The ‘Gem” of the Pacific Aviation Museum

Built by The Nakajima Aircraft Company under license from Mitsubishi Aircraft Company in the fall of 1942, the A6M2 Model 21 Zero number 5356 now resides on permanent display at the Pacific Aviation Museum on Ford Island in the middle of Pearl Harbor, Hawai’i.

Undoubtedly the “gem” of their entire collection of many wonderful aircraft, this Japanese Zero which was acquired by the museum in 2005, is now painted in the markings of PO1 Shigenori Nishikaichi’s aircraft which flew off the IJN carrier Hiryu that participated in the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

This Zero was originally recovered at Ballale Airfield in the Solomon Islands along with several other aircraft in 1968. Using major parts from at least one other Zero, it was restored in Canada to flying condition using a 1200hp Pratt & Whitney R-1830 engine.

In 1985 the Commemorative Air Force in Midland, Texas acquired the Zero and flew the restored aircraft on its air show schedule to the delight of spectators until 2002 when it went into further restoration. Once again flyable, the CAF flew the aircraft until its sale to the Pacific Aviation Museum in 2005.

Today, visitors can see what Nishikaichi’s zero looked like with its tail number BII-120 as it appeared on the deck of the Hiryu about to be launched from the carrier, bound for Pearl Harbor on the morning of December 7th.

Nishikaichi himself is at the center piece in what would become the “Battle of Ni’ihau” after he crashed his damaged plane on the island of Ni’ihau and created havoc amongst the small population of native Hawaiians.

His actual aircraft — or what remains of it — is also displayed at the Pacific Aviation Museum which tells the incredible story Nishikaichi and one of Japan’s most impressive fighter planes — the Zero.