Military Aviation Museum adds rare Zero to its collection

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. —The Military Aviation Museum has added a rare Mitsubishi A6M3 Zero, formerly of the Imperial Japanese Navy, to its collection.

Members of the museum team and the Fighter Factory headed to Everett, Washington, in November 2022, where the Zero was restored by Legend Flyers.

Like many aircraft in the museum’s collection, the newest addition features an interesting combat history, as it was stationed at bases across the South Pacific, museum officials said.

Research conducted by Legend Flyers suggests that the aircraft, 3148, was deployed to the Pacific as part of the 252nd Kokutai (Naval Air Group). Later it would fight from bases at Rabaul, as well as Ballale and Munda, in the Solomon Islands, before being ordered to Taroa in the Marshall Islands in March 1943.

During its career, 3148 would see combat against the US Army Air Forces and US Navy aircraft. Shrapnel damage from a bomb blast ended 3148’s career.

Damaged beyond the repair capabilities of the Japanese mechanics on the island, 3148 sat adjacent to the runway on Taroa until 1991, when John Sterling recovered the wreck and brought it to the United States with the hopes of restoring the fighter to flight.

With several changes of ownership, the aircraft eventually found its way to Legend Flyers in the spring of 2011. Work on the aircraft began about a decade ago, and the aircraft is expecting its first post-restoration flight soon, according to museum officials.

“The museum has a collection plan that has identified airplanes that are key to sharing the narrative of World War II with a modern audience, and the Zero was one of the museum’s highest priority targets,” said Museum Director Keegan Chetwynd.

“It is an aircraft our visitors are always asking about,” added Zack Baughman, the museum’s curator. “As one of our chief adversaries in World War II, there is a fascination with the Zero that is hard to explain.”

As the Zero returns to flight, the museum will update its journey on its Facebook page.

For more information: MilitaryAviationMuseum.org