Strana 55
S-199.66, ak. Ladislav Strnad, Air Military Academy, Hradec Králové,
Czechoslovakia, June 1950
S-199.486, Lt. František Fořt, No. 1 Squadron, Aviation Regiment 7,
Brno-Černovice, Czechoslovakia, 1950
This aircraft was assigned to Air Regiment 7 on
August 4, 1948. On May 10, 1950, it was sent to
the LVA (Air Military Academy), where it was
damaged during take-off from the Pardubice
airfield. A good quality photo of this crashed
aircraft exists and shows very interesting
coloring, as the rear fuselage and engine cowls
are clearly different shade of lighter color
compared to the original green. There might
be several reasons about this aircraft’s colors.
We believe there were probably some minor
repairs needed on the rear fuselage (or just
overpainting of original user’s code) and as the
LVA probably did not have the standard green
color the tan color intended for C-104s was
used. As there was also a need to change the
engine cowl at some point, the cowl from a dark
green aircraft was used and overpainted in the
same color as the rear fuselage to keep the
aircraft in some color “order”. But the new coat
chipped around the machine gun barrels and
the darker green surfaced there. Also, the right
slat is clearly dark green color. The question
mark hangs over the national insignia on upper
wing surfaces. On the photo it seems like they
were not painted there, but it might well be only
due to the over exposition of the surface under
the direct sun. Interesting is also the obvious
absence of most of the stencils. The front of the
fuselage and wings were quite worn out, while
both green and rear tan part of fuselage looks
like new. The engine cowl sports some chipping
and repairs in contrast.
This “Mezek” was test flown by factory pilot An-
tonín Kraus on December 12, 1949. On January 24,
1950, the aircraft was taken over by the military
administration and assigned to LP 7 (Aviation
Regiment 7) stationed at Brno-Slatina airport on
February 7 of the same year. It was coded IV-8
and, according to the memories of veterans and
unit logs, it sported a drawing of Diana carry-
ing her bow. The author of the drawing was the
fiancée and future wife of the deputy Squadron
Commander and Flight Commander František
Fořt. According to period witnesses, the same
emblem also appeared on the aircraft of two
other Flight Commanders, Lieutenants Jaro-
mír Jech and Jiří Váňa. As is mentioned in the
unit memoirs, more S-199s were equipped with
various emblems, at least for a certain period
of time. They are even documented in the said
memoirs, but it is not clear to which specific
aircraft they refer to. The aircraft was probably
painted with darker green paint on all surfaces.
At that time, the white of the spinner belonged
to the aircraft of Air Division, to which LP 7 and
LP 8 (Aviation Regiments 7 and 8) belonged, but
not all aircraft were so marked, and IV-8 was
probably one of these. There is no photographic
evidence, unfortunately.
KITS 11/2025
INFO Eduard
55
November 2025