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Originally Posted by flynlion
I agree with you there, but we should also remember that the Zero only became a "death trap" after it had been in service for several years. Early in the war it was virtually unstoppable, and the allies never did produce a carrier based fighter that could match the Zeros range.
You also have not produced any evidence to indicate that the similarities between the Zero and the H1 were anything more than superficial. Clearly the Japanese were impressed by the H1. So was Kurt Tank. So what?
Ok, so maybe I'm getting a bit too defensive here. Point is I would LOVE to own a Zero as a peacetime toy. I would have to modify the cockpit some to get my 6'5" American sized body to fit, but what fun! And as efficient as the Zero was, I could even afford the gas bill  |
They do somewhat have the same characteristics as one another Long sleek body, and small. But you have to also realize, that most planes during certain decades look quite similar (kinda like cars of the 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s etc.). I couldn't find anywhere on the net, that said Mitsubishi got their idea or design from the H1, or even that they looked at the H1 to make a fast plane. Though it does say Kurt Tank's FW design group did get somewhat inspired by the H1.