This one is for Bill (bmac62), Wayne (whaleman), Rob (Debbielove) and all the other “plane” guys here at Renderosity. The Mitsubishi A6M Zero was a long-range fighter aircraft, manufactured by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy from 1940 to 1945. The A6M was designated as the Mitsubishi Navy Type 0 Carrier Fighter and was usually referred to by its pilots as the "Reisen", (zero fighter). When first introduced the Zero was considered the most capable carrier-based fighter in the world with a kill ratio of 12 to 1 in combat with Allied planes, but by mid-1942 a combination of new tactics and the introduction of better equipment enabled the Allied pilots to engage the Zero on generally equal terms. This plane was found in New Guinea in 1991 and used in the film Pearl Harbor. The event featured an illustrated talk by Dan King, author of “The Last Zero Fighter”. In the book Mister King, fluent in Japanese, interviews five surviving Japanese aviators. It turns out they were not so different from our own warriors. They were brave, resourceful and sometimes made mistakes. On one mission a pilot opened a bottle of soda which exploded all over the cockpit. Opening the canopy so he could see his maps were blown out of the plane. His wingman had to guide him back to base.