After decades of painstaking restoration work, the Military Aviation Museum’s Mitsubishi A6M3 Zero took to the skies on May 5. The aircraft, flown by the museum’s chief pilot Mike Spalding, lifted off from Paine Field in Everett, Washington, as a small group of museum personnel and the restoration team from Legend Flyers watched from the ground.
This aircraft is likely the first Model 32 variant to fly since 1945 and joins the ranks of only a handful of airworthy Zeros remaining worldwide. The flight represents the culmination of a complex restoration project spanning over three decades.
The restoration journey began in early 1990 when the Sterling brothers recovered two damaged Zero airframes from Taroa Island. The current aircraft comprises the forward fuselage and wings from A6M3 serial number 3148 and the rear fuselage from serial number 3145.
Several restoration shops contributed to the rebuild before Legend Flyers acquired the project in 2011. The Military Aviation Museum became involved in late 2020, when the airframe visually appeared nearly complete. However, as often happens with warbird restorations, the final stages proved the most challenging.
Brad Pilgrim, a freelance warbird expert, provided additional expertise to the Legend Flyers team as the project neared completion in late 2024. An earlier attempt at a first flight came too late in the season, with the notorious Pacific Northwest weather—70 days of rain and persistent low overcast conditions—forcing a delay until suitable flying conditions returned.
One significant modification to the Zero is its powerplant. The aircraft now flies with an R-1830 engine in place of the original Sakae 12. This alteration provided some advantage to Spalding, who has extensive experience flying behind the R-1830 engine in other aircraft.
Previous technical challenges had included prop governor and temperature sensor issues identified during engine runs in August 2024. With these problems resolved, the aircraft awaited only appropriate weather conditions.
The day of the flight began with final preparations, as Legend Flyers technicians Bennett Johnson and Dan Hammer performed comprehensive system checks. After completion of the necessary paperwork, Spalding strapped into the cockpit and started the engine. White smoke briefly emerged from the exhaust as residual oil burned off.
After warming the engine and completing his cockpit checks, Spalding taxied to runway 34L with Mark Darrow following in a T-34C chase plane. The Zero lifted gently into the air and proceeded to a designated test area partially overlapping Possession Sound to the west of the runway.
Spalding conducted approximately a dozen orbits, cycling the landing gear and flaps while performing general operations checks. The flight was intentionally brief, designed primarily to verify basic functionality before a more extensive test program.
After a successful landing, Spalding returned the Zero to the Legend Flyers hangar. The flight demonstrated that the restoration had achieved its primary goal—returning this historic aircraft to the skies.
Following the flight, Mike Spalding reported, “It handled very nicely and light on the controls. With only a couple small tweaks to the control trims and a couple other very minor adjustments, which are to be expected after a first flight, we will be ready for another flight.”
Legend Flyers’ Bob Hammer expressed the team’s satisfaction: “It’s been a long time coming. We are all super pleased here today!”
Keegan Chetwynd, Director and CEO of the Military Aviation Museum, emphasized the aircraft’s historical significance: “This first flight represents a major milestone for the museum. The Zero was perhaps the most significant Japanese aircraft type in WWII, and was America’s principal adversary in the air war over the Pacific. Having one represented in our flying collection helps us recognize, and honor those US naval and marine corps aviators who fought for the freedoms we all enjoy today.”
The Zero still faces an extended test flight program before it can make the journey to its new home at the Military Aviation Museum in Virginia Beach. As Chetwynd noted, “We still have a long road ahead, with plenty of test flying to do before the airplane is ready to fly home to Virginia Beach for public display.”
The addition of this rare aircraft enhances the museum’s mission to preserve aviation history through its collection of flying examples. When the Zero eventually arrives in Virginia, visitors will have the opportunity to see a flying example of one of the most legendary fighter aircraft of World War II.
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