Mitchell Flint (photo, above, from 1949), an American aviator who helped form the Israeli Air Force in 1948 and served in Israel's first fighter squadron, has died. He was 94. Flint, a former American Navy fighter pilot, died Saturday in Los Angeles of natural causes, said his son, Michael Flint.Rico says that, all too soon, the last of the World War Two generation will be gone... (And Rico says he apologizes for the Our Man Flint reference, but not much.)
Flint was one of the founding members of Mahal, a group of non-Israelis who fought in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. He was one of the original members of the Israeli Air Force's first fighter squadron and helped train Israel's first military pilots, his son said.
Flint and other members of the Mahal had flown in German planes that were captured during World War Two, covering the Nazi insignia with Stars of David. He flew in rebuilt Messerschmitts, Germany's main fighter plane during World War Two, as well as P-51 Mustangs (as in the photo) and Spitfires.
When he returned to the United States, Flint moved to Los Angeles, California and became a lawyer. He continued flying until last year, his son said. "He was a humble man who did what he did and never looked for glory," Michael Flint said of his father. "He was proud of what he did until the very end."
18 September 2017
Another good one gone; their man Flint
Michael Balsamo has an Associated Press article via Yahoo about an Israeli flier:
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