KITS 07/2022

S-199.183, 1 Air Training Regiment, Olomouc, 1953

This aircraft was taken over by the military administration on May 2, 1949, after being factory test-flown on December 9, 1948. It was subsequently

handed over to the Police Air Patrol, where it served

with the OK-BYH matriculation. It stayed with this

aviation component until December 23, 1950, when

it was returned to the Air Force for a transfer price

of 364,000 CZK. During nineteen-months long service

with Police Air Patrol, the aircraft had only 47 flight

hours logged. Subsequently, the aircraft served with

the Air Force and was one of the few equipped with

AFP 32.5/7×9 or AFP 12.5/7×9 cameras in the rear

fuselage. These were protected on the ground and

during the flight, when not in use, by sliding covers.

The aircraft served for an unspecified period with

the 1 Air Training Regiment in Olomouc, but training

of the pilots was not conducted there on S-199s. The

aircraft served there as a teaching aid only, although

it was airworthy. During February-April 1954 period it

was still in service with the 6 Fighter Air Regiment,

based at Mladá airfield. The red spinner was probably a remnant of the aircraft's service with the Police

Air Patrol, so it was painted in scarlet color.

S-199.334, ak. Milan Pohlodek, Air Military Academy, Hradec Králové, March 1950

Not much is known about the history of this “Mule”,

but its service at the Air Military Academy in Hradec Králové, where it made an emergency landing on

March 16, 1950, is certain. The pilot was a pilot-student, ac. (trainee) Milan Pohlodek. The airframe of

the aircraft was cancelled after the accident, engine

No. 105 went for inspection. The damage cost was

estimated at nearly two million of Czech crowns. An

interesting feature of the aircraft is the drawing of a

crayfish on the bonnet of the engine, most probably

painted in red. It is not clear who the author was and

on what occasion it appeared on the aircraft. From

the photographs of the crashed aircraft, it seems

that the spinner was painted in white and blue, as

these were usual spinner colors of the Academy.

S-199.235, por. Jan Šurák, 2nd Squadron, 8 Fighter Air Regiment,

Klecany, May 17, 1951

Aircraft No. 235 was assigned to Air Regiment No. 7

on May 17, 1949, where it was given the fuselage code

IV-4. In August of the same year, the aircraft underwent radiator repair and in January 1950 undercarriage repair followed. Subsequently, the aircraft was

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INFO Eduard

transferred to the 8 Air Fighter Regiment where it

was assigned to the 2nd Squadron and redesignated

MR-43. On May 17, 1951, it was destroyed in a crash

caused by engine jam due to insufficient oil level. The

pilot, por. (Lieutenant) Šurák, bailed out and saved

himself on a parachute. He suffered just minor arm

injury. The aircraft crashed near Černíkovice village

in the Benešov district. The lack of oil was caused by

the fact that the aircraft's technicians were called to

guard and so forgot to refill the oil tank.

July 2022