Restored WW2 Mitsubishi Zero completes first flight

Restored WW2 Mitsubishi Zero completes first flight

A Mitsubishi A6M3 Zero, the first Model 32 variant to fly since 1945, has successfully completed its first flight after an extensive restoration, according to the Military Aviation Museum, located in Virginia Beach, United States.  The former Imperial Japanese Navy fighter took off from Paine Field in Everett, Washington, on May 5, 2025, at 08:00 local time, the Military Aviation Museum announced in a statement. The aircraft was flown by Mike Sp…

Long-Awaited A6M3 ‘Hamp’ Restoration Makes First Flights

Following “a two-year project that’s now in its 13th year,” Seattle-based Legend Flyers owner Bob Hammer described for AVweb the first flights of the restoration shop’s Mitsubishi A6M3-32 Zero fighter this week. Mike Spalding, chief pilot for the Military Aircraft Museum of Virginia Beach, Virginia, performed the two test flights, marking the first time the aircraft has broken ground since WWII. “The first flight lasted about an hour,” Hammer to…