to be reworked, new canopies built, fiberglass gun wells, new wing tips, new tail silhouette, landing-gear fairings and drop tanks installed for some scenes. Tail hooks were added for carrier landings. BT-13 tail gear with hard rubber wheels were also installed for carrier deck operation, while guns, new scoops and many more modi-•yfications were needed to complete the / masquerade. The North American Zeke flys faster with its geared R-1340 engine and three bladed prop and it lands slower because of its increased wing area. In all, the old T-6 has been cleaned up nicely for its role. (The Japanese designers knew what they were doing.)
Never has the old Texan been such a convincing Zero fighter. The "Hollywood Zero" can really qualify for the title now. Cal-Volair has done an outstanding job with the Zekes, but their most energetic project was the building of the Kate torpedo bombers. The Torn-Kate is a combination of the T-6 and BT-13 airframes. The front half is T-6, but the back half is BT-13. Over 6 feet 11 inches were added in the middle to stretch out the frame and a carrier tail hook was afixed to the aft structure. Used both as a torpedo and vertical bomber during the attack on Battleship Row, the Nakajima BSN, Kate was the finest torpedo bomber of its day. • All of the types being readied for the film have to be carrier aircraft, but not each plane will make carrier landings. Only one or two of each type will be equipped for carrier landings and those particular ships will have to make 20 arrested landings on dry land before they are allowed to be recovered aboard a US carrier at sea. The carrier chosen for the sea landings and take-offs will be the U5S Valley Forge LPH-8, a helicopter land-

ing platform and ex-CVE that resembles the Akagi slightly and can be modified to fit the purpose.
While all of this is going on in the United States, another 1st unit crew will be filming in Japan with 19 similarly modified T-6 type airplanes rebuilt by Kawasaki Aircraft Co. Director Kurosawa is operating from a land ship at Kyushu. The land ship will face the sea and will serve as the carrier Akagi and Soryu, aircraft will be hauled aboard and then lanuched off the deck out to sea.
The raid on Pearl Harbor will be flown by off duty Navy and ANC pilots. A fly-able P-40 will dog fight Zeros and B-17s, PBYs and other aircraft will take part in the air scenes, filmed in the Hawaiian Islands. And this is only the beginning or the fantastic technical activity taking place on the backlot. For an entire fleet of ship models, some over 50 ft. long is bemg-readied to make Tora! Tora! Tora! (Tiger! Tiger! Tiger!) the most authentic air/sea combat epic ever filmed.
The staff of Air Classics magazine will keep you posted on this outstanding motion picture with further photos of the aircraft involved and action scenes from the picture while on location. TOR/A.' promises to be one of the greatest films ever produced. Don't miss any of the articles, it is history being recaptured — for you.
You know, not so long ago they used to joke about Ed Sullivan coming out at the end of his show and giving a preview of next week's line up. It went something like this: "And next week on our stage, World War II, with original cast!" That boast doesn't sound so farfetched in light of what Elmo Williams has done. »•*