A6M2 Zero

Use the controls at the bottom of the frame to navigate, zoom in and out, or view full-screen.

Mitsubishi designed the Navy Type Zero Carrier-Based Fighter in 1937, and it became the symbol of Japanese air power during World War II. The Allies referred to the Zero as “Zeke,” and American pilots gained experience fighting them in China with the American Volunteer Group, known as the Flying Tigers. A combination of nimbleness and simplicity gave the Zero fighting qualities that no Allied plane could match at the beginning of the war. The Texas Flying Legends Museum in Houston owns one of the few flying Japanese Zeros left in the world.

Source/ more information: Texas Flying Legends Museum

Photographer Lyle Jansma started creating 360º views of cockpits in 2005, and has documented historic aircraft in several collections, including the Heritage Flight Museum, Museum of Flight, Erickson Aircraft Collection, Evergreen Air & Space Museum, and the National Museum of the Air Force. A full set of his cockpit views is available on the ACI Cockpit360º App for iOS and Android. Keep visiting this site (airspacemag.com/cockpits) as we add to the gallery below.