According to Swiss laws, the landing of a military aircraft on the country’s territory was prohibited, so the Douglas was hastily repainted, the Israeli blue-and-white flag with the Star of David was drawn on the tail of the aircraft, and the fuselage was labeled in Hebrew “Israeli National Aviation Company”.

The company’s emblem became a flying camel. The crew was dressed in a specially tailored uniform for the day, with a camel emblem on their caps.

On September 28, 1948, the aircraft with a crew of 16 people took off from the Tel Nof military airfield located between Rehovot and Gedera and headed for Geneva.

In Geneva, the President of the State of Israel, Chaim Weizmann, and his wife Vera boarded the aircraft. During the flight from Geneva, the “presidential aircraft” was escorted by 4 fighters. The War of Independence was ongoing, and despite a ceasefire declared until October 15, 1948, military actions could resume at any moment, including in the air.

This flight from Geneva became the first civil aviation flight in the history of the state of Israel. The first aircraft, which opened the era of civil flights in Israel, was named “Rehovot” — after the city near which the airfield from which it flew to Geneva is located.