I've just had the rare opportunity to fly this very rare and remarkable warbird, and I'm just busting out all over to tell all. I am still amazed that I got the chance, and it appears that I'll get to fly it on a continuing basis. To my knowledge, there are only two flying in the world, with the other one at Chino. We do have another Zero in two major parts, awaiting money and time for restoration. It was flown in a couple years ago for an annual inspection, but so many discrepancies were found, it has been grounded. The major requirement is for a new spar, a one-piece beam that runs from tip to tip. Best estimates are about $100,000 to fabricate one from drawings.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://www.avweb.com/features/pelicans-perch-71the-legendary-zero-part-1