History ______________________________________________________________________________

FIESELER STORCH FI-156 view image

THE FIESSELER STORCH was an Airplane designed in Germany by Dr Gerhard Fieseler in 1935. In this same year, the reputation of its company for having built the first light airplane was firmly established. The design staff centered its efforts in a new airplane, encouraged by the civil and military markets. An airplane configuration of three seats, high wing monoplane, with an engine Argus ACE 10C V inverted and eight cylinders providing 225 HP.

The airship designated as FI 156 use a combination of fixed slats in the leading edge and fowler flaps that were proven in the FI 97. A hydraulic landing gear proved to be capable to absorb hard landing impacts; soon the FI 156 was called "Storch."

During the Second World War in Africa, the famous Field Marshal Irwin Romel, flew his own FI-156 on the battle front directing his troops and the artillery fire

In September 1943, Hitler gave an imperative order of rescuing the dictator Benito Mussolini, which relapsed on Otto Skorzeny, a professional soldier of the SS. The refuge Alberto, located in the Great Sasso, the highest mountain of the Apennines, was the prison of Mussolini. The initial plan of Skorzeny was to use the helicopter 223 Focke-Aghelis, but the airship was useless, so a Storch was selected as the logical alternative. The Storch pilot by Gerlach flew over the area, and under some extreme conditions landed and took off, rescuing the dictator Mussolini.


CRIQUET STORCH FI-156 view image

This aircraft is 75% scale of the original Storch size, built with planes obtained directly in Germany and certified aeronautical materials. Its stall characteristics and performance were authenticated by aeronautical engineers. For the design, operation, and quality assurance the next standards were followed ASTM F 2245- 04, F 2295-03 and F2279-03 for "Light Sport Airplanes" aircrafts category