Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator 2

Pilot's Notes " Force an enemy pilot into a dogfight at 200-220 knots and below 20,000 feet. At this speed and altitude, no enemy fighter can out-maneuver or out-climb you.

Don't dive away from attackers as your plane doesn't have the power or weight to out-run most U.S. fighters in a dive.

Empty/Max Weight and Dimensions: Weight: 3,704 / 5,313 lbs (1,680 / 2,410 kg) Span: 39' 4.5" (12 m) Length: 29' 8.75" (9.1 m)

Engine Nakajima NK1C Sakae 12 14-cyl. air-cooled radial, 950 hp

Two 7.7 mm (.303-cal) Type 97 machine guns with 500 r.p.g. on nose, and two 20 mm Type 99 (Oerlikon) cannon with 60 r.p.g. in wings, plus two 66-lb (30 kg) or 132-lb (60 kg) bombs

Light machine gun

Cannon

Max speed @ altitude 288 knots/331 mph (533 km/h) @ 14,930 ft (4,550 m)

Ceiling 32,810 ft (10,000 m) Initial climb rate: 4,517 ft (1,376 m)/min

Range 1,160 mi (1,866 km) at 132 knots; with drop tanks, 1,930 mi (3,105 km)

When the war began, the Zero gave enemy pilots a rude shock. No Allied fighter could match the Zero's phenomenal maneuverability and climb, or its range. Some thought the Zero was invincible, but the Zero got its performance through light construction and a lack of armor or self-sealing tanks.

The Zero pilot learned to use the plane's outstanding maneuverability to out-turn and in some cases out-climb Allied aircraft. Even when the U.S. introduced faster and more powerful fighters, pilots could never underestimate the Zero in the hands of a skilled pilot, it was always a dangerous adversary against any American fighter.

The Zero's lightly loaded, high-lift wing and low weight made it a dream to fly at speeds below 220 knots, with a simply jaw-dropping ability to execute the wildest gyrations and zoom climbs at the whim of its pilot. However, the Zero became hard to handle as its speed approached 260 knots - 260 knots.

Although it could reach an altitude of more than 32,000 feet, its climb rate and maneuverability fell off between 15,000 and 20,00 feet. Light weight, relatively low horsepower, and that high-lift wing made the Zero a reluctant diver.

Designed by the brilliant Jiro Horikoshi, the Zero got its name from the Japanese Navy Air Force numbering system, based on the final digits of the year in which the aircraft entered production. For the A6M, the year was 1940, (the year 2600 in the Japanese calendar), so it was called the Type 0 (zero) fighter.