Replica planes practice for Pearl Harbor reenactments

Cathy Spaulding, Muskogee Phoenix, Okla.
·2 min read

Mar. 13—Flying a replica of a Zero Japanese fighter plane takes a lot of practice says Muskogee pilot Mike Anderson.

"Your head's got to be on a swivel because you have to watch what's going on," he said. "You have to know your environment and what's around you and everything else."

Ten replica World War II Japanese planes are practicing their maneuvers through Saturday at Muskogee-Davis Regional Airport. The public is invited to watch practice 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. Special seating will be provided and donations are welcome.

Anderson, president of Davis Field Aviation, said spectators should not expect an actual air show. It is merely a practice for the "Tora! Tora! Tora" living history program, presented by the Commemorative Air Force, he said.

"People are just going to see these airplanes fly around," Anderson said. "If we have new pilots, we're starting to train the new pilots."

Anderson said the planes are World War II T-6 trainer planes used in the 1970 movie "Tora! Tora! Tora!" The movie focused on the 1941 bombing of Pearl Harbor from two points of view. Movie producers later donated 10 planes to the Commemorative Air Force.

The planes replicate a Mitsubishi A6M "Zero," a long-range fighter plane, and a Nakajima Kate torpedo bomber.

Anderson, who has flown with the group for 15 years, said the group had been practicing in the Houston area.

"But they have two flight schools there and the air space is just way too busy," he said. "They were looking for a place that was not quite so busy."

They found such a place in Muskogee, Anderson said.

Ten replica planes are expected to practice at Davis. They will practice a variety of maneuvers, but will not have the pyrotechnics or narration the show has.

"We'll get down to 100 feet above the ground, go up to 800 feet," Anderson said. "You dive bomb, it looks like we're attacking."

Pilots must watch out for the other planes, he said.

"It looks like we're way closer than we really are, an optical illusion," he said. "There's got to be a lot of trust among the pilots because you've got to be where you're supposed to be. That's why there's a lot of training, do same thing over and over, That kind of keeps it safe, too."

"Tora! Tora! Tora!" presents historical air shows recreating the Dec. 7, 1941, bombing of Pearl Harbor.