Ray Melikian stopped at Pearl Harbor two days before it was bombed by the Japanese in 1941, and, because of landing gear problems, missed getting on an aircraft carrier in 1942 that sank days later. The pilot and his Curtiss P-40 Warbird, Melikian’s name stenciled on the side, flew in nearly 240 missions across the South Pacific in World War II before another pilot borrowed his plane and never returned, the Fresno Bee reported. On March 14, Melikian was reunited with his plane and took it for a spin over the San Francisco Bay Area. Vintage aircraft restorer Chris Prevost picked up the hulk of the P-41 in Australia a decade ago and started painstakingly rebuilding it. It had been found wrecked in a New Guinea jungle in 1969. Using Army serial numbers, Prevost was able to track down Melikian and set up the reunion flight. About 125 people turned out at a Northern California Airport to see the flight. Melikian shared time on the controls with Prevost, who estimates he spent about $600,000 buying and restoring the plane. The restored P-41 is one of just 25 still flying today.