The Planes of Fame Airshow at Chino and the last flying Japanese Zero

The Planes of Fame Airshow at Chino Airport (CNO) in California is one of the few airshows where spectators can walk within arm’s reach of flyable WWII warbirds — and watch the last airworthy Mitsubishi A6M5 Zero in the world take to the sky. Held annually on the first weekend in May, this event combines a world-class static display with flying demonstrations that recreate Pacific Theater air combat above the runway.

What Makes the Planes of Fame Airshow Different?

Most airshows keep aircraft behind ropes and barriers. At Chino, the static display puts visitors inches from machines that other museums seal behind velvet stanchions — and then the museum flies them.

The Planes of Fame Air Museum has operated at Chino since 1957, accumulating over 160 aircraft in its collection. A remarkable number of those remain airworthy. The museum’s core philosophy is simple: these machines were built to fly, and fly they will.

The ramp alone is worth the trip. Rows of silver, olive drab, and navy blue line up across the tarmac — T-6 Texans, P-40 Warhawks, F8F Bearcats, and a deep-blue F4U Corsair with its distinctive gull wings folded tight. The smell of avgas and hot asphalt hangs in the air, punctuated by the bark of radial engines firing up across the field.

The Last Flying Japanese Zero

The undisputed headliner is the museum’s Mitsubishi A6M5 Zero, designation 61-120 — an original Japanese fighter, not a replica or kitbuilt reproduction.

Japan produced over 10,000 Zeros during the war. In 1941 and 1942, the Zero dominated the Pacific, outclimbing, outturning, and outranging every Allied fighter it encountered. Pilots who faced it described an aircraft that moved like nothing they had ever seen — featherlight, impossibly maneuverable, and lethal.

Of those 10,000 aircraft, this is the only one still flying. Recovered after the war, it has been meticulously maintained by the Chino team for decades. The restoration work is extraordinary in its own right. Original parts for a Japanese warbird cannot be sourced through any supplier catalog. Some components were fabricated from scratch using original engineering drawings tracked down from archives in Japan.

Gene, a retired aerospace engineer and volunteer mechanic who has worked on the Zero and other collection aircraft for over 15 years, described the experience this way: every time they start that engine, it is a conversation with history — the same sound a 19-year-old Japanese pilot heard on a carrier deck in 1941, and a 20-year-old American pilot heard coming out of the sun over Guadalcanal.

What the Zero Looks Like in the Air

When the Zero takes off during the airshow, the crowd response follows a predictable pattern. First, silence. 15,000 people stop talking at once. Then it lifts off, the sound of the Nakajima Sakae 14-cylinder radial fills the valley, and the reaction is immediate — cheering, cameras firing, veterans standing with tears on their faces.

In flight, the Zero is nothing like the loud, muscular American fighters. It is graceful, almost delicate, carving through sweeping turns that demonstrate exactly why Allied pilots dreaded a turning fight against it. The aircraft appears to weigh nothing at all.

Pacific Theater Reenactment in the Air

Planes of Fame doesn’t fly the Zero in isolation. The museum puts it up alongside its historical adversaries — a P-40 Warhawk, an F4U Corsair, and an F6F Hellcat — and walks the audience through the evolution of the Pacific air war at roughly 300 feet above the runway.

The narrated demonstration covers how early Allied fighters struggled against the Zero, how tactics evolved, how the Thach Weave was developed specifically to counter the Zero’s turning advantage, and how the arrival of the Hellcat shifted the balance of power. It is a flying history lesson that no textbook or documentary can replicate.

The Static Display and Ramp Walk

Beyond the Zero, the static display features rare and significant aircraft. Highlights include:

A P-38 Lightning in polished aluminum, its twin booms gleaming in the California sun
A B-25 Mitchell open for walk-throughs — visitors can climb through the belly hatch and sit in the bombardier’s position
A Russian Polikarpov I-16, a stubby, barrel-shaped open-cockpit fighter from the 1930s that most aviation enthusiasts have never seen in person — and it flies at this show
Spitfires, Hellcats, and dozens more across the collection

The crowd at Chino reflects the show’s depth. Families, veterans, mechanics, pilots, historians, and first-time visitors mix together. Conversations on the ramp tend toward the substantive — Merlin engines versus radials, the structural trade-offs that made the Zero light and lethally vulnerable to battle damage.

Pilot Information for Flying In

Chino Airport (CNO) has two parallel runways. Transient parking is available during the event but fills quickly. Key tips for pilots:

Arrive early in the morning to secure parking and avoid San Gabriel Valley haze
Operations during the show are well managed, but expect congestion
The approach from the east over the low hills offers excellent morning visibility
Plan for a full day — there is too much to see in a few hours

For those driving, general admission includes ramp access and museum entry. Sightlines are excellent from virtually anywhere on the grounds.

Why This Show Matters Now

These aircraft will not fly forever. Every year that the Zero takes off is borrowed time. Every startup of that Sakae radial is a sound that will, inevitably, go silent for good. The volunteer mechanics who maintain these machines understand this intimately. They treat every flight like it matters — because it does.

The Planes of Fame Airshow typically runs the first weekend in May. Check the museum’s website for exact dates and ticket details.

Key Takeaways

The Planes of Fame Airshow at Chino offers unmatched proximity to flyable WWII warbirds — no ropes, no binoculars required
The museum’s Mitsubishi A6M5 Zero (61-120) is the last airworthy original Zero in the world, one of over 10,000 built during WWII
Flying demonstrations recreate Pacific Theater combat with the Zero alongside P-40, Corsair, and Hellcat adversaries
The Planes of Fame Air Museum has operated at Chino since 1957 with over 160 aircraft, many still airworthy
Pilots can fly into CNO for the event but should arrive early for transient parking