How many ORIGINAL Japanese Zeros are flying in the world today?

Question

Must be in flight condition, original engine.

Thanks!

Answer 1

Only one is flying with the original engine, Planes of Fame's A6M5.

http://www.planesoffame.org/featured-air...

Answer 2

I know of only one that is in flying condition and still flies:  it's in Cali.  In fact if you watch the Military Channel series on air combat-you'll see it flying with a P38.  The USN museum at Pensacola has at least one in flyable condition-but obviously it doesn't fly.

Answer 3

Several Zero fighters survived the war and are on display in Japan (in Aichi, Tokyo's Science Museum,Hiroshima, Hamamatsu and Shizuoka), China (in Beijing), United States (at the National Museum of the United States Air Force and at the Pacific Aviation Museum), and the UK (Duxford) as well as the Auckland War Memorial Museum in New Zealand.  A6M2 Model 21 on display at Pacific Aviation Museum, Pearl Harbor, HI.

A number of flyable Zero airframes exist; most have had their engines replaced with similar American units.  Only one, the Planes of Fame Museum's example, bearing tail number "61-120" (http://www.planesoffame.org/featured-air... ) has the original Sakae engine.

Although not truly a survivor, the "Blayd" Zero is a reconstruction based on templating original Zero components recovered from the South Pacific; a small fraction of parts in the reconstruction are from the original Zero landing gear. The aircraft is on display at the Fargo Air Museum in Fargo, North Dakota.

T-6 Texans, modified externally and painted in Japanese markings, to stand in for the fighter in the films Tora! Tora! Tora!, The Final Countdown, and many other television and film depictions of the aircraft.  (When the movie Tora! Tora! Tora! was completed most were put up for sale.)

Answer 4

Original engine is not really a factor with WW2 aircraft. Many of them had engines swapped as part of regular maintenance. But as far as I know there's only one flying Zero in the world. Though there was at least two others being restored, so one of them may be back in the air by now.

Answer 5

Call down to Chino to see if it's flying today, I can't keep track of what they're doing!