On a recent day off a week or so ago, Bob and some friends from North Camp drove into Israel to visit the Israeli Air Force Museum at Be'er Shiva. He emailed me these photos from their visit to the museum.
Bob says,
"Some of the older airplanes, like the Spitfire from England, had to be taken apart and smuggled into the country in crates listed as agriculture equipment during Israel's early days. Several of the German aircraft had to be given completely different names and origin because the early Israelis had such a hate for the Germans. There were several newer aircraft on display which looked like they could be used today if needed. I took a real close look at the F-15 Strike Eagle and the F-16 on display and they seemed to have all their equipment and their engines still intact. There were armed Israeli soldiers walking around the displays, but there were also a lot of Israeli families looking at the airplanes and enjoying the day."