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Old 3rd Jan 2009, 17:32
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Double Zero
 
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Not exactly stealing, but...

PWA,

Re. the Mosquito disappearing towards Israel, a book very worth reading - and it seems less recognised than deserved - is ' Flying Under Two Flags' by Gordon Levatt.

After flying Spitfires etc in WWII, he joined in the distinctly clandestine & dangerous scrabbling together of the rag-tag Israeli air force, everything from fighters to transports, with some very hairy flights.

I can't remember if the Mosquito is mentioned as the book is not to hand, but he does mention having a flight line of Spitfires & Messerchmitts alongside each other !

Another 'not exactly stolen' but distinctly unauthorised flight was the case of an R.A.F. groundcrew chap on a forward beach strip, in the Med' I think.

They were told to evacuate by road, leaving a good Spitfire behind as there weren't any pilots handy.

He hadn't any flying training, but reckoned he could suss it out - he did, with a few wobbles, and got the aircraft back to fight another day.

Naturally his reward was a B@llocking...
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