Ezer Weizman - Spitfire pilot

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19 years 5 months

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'The Times' of London, today 26 April, dedicates 1.2 complete pages to an obituary to Ezer Weizman, the President of Israel who died on 18 April.

A Sergeant Pilot in the RAF flying Spitfires in WWII,

FWIW Yup. My dad said he was in his group/cohort/whatever at 73 OTU at Fayid, Egypt in 1945. I understand that Egypt at that time might not have been a terribly hospitable place to be for someone who was instrumental in founding the state of Israel a little later.

Mark12, if you ever get a chance you should ask Stan Colley (qv in earlier thread) if he knew Weizman when he was at Fayid.

Rob / Kansan

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21 years 3 months

Posts: 1,374

My grandfather knew Ezer Weizman, from the days of the Israeli independence war.
My grandfather was a member of Kibbutz Revivim, which was cut off from the rest of the young Jewish state. One member in Revivim was the daughter of the woman that in the future would become the first female Prime Minister of Israel, Golda Meir. When Meir wanted to visit her daughter, it was Ezer Weizman that flew her to Revivim in a Piper. When they landed, Ezer used to walk around the Kibbutz and talk to the ladies, and the Kibbutz members, including my grandfather, sat in a room with Ezer and Golda Meir, and they told them about what was going on in the rest of Israel and the war. My grandfather remembers Weizman as a happy young man, he used to grab Meir's daughter and start dancing with her. He remembers him as an unusual combination of a rude and almost savage young man, but in the same time a loving person, with a great warm heart, a sense of humor and a man of honor. Ezer Weizman continued to be the same until his death.
One thing is sure - Golda Meir wasn't too happy with him. "That Ezer", she said, "is driving me crazy with his flight". He used to shake the plane very hard to make her crazy :D

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A better picture of the Black Spit flying over Ezer Weizman's tomb.

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This isn't looking so great these days. Photographed this morning in Tel Aviv.

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"Not looking great" is rotting in a field.

In a shop undergoing maintenance IS "looking great"!

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10 years 2 months

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I am an ex IAF Lt. Colonel retired, living in Australia and involved with Radio Control Model Airplanes. I am about to start construction of a Spitfire and was looking for images of the Black 57, very happy I found it here.
Shortly after the start of my service, in 1962 I had a "Funny" encounter with Mr. Weizman and for all the years after that, we used to lough on this on various occasions. I loved and respected the man and this little toy I am now building is in his memory.

Hope to see the real machine in the air again one day...

Life is like a Box of Chocolate...

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Welcome Alex, do stick around.

I am sure many of us would be happy to read anything you'd like to share from your IAF days.

Moggy

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10 years 2 months

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Black 57

Welcome Alex, do stick around.

I am sure many of us would be happy to read anything you'd like to share from your IAF days.

Moggy

Hi Moggy,

I feel that this thread is about the MAN and about Black 57. I do have of course lots of "Stories" after 22 years in uniform, but maybe there is another thread more appropriate for other such general things.

I will post here chapters of the construction story of my Black 57, maybe others out there are also involved with the sport.

Cheers
Alex

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21 years 1 month

Posts: 8,505

As Moggy said Alex, welcome to our happy band. Why not start your own thread and tell us some of your memories. I feel sure you would be well read.

Mike