They did indeed...sort of.BlackSheep214 wrote:
Isrealis had Bf-109s?? That aircraft certainly has all the features of a Messerschmitt. I agree the box art is really cool. I do like Bruce's idea of a wall mount. Interesting way to display it. Tell me more how to go about making that mount.
The Avia S-199 was built in Czechoslovakia after the war. Basically, after the fall of Germany the Czechs found themselves with a lot of Bf109G air-frames they'd had in production for the Luftwaffe - but with no engines. However they also manufactured engines and propellers for the JU-88 (I think) and so decided to mate one with the other - and the S-199 was born.
It was not a brilliant success as it was heavier than a standard G model, and had less power, and made the difficult landings even worse. However in 1948 the Israeli's were desperate for fighting aircraft and this was the first they could get - via the backdoor past all of the arms blockades on them.
It may have been a bad aircraft, but it did the job until they could replace it with something else. I do find it rather ironic that an aircraft designed and built for the Nazi's should help found the Jewish state of Israel.
Here's the wikipedia link... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avia_S-199
It's coming along nicely - the cockpit is being painted up and the wings are together.