FI-156 Storch

[Ryan Keough]

CF updated me with the person who restored the batch of Storches in Canton, MI... Jan Muller. He has since passed on, but a good number of the flyers are still in the air thanks to him.

[AirJimL2]

There was another one with yellow bands that used to appear around the midwest; I think I recall that it was Canadian registered. Haven't seen that one for a long time either. It was very nice, looked a lot like the one Kermit now has, but would need to go through my pics to see if it's the same.

Murray Kott's old C-FIWG now N111FS and registered in Conn. I remember seeing IWG just before Murray bought it at an auction at the Oshawa airport. I think it was overall grey at the time and it was the first time I'd ever seen a Storch.

Jim

[wls3]

Here is some dated info and pics of the CAF Storch restoration.

http://www.delvalwing.org/Storch.htm


The Fighter Factory also lists a Storch in their collection.

http://www.fighterfactory.com/airworthy-aircraft/fieseler-storch.php



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Last edited by wls3 on Tue Apr 10, 2007 10:12 am, edited 2 times in total.

[skymstr02]

Deleware Valley is based in New Jersey, don't know which town. We used to fly it a lot down here in Texas, but you just can't go anywhere in it at 90mph and 22gals hr. it doesn't make a real good travelling machine.

I used to like watching the Storch fly slower than the L-1 at the slow races at the airshows in Victoria, TX.

[Obergrafeter]

Is that California FI-156 based in Camarillo? What kind of engine does it have? Doesn't look like an Argus. Probably a Lycoming, more reliable, but so would putting a PT-6 on a P-47 be more reliable. Don't like changing one that much. One giveaway is the cowling. We were never able to run one with the side pieces on, got too hot.

[Randy Wilson]

A number of years ago, I flew the CAF's Storch back to its base in Boerne, Tx from the Midland AIRSHO. When I landed and logged the time at 3.1 hours, I was told I now held the record for the fastest flight in the Storch to or from Midland. Now it is 250 statue miles, give or take, so that yields a whopping average speed over the ground of 80.6 mph!

Years before, I ferried the Storch from the DFW Wing's base in Lancaster, Tx, just south of Dallas to the new HQ in Midland. The flight took 4.5 hours, not counting a fuel stop, and frankly, on a good day I can drive it in that time! When I was 20 miles out of Midland, I called approach and was told to call again passing downtown Midland - that would put me about 9-10 miles from the MAF airport which is between Midland and Odessa. After about 8-9 minutes I got a call asking basically where I was - they didn't believe I was just then abreast downtown. Ten minutes later I was finally on the ground and ready for an adult beverage.

As has been said, not a great travelling aircraft but it sure can land and take off just about anywhere. On more than one occasion with a good crosswind and a single runway, the take off run was, shall we say, not in the same direction as the runway with no problems. I hope to see the CAF Storch back in the air in the near future. Best of luck to those working on it.

Randy

[Cvairwerks]

Randy W. will probably remember this one....I used to fly with Mike Lee in his Fi. to a lot of the area shows. The last one that we made together was the Carswell show a year or two prior to it becoming CJRB. Mike and I launched from his hangar at Clark Field, about 25 miles north. The plan was for us to meet up with the rest of the gaggle of L birds and PT's at Oliver Farms and then go on to the base as a giant formation. As ususal, there was a minor problem of sorts and we ended up as the next to last bird in the air. The plan had been for one of the L-5's to hang back and be our radio voice as we had no transmitt capability that weekend.

Best laid plans went out the window as the wind picked up from the south and eveything else, including the L-3's just flat ran away from us. After the longest time, we finally went feet wet over Lake Worth. By this time, eveyone else has landed and the tower is questioning our radio bird about when we were going to land as they had several jets stacked behind us up on the Red River that were coming to the show too. We decided at that pont to do a 360 and start climbing to get out of the way. The tower figured out what we were doing and proceded to land everyone under us while we were on final. We were so long in the air, that our radio bird had to land and refuel while we were still on final.

Once we were on the ground and parked, we got a visit from the tower crew that had been on duty when we started our approach, along with the base commander and a couple of the jet guys. None of them could believe that we were really that slow until we demonstrated that we could fly the tail in the current wind conditions even though we were tied down. A couple of the NATO jet students were looking at the Fiesler and just shaking their heads. Total air time was 2 hours and 49 minuets with a total distance flown of about 30 miles. It had taken us just under 1 hour and 40 minuets on final approach over Lake Worth. Going home the next day threatened to be as bad, but we lucked out and the wind layed for the afternoon and we made it home in an hour.

[Obergrafeter]

Your bragging Randy. If you were as big as me and had to spend 4 hrs getting that hog to Midland you would buy a turbo for it. Not made for 6ft. fat boys. But I do miss it.

[Randy Wilson]

Oh, didn't I mention the fuel and oil stop in Llano or somewhere close? The Storch could carry more fuel that I could sit through in one flight, that's for sure! I'd certainly never call it comfortable but it was fun.

Cvairwerks - I do seem to remember that show and "gaggle" flight. I had forgotten about Mike and his plane - thanks for bringing that memory back. Getting older really is not fun. Hope everybody is still flying safe.

Randy

[T J Johansen]

And one in Norway that will eventually fly.

http://www.storch.no/index.htm

T J

[mustangdriver]

There used to be one at Air Heritage, but I believe it is now at Pima.

[tom d. friedman]

there was a ww2 japanese version of the storch, i don't know if it was an original design or a copy of the german type, but i think it was a modified copy. i'm certain there are none flying, but do any survivors exist in museums??

[Obergrafeter]

Allied code name Stella

[tom d. friedman]

stella ....very good!!! you win the car & luggage!!! i'm sure there are no flying examples here in the u.s., let alone anywhere else, anything in any worldwide museums???

[Flashonyrsix]

FHC flew their Storch today along with the PO2 and P-40. Yesterday P-51, Spitfire and P-47. Fun Days.

Norm