Aces High Bulletin Board

General Forums => Aircraft and Vehicles => Topic started by: Frodo on December 01, 2006, 06:19:40 PM

Title: Incident on Niihau Island
Post by: Frodo on December 01, 2006, 06:19:40 PM: I had never heard this story before. Wondering if many others have?

It is about a Zero pilot crash landing, after the attack on Pearl Harbor. The incidents after the crash are interesting. So is this a well known aspect of the Pearl Harbor attack? I wonder what happened to the Zero?

Link below.

http://www.damninteresting.com/?p=737

Frodo
Title: Incident on Niihau Island
Post by: Debonair on December 01, 2006, 10:05:53 PM: kewl, TY:aok :aok :aok :aok :aok :aok :aok :aok :aok :O
Title: Incident on Niihau Island
Post by: Angus on December 02, 2006, 02:56:21 AM: My my my. Very good. TY :aok
Title: Incident on Niihau Island
Post by: badhorse on December 02, 2006, 07:03:25 AM: Thanks. Love it when I learn something new.

:aok
Title: Re: Incident on Niihau Island
Post by: Reynolds on December 02, 2006, 12:50:33 PM: Quote
Originally posted by Frodo
I had never heard this story before. Wondering if many others have?

It is about a Zero pilot crash landing, after the attack on Pearl Harbor. The incidents after the crash are interesting. So is this a well known aspect of the Pearl Harbor attack? I wonder what happened to the Zero?

Link below.

http://www.damninteresting.com/?p=737

Frodo

Who knows, its a private island now, so they might not have bothered looking for it, or they might have sold it, or just left it there....
Title: Incident on Niihau Island
Post by: Frodo on December 02, 2006, 06:28:25 PM: It is a private island now. Hmm would make a great road trip! :D

What intrigued me, was why didn't the U.S. recover this Zero and study it? I thought the first Zero we had access to, was the one recovered in the Aleutian Islands? This was quite a while after Pearl Harbor I think. Maybe the Niihau Zero was too badly damaged, but I would think it would have been worth it, if the pilot was able to walk away?

If anyone finds more info. on this, please post it.

Reynolds do you know who owns the island now?

Frodo
Title: Incident on Niihau Island
Post by: Reynolds on December 02, 2006, 10:56:37 PM: Quote
Originally posted by Frodo
It is a private island now. Hmm would make a great road trip! :D

Road trip? huh?

The Robinson family owns it, but the Pacific Air Museum has a Zero now, so that was apparently "Aquired" as opposed to being donated by anyone, so it may well be the one this refers too. The museum opens on hte 7th, but I get to go in a day early. I will ask them then if this is it, and get back to you.
Title: Incident on Niihau Island
Post by: Guppy35 on December 03, 2006, 12:02:13 AM: Quote
Originally posted by Reynolds
Road trip? huh?

The Robinson family owns it, but the Pacific Air Museum has a Zero now, so that was apparently "Aquired" as opposed to being donated by anyone, so it may well be the one this refers too. The museum opens on hte 7th, but I get to go in a day early. I will ask them then if this is it, and get back to you.

Nah the Pacific Air Museum Zero was aquired from the Commemorative Air Force.

All kinds of Zeke wrecks out on the islands still.

Spend some time at this site. It will surprise you how much is still out there.

http://www.pacificwrecks.com/
Title: Incident on Niihau Island
Post by: Reynolds on December 03, 2006, 03:38:03 AM: Quote
Originally posted by Guppy35
Nah the Pacific Air Museum Zero was aquired from the Commemorative Air Force.

All kinds of Zeke wrecks out on the islands still.

Spend some time at this site. It will surprise you how much is still out there.

http://www.pacificwrecks.com/

Yeah, we have a stack of parts of them out at dillingham.
Title: Incident on Niihau Island
Post by: Frodo on December 03, 2006, 06:52:53 PM: Quote
Originally posted by Reynolds
Road trip? huh?

The Robinson family owns it, but the Pacific Air Museum has a Zero now, so that was apparently "Aquired" as opposed to being donated by anyone, so it may well be the one this refers too. The museum opens on hte 7th, but I get to go in a day early. I will ask them then if this is it, and get back to you.

Sorry Reynolds, I was just dreaming out loud. Would be fun to be able to look for artifacts there.
I hope you find some info. on this story.

Guppy, I have a couple of similar links, I will try and find tomorrow.

Frodo
Title: Incident on Niihau Island
Post by: Rino on December 04, 2006, 01:02:27 PM: By a really odd coincidence, I was going through the latest copy of
Warbird Digest <#11 Nov/Dec 2006> when I spotted a blurb on page 5
about the Niihau zero.

Apparently the Pacific Aviation Museum has been long-term loaned
the zero by the Robinson family. It will be one of the key exhibits at
their Pearl Harbor facility when it opens it's doors in 3 days!
Title: Incident on Niihau Island
Post by: Westy on December 04, 2006, 02:35:31 PM: http://www.j-aircraft.com/research/jimlansdale/pearl/jimlpearl.htm

Second article down on web page (with some pictures)
Title: Incident on Niihau Island
Post by: Frodo on December 04, 2006, 03:05:19 PM: Thanks for the info. guys.

Westy's link has some good pictures of the wreck. You can even see the fence he hit, in a couple of them.

Guppy, I didn't find the links I had saved. Guess they were deleted.

Frodo
Title: Incident on Niihau Island
Post by: Reynolds on December 04, 2006, 05:43:43 PM: Quote
Originally posted by Rino
when it opens it's doors in 3 days!

HAH HAH!!! I get access a day early! I can ask around about that zero if you guys want. We get a private tour.
Title: Incident on Niihau Island
Post by: Frodo on December 04, 2006, 06:02:32 PM: Reynolds you lucky dog. Have fun, and take some pics. :D

Frodo
Title: Incident on Niihau Island
Post by: Reynolds on December 04, 2006, 07:05:44 PM: Quote
Originally posted by Frodo
Reynolds you lucky dog. Have fun, and take some pics. :D

Frodo

Got it. Anything in particular? Ill even video-tape it! Just tell me what you want to see, and want me to ask and ill do it! ;)
Title: Incident on Niihau Island
Post by: Frodo on December 04, 2006, 09:51:52 PM: Just post some pics. See if you can find out when it was recovered, and by who.

Frodo
Title: Incident on Niihau Island
Post by: Reynolds on December 05, 2006, 01:47:18 PM: Got it. I heard there is a TBM there as well! I cannot wait to get in...
Title: Incident on Niihau Island
Post by: Slash27 on December 07, 2006, 03:02:50 AM: Quote
Originally posted by Guppy35

Spend some time at this site. It will surprise you how much is still out there.

http://www.pacificwrecks.com/

Not so much suprised as I am angered after reading about the "Swamp Ghost". Nothing like greed.:rolleyes:

http://www.theswampghost.com/
Title: Incident on Niihau Island
Post by: Reynolds on December 07, 2006, 03:15:04 AM: I just got back from the VIP Only Pre-Grand Opening of the Museum, here it is!

First, the Niihau Zero: (Movie)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnBEDoX3Q3s (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnBEDoX3Q3s)

Then, a close up of a P-40: (Movie)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0vwtLOsVos (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0vwtLOsVos)

Then, the floor!: (Movie)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6duxomF80Q (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6duxomF80Q)

An A6M Zero on static Display (In flyable condition including a mounted engine)

(http://www.freewebs.com/stepford_child/A6M%201.JPG)

Several images of the static B-25:

(http://www.freewebs.com/stepford_child/B-25%201.JPG)

(http://www.freewebs.com/stepford_child/B-25%202.JPG)

(http://www.freewebs.com/stepford_child/B-25%203.JPG)

(http://www.freewebs.com/stepford_child/B-25%204.JPG)

(http://www.freewebs.com/stepford_child/B-25%205.JPG)

Next, an F4F in flyable condition including a mounted engine:

(http://www.freewebs.com/stepford_child/F4F%201.JPG)

(http://www.freewebs.com/stepford_child/F4F%202.JPG)

(http://www.freewebs.com/stepford_child/F4F%203.JPG)
Title: Incident on Niihau Island
Post by: Reynolds on December 07, 2006, 03:15:38 AM: Next, my personal favorite, a P-40:

(http://www.freewebs.com/stepford_child/P-40%201.JPG)

(http://www.freewebs.com/stepford_child/P-40%202.JPG)

(http://www.freewebs.com/stepford_child/P-40%203.JPG)

Next, that famous tower, sadly damaged:

(http://www.freewebs.com/stepford_child/The%20Tower.JPG)

Finally, my favorite picture, Chuck Yeager and I!

(http://www.freewebs.com/stepford_child/Chuck%20Yeager%20and%20Me.JPG)
Title: Incident on Niihau Island
Post by: Slash27 on December 07, 2006, 04:34:16 AM: Nice pics Reynolds. TY
Title: Incident on Niihau Island
Post by: Frodo on December 07, 2006, 09:11:21 AM: Thanks Reynolds,great stuff. :aok

Frodo
Title: Incident on Niihau Island
Post by: Reynolds on December 07, 2006, 07:06:59 PM: No prob, they will be getting an SBD Dauntless in January so I will be putting up more pictures then.