Vintage Aviation News has just released an exclusive YouTube video capturing a historic milestone in warbird aviation—the first post-restoration flight of the Military Aviation Museum’s Mitsubishi A6M3 Model 32 Zero. Filmed at Paine Field in Everett, Washington, the video shows Chief Pilot Mike Spalding at the controls as this rare aircraft takes to the skies for the first time since World War II. Escorted by a T-34C Turbo Mentor, the flight marks the culmination of decades of restoration work by Legend Flyers, who rebuilt the Zero from wreckage recovered in the Marshall Islands.
The footage not only documents this remarkable achievement but also brings viewers closer to the sights and sounds of a legendary Japanese fighter once feared across the Pacific. With expert commentary and dramatic visuals, the video tells the story of a warbird reborn, honoring both its history and the aviators who once faced it in combat.
👉 Watch the full video below.
To read our previous article about this rare Japanese warbird, please click here. More details on the flight can be found at the following link. To see progress on some of the other restoration projects at the Military Aviation Museum, please click HERE. Or sign up for the monthly From the Workshop newsletter HERE.
