Uri Gil, born April 9, 1943, is a retired Brigadier General in the Israeli Air Force. In 2007, he was listed as the most senior combat pilot in history in the Guinness World Records.
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After completing his compulsory military service, Gil remained in the Israeli air force as a career officer. In his late 20s, he began to paint. At the age of 42, he left the air force to become a full-time painter, but continued to fly as a reserve officer. He was an active combat pilot from 1964 to his last F-16 flight on June 20, 2003, at 60 years and 72 days of age. Gil has painted many commissioned portraits, including a portrait of the young Ayn Rand. He lives in the artists' village of Ein Hod.[1]In 1995 and 1998, Gil exhibited his work at the Wilfred Israel Museum in northern Israel.[1]
"Every sortie that I flew, every dogfight, is a brush-stroke in my portrait in the mirror into which I will peer when my operational life is over. When I reach that day, I want to be satisfied with what I see." [2]