Avia S-199

The Avia S-199 was a fighter aircraft built in Czechoslovakia after World War II using parts and plans left over from Luftwaffe aircraft production that had taken place in the country during the war. While a very problematic aircraft, unpopular with its pilots, it achieved fame as the first fighter obtained by the Israeli Air Force for use during the War of Independence . Czechoslovakian pilots nicknamed it Mezek ("Mule"), whilst in Israel it was known as the Sakeen ("knife"). Avia had started building Messerschmitt Me 109Gs straight after the war as the Avia S-99 , but soon ran out of the 109's Daimler-Benz DB 605 engine. The S-199 continued to use the Me 109G airframe but with none of the original engines available, the engine ( Junkers Jumo 211 ) and propeller from the Heinkel He 111 bomber were used instead. The result of this compromise was an aircraft with extremely poor handling qualities. The substitute engine lacked the responsiveness of the Daimler-Benz unit, was heavier, and the torque created by the massive paddle-bladed propeller made control very difficult. This latter flaw, combined with the 109's narrow-track undercarriage also made landings and take-offs extremely hazardous. A final hidden danger lay in the synchronization gear which did not seem to work properly, leading a few Israeli aircraft to shoot off their own propellers. Some 550 S-199s were built, including a number of conversion trainers designated CS-199 (armed) and C-210 (unarmed). The first flight took place in March 1947 , and production ended in 1949 . The last examples were withdrawn from Czechoslovakian service (with their National Security Guard) in 1957 .

The Avia S-199 is a propeller-driven fighter aircraft built after World War II by the two aircraft factories in Czechoslovakia : one of them officially called závod Avia ( Avia Plant) (1946–48) and závod Avia-Jiřího Dimitrova (Avia-George Dimitroff-Plant, 1948–49) in Čakovice near Prague, as a post-war corporative part of the Automobilové závody, n.p. [Automotive Works, National Corp.] , and the other one called závod Vysočany ( Vysočany Plant , 1948–49) in Prague, as a corporative part of Letecké závody, n.p. [Aviation Works, National Corp.] It was constructed with parts and plans left over from Luftwaffe aircraft production that had taken place under the country's German occupation during the war. Despite the aircraft's numerous problems and unpopularity with its pilots, it achieved fame as the first fighter obtained by the Israeli Air Force , for use during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War . Czechoslovak pilots nicknamed it Mezek ("Mule"), while in Israel it was officially known as the Sakeen ("knife" in Hebrew ). In practice, the aircraft was more often called Messerschmitt or Messer (which also means "knife", in German and Yiddish ).

Czechoslovak fighter aircraft The Avia S-199 is a propeller-driven fighter aircraft built after World War II , notable as the first fighter obtained by the Israeli Air Force , and used during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War . Constructed in Czechoslovakia, with parts and plans left over from Luftwaffe aircraft production, the aircraft had numerous problems and was generally unpopular with its pilots. Czechoslovak pilots nicknamed it Mezek ("Mule"), while in Israel it was officially known as the Sakeen ("knife" in Hebrew ). In practice, the aircraft was more often called Messerschmitt or Messer (which also means "knife", in German and Yiddish ).

Czechoslovak fighter aircraft The Avia S-199 is a propeller-driven Messerschmitt Bf 109G -based fighter aircraft built after World War II using the Bf 109G airframe and a Junkers Jumo 211F engine in place of the original and unavailable Daimler-Benz DB 605 engine. It is notable as the first fighter obtained by the Israeli Air Force , and used during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War . Constructed in Czechoslovakia, with parts and plans left over from Luftwaffe aircraft production, the aircraft had numerous problems and was generally unpopular with its pilots. Czechoslovak pilots nicknamed it Mezek ("Mule"), while in Israel , it was officially known as the Sakeen ("knife" in Hebrew ). In practice, the aircraft was more often called Messerschmitt or Messer (which also means "knife", in German and Yiddish ).