Fieseler Fi 156 "Storch"

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I read a very interesting article in the Flight Journal special "German Fighters" issue (which incidentally covers, fighters, bombers, and recce planes...a good thing if you ask me) regarding the Fieseler Storch. It was interesting as much of the article was from the perspective of a German pilot and his experiences flying it during the war.

The Storch is an interesting airplane, and the more I read about it, the more I'm impressed. It's the quintessential STOL airplane, and was incredibly versatile.

I got to wondering how many are actually flying today...including the French-built Morane-Saulnier examples.

Has anyone ever seen one in person? I'd love to see one fly sometime.

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16 years 7 months

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.............and here's one of the French version

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4092/5003933691_ef9107ef30_b.jpg

which, due to a head wind, was virtually stationary in the air at the time!

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And here is another French version (MS500 F-AZDA, ex F-BBUG) at the Geneva Classics meeting September 2009. To paraphrase Avion, due to being tied to the ground it was completely stationary at the time.

Laurence

http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc39/apollo-fox/DSCF0008.jpg

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There was one based at RAF St Mawgan in the summer of 1976 during the filming of part of 'The Eagle has Landed'. I recall it being flown around the airfield at walking pace by, I think, our Station Commander, Group Captain Harry Archer. Hopefully, it may still be around somewhere.

Regards....Paul

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Yes the 'Storch' puts in a good appearence in that film, with some great Trebelzue background shots - unfortunately that is the most that can be said for that film!
Is the Criquet a particular french version of the Storch, or applied to the range of radial and inline versions?

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Criquet was simply the name for the French-built Storch, from 1944 to 1965. Wikipedia gives the variants as:

# MS-500 - Liaison version. French produced with 240 hp French built Argus engine.
# MS-501 - with a 233 hp Renault 6Q
# MS-502 - Liaison version. Identical to the MS-500, with the Argus engine replaced by a 230 hp Salmson 9ab radial engine.
# MS-504 - with a 304 hp Jacobs R-755-A2 radial engine.
# MS-505 - Observation version of the MS-500 with the Argus engine replaced by a 304 hp Jacobs R-755-A2 radial engine.
# MS-506 - with a 235 hp Lycoming engine.

Laurence

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Thanks Laurence, didn't realise it was built for so long after the war.

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At East Fortune
MS-505 - Observation version of the MS-500 with the Argus engine replaced by a 304 hp Jacobs R-755-A2 radial engine.

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Hi all,

Can someone help me ? ;-)

I've had a PC crash and I lost some of my files of the past three months, and, in the circumstances, some pictures of a very recently restored Fi-156.

This aircraft wears a Luftwaffe green camo, it's painted with a swatiska on the tail.

I've searched for it on some of my usual aviation forums, but found nothing !

So, any help, greatly appreciated.

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Chris
Is it the one I published just a few posts above, F-AZDA? No swastika though.

Laurence

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You're probably thinking of Peter Holloway's example based at Old Warden, Befordshrie.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1287/5184245968_2dd8ec88ed_o.jpg

Its actually the machine in Robbos post too.

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But it's not green and does not seem to have a swastika. Has it changed colour as I think it was once green though?

Laurence

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What one sees infrequently - or not at all - are photos of the Criquet doing what it did best in the post war years, namely towing gliders into the air. Can anyone oblige?

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Bad angle on that photo, it does have a Swastika on the tail and it is indeed green;)

http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/4936/img7651.jpg

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At East Fortune
MS-505 - Observation version of the MS-500 with the Argus engine replaced by a 304 hp Jacobs R-755-A2 radial engine.

First one I thought of. I believe it was airworthy back in the 1970s/80s, as I had a postcard of the aircraft in flight.

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No, it's a standard two-tones dark green Storch, with a swatiska on the tail.
I recorded quite big pictures of this aircraft, but as already said lost it in the HD crash ! I remember the pictures had been taken under a grey sky.

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What one sees infrequently - or not at all - are photos of the Criquet doing what it did best in the post war years, namely towing gliders into the air. Can anyone oblige?

IIRC, I have a number of images of one (in Aéronavale colours?) doing that at la Ferte in 1986, but those are on print / slide so not immediately postable.