 In 1948 Goodlin served as a "Mahal" (foreign volunteer) pilot in the newly formed Israeli Air Force, and fought in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.During the war, while flying an IAF Supermarine Spitfire LF Mk IXe fighter, he was involved in the shooting down of three British Spitfire Mk XVIII reconnaissance fighters.Goodlin later became the chief test pilot for the IAF.