onto the airframe of late Messerschmitt

BF 109 airframe and on top of it using also

heavy and wide “bomber” propeller, he

would hardly find an appropriate term.

I would, however, be sparing with strong

condemnations. Even though it was an

aircraft that was far from being able to

compete with the top fighters of its time,

it not only fulfilled, but actually surpassed

its task. It was originally intended only for

training of fighter pilots, helping to bridge

the critical period until the arrival of modern jet aircraft, but in the end, it was the

backbone of Czechoslovak fighter air force for about three years. There were not

enough funds to buy modern aircraft in

required numbers. Buying latest versions of Spitfires, Tempests or Mustangs

in the required quantities would have

drained almost all of the country's foreign

exchange reserves at the time. And considerations of buying Meteor jets, which

were also said to have been discussed,

could already be called an unattainable

dreams. The Soviet Union did not show up

too much of helpfulness after the war and

the aircraft the Czechoslovak pilots came

back with from abroad, whether from the

East or the West, were not in sufficient

numbers. The war may have been over,

but a new war was expected within ten to

fifteen years at that time, so the projected peacetime numbers of combat aircraft

were quite generous.

In spite of this, the creation of the S-199

was actually quite a smart move. It saved money, made use of what was already there. Without the problems with the

quality of the components, especially the

engines, and perhaps lousy quality of the

Richard Plos

Photo: collection Michal Ovčáčík

FROM „MULE“ TO GRIPEN

So, we finished the „Mezek“ (Mule), as we

call the S-199, in 1/72nd scale... The molds

are ready, instructions, markings, photo

etched parts and decals are prepared too.

I will leave the evaluation of this kit, much

awaited by many, to the modelling community, but I personally like it very much.

In the course of preparing this kit we have

time and again encountered various ambiguities, contradictions in the interpretation of many photographs and other joys,

every aviation history researcher knows

very well. While it is true that no one seems to be discovering anything completely new, when it comes to the subject

of S-199, we have nevertheless come up

with a few interpretations of our own. I am

curious to see how they will be received

by the modelling community.

What I am very interested in, and have

been pondering for some time, is the real

importance of this aircraft to Czechoslovakia and its Air Force. It´s reputation here

in Czech Republic or in Slovakia is a specific mix of nostalgia, patriotism as well

as sober perspective. Although it was a

“mishmash” made of German components

available, we still keep that feeling it was

our aircraft. And you know what? I like the

S-199 probably the best of all the Messerschmitt variants. Not because of nostalgia, I just like the altered silhouette with

smaller propeller cone more than the

somewhat blunt-nosed Bf 109G. After all,

I don't know what words one would choose in the case of the S-199, who perhaps

should have called the Bf 109G-10 “the bastard from the Erla factory”. For grafting

a bombers-dedicated Jumo 211 engine

work of the postwar aircraft industry, the

S-199 might have had a slightly better reputation after all.

Interestingly, despite the many unflattering articles, veteran pilots remember the

S-199 mostly fondly. “I can notify you,” as

Major Zdeněk Smetana, my former Mi-2

pilot instructor, began his sentence in his

typical way, “that a well-adjusted Mule

was capable of doing over 600 kilometers

per hour in level flight!” The year was 1986

and this elderly gentleman was completing his flying career as an instructor by

pounding the necessary coordination of

collective, cyclic and pedals movements

into the heads of twenty-year-old academy students. He certainly didn't swear at

Mule. Quite on the contrary! “It was nice to

fly it, one just had to keep it under control

on takeoff..." That's what he said to me at

the time when I asked him about his experience with Mule.

Recently, I thought of a connection to the

present, where the future of the Czechoslovak Air Force is once again being

discussed regarding the fighter aircraft.

I was thinking that it would be best to keep

the existing Gripens, add possibly one

more squadron and update these aircraft

as much as possible. It seemed to me to

be a cost-saving and sufficient solution which would not drain the money out

from the budget too much. I considered

every thoughts about acquiring state-of-the-art F-35s to be an even more unattainable than the consideration of buying

hundreds of Meteors for our post-war Air

Force. I was in favor of a path more in line

with that of the Mule, though I certainly

don't want to compare the Gripen to it.

It's an excellent aircraft that bridged our

Air Force successfully from the old Mig-21s to the modern Western technology.

I thought it would be the best solution.

Then I woke up to February 24, 2022 and

I don't think so anymore...

April 2022

INFO Eduard

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