way for final airworthy restoration.  She arrived in April, sporting the most unique paint scheme of any of the current airworthy Zeros!  This aircraft was painted to represent an aircraft operated by 251 out of Rabaul.  The aircraft was originally painted in the base color and then sent out to units in the field.  Since it belonged to a land-based squadron, orders were sent out to use a darker green as camouflage.  Pilots and maintainers were left to come up with whatever scheme they wanted, resulting in a variety of variations and patterns.  Some were spotted, stripped, and blotchy, while this one features a nice tiger pattern.  Because these camouflage patterns were applied in the field, many markings and placards are painted over.

Though there is limited (if any?) documentation supporting that any -22's were actually converted to two-seaters such as this, there is documentation supporting that of the earlier (or later, if you're talking about design date vs. operational date) model -32.

Yes, this aircraft features folding wingtips and ailerons with trim tabs.  The folding wingtips are not actually a means to save space on the aircraft carrier flight decks, but rather a way so they can fit on the elevators.  That's why the -32 has squared wingtips and why it only reduces the wingspan by about 4-feet.  As you all may already know, the idea was to save weight in any way possible.

The engine is a slightly modified Pratt & Whitney 1830.  Changes were made so that it could fit within an original A6M cowling.  You'll notice in the video the aircraft has a bit of an American accent as a result. :-)


186 by fight2flyphoto, on Flickr
Sitting on the ground following its first flight since repaint, you can see the bottom half of the fuselage glistens with oil drippings.  Needless to say this was a rather short flight.


252_stitch by fight2flyphoto, on Flickr
I have to show both sides, of course!


333 by fight2flyphoto, on Flickr
Wingtip up!


071 -1 by fight2flyphoto, on Flickr
Wingtip down!


098 Wheel Detail by fight2flyphoto, on Flickr
Here is a shot for those of you who love the little details!  If you're like me (and probably hundreds of other folks!) you're curious as to what the blue and red (and sometimes yellow as well) markings are on the main landing gear doors mean.  It is a very cheap and effective way to ensure the aircraft is not overloaded and that the oleo strut is not over-compressed.  I had no idea before this was explained to me, but the main leg itself actually has TWO door panels.  The bottom portion is fixed to the axle, below the strut, while the other portion is attached to the top of the leg, with the scissor-link in between.  As the oleo strut is compressed, the lower portion of the door slides up, from the blue, "acceptable" position, into the red "overload" section.  Some aircraft have a yellow stripe between the red and blue.  This photograph clearly shows the two separate pieces and how they work.


282 -1 Posting by fight2flyphoto, on Flickr
This was taken during another test flight of the Zero and later photo flight with the Tomahawk.


015 by fight2flyphoto, on Flickr
This was my first time seeing the Zero fly.  I literally drove up to the airport from work as this aircraft was taxiing out to the runway.  It isn't the sharpest picture I've ever taken, but at least it's a picture of it! :-)  Even against this background you can see how effective this pattern could be for an aircraft sitting on the ground.


338 by fight2flyphoto, on Flickr
The Zero flies overhead before coming back to land again.


554 by fight2flyphoto, on Flickr
One of my favorite experiences to date was when these two birds flew directly overhead!  P-40C Tomahawk pilot was Ross Granley and Zero pilot was Jason Marszala.


VIDEO:
This video shows the P-40C and P-47D running their engines for part of their annual inspections last winter:
http://youtu.be/iD6t9lzhiP4?hd=1

This video shows the maintenance/photo flight of the A6M3 and P-40C:
http://youtu.be/nUJDz6Ns8pc?hd=1

And this video shows the official fly-day, featuring the P-40C and public debut of the A6M3-22:
http://youtu.be/gzmqtAmE4n8?hd=1

Having said all that, I hope you thoroughly enjoy the photos and videos of these remarkable aircraft!

Last but not least, here is a link to the PERFECT skin of the A6M3-22 Zero that M4T user "Gumpy" has created based on my images:
www.sas1946.com/main/i...816.0.html

And M4T user "Chris_Blair" has uploaded this skin featuring Robert Neale's aircraft in this pack:
http://www.mission4today.com/index.php?name=Downloads2&file=details&id=1858

Semor:
Very Niceeee!!!  :)

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