What about Spector? Is he alive?

Alive, yes. But NOT as an airforce pilot. Not even as an officer, AFAIK.

Dishonourable discharge for incitement to mutiny, IIRC. Sad end for a pilot who had done so well during YKW.

More African and central american please! 😀

Welcome aboard

Here is a Tunisian thingy.

does anybody know its name…..?

How ’bout MDD model 279 ?

Well I was trying to find the Islander AWACS that is now used by the british Army for suveilance work

It could be argued whether the flying erection is more ugly or obscene…
:diablo: :diablo: :diablo: 😀 😀 😀

Someone said “Mickey mouse ears” ?

Burt Rutan has intersting designs, as everbody knows by now.
And under some angles,….

Here’s a rather unflattering view of the Proteus.

A hat for the Queen?

So fugly that it is just impossibly ugly.

The GAL-38 Fairley Fruitbat fleet shadower design.

(The Froggies spread rumors that it originated as a fashion design for a hat for the Queen, but don’t believe them!) 😀 😀 😀

I just noticed that the Ecuadorian Arava in the picture I just submitted is marked “SAE,” not “FAE.” Does anybody know what “SAE” refers to?

It means the plane belongs to the army, not the air force.
It used to be the “Servicio Aéreo del Ejército” Ecuatoriano now renamed AEE “Aviación del Ejército Ecuatoriano”

Commandeered Arava

While we are on the topic of the Arava and of planes that were not supposed to serve in an air force, the first IAI Aravas got commandeered and pressed into service by the heyl ha avir during the 1973 YKW.
The AF had refused to purchase the IAI planes until then, but hurriedly forced all samples available at IAI into casevac and tac transport role, bringing back casualties from the Sinai front.

The IAF did not purchase Aravas until way after the war.

BTW, the last Aravas, IAI 202 ELINT/SIGINT versions, were just retired last year. RIP.