'Low & Slow - Very Slow!' - Fieseler Storch - Shuttleworth Military Pageant 2013

Peter Holloway's Fieseler Fi-156 Storch (German for 'Stork'), G-STCH, showing it's slow flying capabilities at the Shuttleworth Military Pageant 2013.
The Storch was designed in 1936 to meet a Luftwaffe requirement for an Army Co-operation, liaison and Casualty Evacuation aircraft.
Production commenced in 1937 at the Fieseler Works in Kassel. However, as WW2 progressed, production shifted in 1942 to the Morane-Saulnier factory in occupied France, allowing Fieseler to produce the Me109 and FW190 and latterly, V1 flying bombs. The aircraft was also produced in Czechoslovakia from 1944. A combined total of more than 3000 aircraft were produced.
Due to the shortages of strategic materials, the Storch was originally fitted with wooden wings and tailplane.
At the end of the war, Morane-Saulnier continued to produce the aircraft for their own military. When supplies of the French-made Argus Engine dried up, the aircraft was re-engined initially with the French Salmson and finally, with the 300hp American radial. With the supply of aluminium no longer a problem, the fragile and problematic wooden wings were also replaced.
The aircraft we see today has an unknown wartime history. It was recovered from France as a damaged, incomplete donor aircraft in the 1960′s. Evidence recovered from the fuselage frame indicate that it pre-dates 1942.
Peter Holloway bought the aircraft as an advanced project in 2006 from the defunct RLM Aviation in Fairoaks. It was completed within the workshops of the Shuttleworth Collection and flew again for the first time in 2009. It has been a regular airshow performer since.
The Storch has an astonishing STOL performance, largely due to its fixed full-span leading edge slats, large flaps and drooping ailerons.
It does not stall in the conventional sense. In wartime service it was often landed by closing the throttle, lowering the flaps and ailerons, hauling the stick back and arriving on the ground at a rate that the long-stroke undercarriage could generally absorb.
Surviving numbers are thought to be around a dozen worldwide. At the time of filming this was the only airworthy example in the UK.
The Fieseler Storch was the last dogfight victim of the western front. Pilot Duanes Francies and his observer, Lieutenant William Martin, of the 5th US Army Division, spotted a Storch circling below them while looking for ground targets in their L4 Piper Cub. Diving on the Storch, the two men opened fire with their Colt .45s and the plane spiralled to the ground. After a short gun battle, Francies and his observer took the two Germans into custody. Lt. Martin was awarded the Air Medal for his part in the fight, but Francies would have to wait until the story was reported in Cornelius Ryan’s book “The Last Battle,” to finally be awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. The USAF was 22 years late. Apart from being the last Luftwaffe plane lost in the west, the Storch was also the only enemy plane downed by pistol fire during the war.
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[@HighFlight]

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[@WeimarAmerica]

That is amazing. The plane, the event, and the presentation here. Thank you!

[@HighFlight]

Thanks. Glad you liked it. Sorry the edit and quality isn't up to my current standards. Perhaps I'll do a re edit to improve it? Thanks for viewing. 👍

[@philodonoghue3062]

The greatest military observation plane of all time.

[@madzen112]

The Storch is really both an engineers and a pilots dream of a plane, an amazing machine!

[@sandspar]

This is the only A/C I would ever consider piloting. Like a huge hang glider with a very apt engine. Beautiful testament of engineering elegance. Thanks for posting.

[@HighFlight]

A pleasure. It would be a joy to fly as it is to watch!

[@stewartnicol3028]

If you would only consider piloting this aircraft, the you have my pity. Learn on any airplane, qualify for your licence. Then, come back and comment again.

[@FINNIUSORION]

Amazing aircraft. Easily one of my favorite all time aircraft.

[@fredtedstedman]

Low and slow-the way to go . Wonderful , it's like watching a model plane ! Wales UK

[@HighFlight]

And a great way to look down on the world from above - I think a model plane would be hard pushed to fly this slowly, even if it was a model of the same aircraft?

[@mikedunn7795]

As the allies advanced east after D-day, a few big wigs (such as Field Marshal Montgomery) adopted the plane as a personal transport when they found one undamaged.

[@MsEhydna]

Greatest!

[@lorenzbroll101]

The Aircraft Exchange currently has 1 used Storch Fi 156 on the market. These Storch Fi 156 Warbirds aircraft for sale are available immediately.Price: $650,000

[@jonathoneadie-simcock8095]

They are a stunning small plane love them

[@UTubeGlennAR]

Lovely, thank You............

[@fridayray8891]

Truly an excellent engineered aircraft.

[@dutch2smoked927]

you belong to the streets with a profile picture like that

[@TankBuilders]

Colour balance and focus were off but always good to see a Storch in flight.

[@HighFlight]

Yes, sorry they were. Filmed with a DSLR with auto/manual lens and an old analogue camcorder. I now use a digital 4K Camcorder that does the job far better, so all I need is the opportunity to film this or another Storch again - hopefully one day?🙃

[@romaneberle]

I watched one of these - I remember it was a completely yellow one - fly by very slowly at the "Der Schneider von Ulm" flight show some time in the 1980es. I was a little kid, and all I knew about aeroplanes was that I had (rougly) built a Spitfire from a small plastic model kit, and totally messed up a bigger Phantom F-4 model kit. I remember to this day the weird feeling the Fi-156 Storch gave me, when it hung there in the air: This is unreal, why doesnt this fall down to the ground? (Or, into the water, in this case.) :-)

[@Harzhopper]

Just the wingtips where yellow

[@Imnotyourdoormat]

on 1 hand, it was hideous like a dragonfly...on the other hand, with its huge wing, leading-edge slats and full-length control surfaces it was aerodynamically gorgeous...a pilots dream. no other craft of that time could have gotten in, and gotten "el duce" out....but the dragonfly.

[@martinbrutt5000]

I get an old Photoalbum this time, i think between 1940 - 1942. There are 4 Original - WW 2 Photos from this Plane GM-AI on the small Island Neuwerk/Germany. I'm interested in where the plane has gone now and ist this the original GM-AI? Greetings, Martin

[@HighFlight]

Greetings Martin, I'm sorry for a delay in replying to your question. At this stage I don't know the full answer, but a bit of research may change this. This Storch was bought by Peter Holloway in 2006 from the RLM Aviation collection at Fairoaks, UK. The Storch is recorded as having been built in 1944 by Fieseler Werke Gmbh as a F156A-1 with serial number 2088. It was sold to a Norwegian owner in February 2019. If I can find more information I'll add it here. Steve.

[@martinbrutt5000]

@@HighFlight Hey Steve, thank you very much for this Informations. I dont know, when my picture was made 1940-45. But it has the same Planecode GM-AI, has the same Color and looks new. If you finde more, i would be happy. Greetings, Martin

[@barry5787]

Saw one in a dog fight at Duxford a few years ago.

[@muaythai193]

Did you win?

[@muaythai193]

Nice uneven V8 burble. ❤️

[@bernardbusch6729]

German commandos rescued Mussolini in one of these. My Father was OC of a Wehrmacht Unit in Eastern Ukraine, when they saw how Stalingrad was lost, the men in the unit agitated with him to evac. The abandoned all the merchandised equipment and took about 100 Horses to depart back to the Reich. The stuff they abandoned included one of these Aircraft.

[@HighFlight]

Bernard - That is a very interesting story. I know that the German Army was very reliant on horses during WW2 and can understand why. I presume that the Storch was left behind as it would not have had the ability to refuel if flown out and would likely have been a sitting target to the Russian Air Force?

[@fredmckissick8338]

High Flight h

[@mervynevans5176]

lo mejor de la aviacion de la segunda guerra. la perfeccion del vuelo lento. tengo el mio en 75 por ciento del tamaño del original.

[@HighFlight]

El tuyo debe ser un avión interesante, quizás la mejor opción para un original.

[@MrTuftynut]

Lovely Plane and nice to see it complete with full wartime DAK markings, including the swastika - all historic planes should be accurate ! I actually own an original tail-fin swastika and fabric, just like this one !

[@HighFlight]

That's interesting. What type of aircraft is yours from, another Fieseler Storch or something else?

[@MrTuftynut]

Yes it was cut from an original Fieseler Fi-156 Storch in the Mediterranean theatre during WW2 - It even has the original sand/light green fabric around the swastika, which is in black with a white edging. It is highly likely that it was part of a plane that FM Rommel flew in., but I can't prove this categorically after so many years .

[@pwieringa2]

Boeing / Airbus has introduced the "New" Wing - Flaps congiration of this old - school low speed airplane: Less fuel consumption during take off and changing headings .... I saw it explained with an captain movie with the A320 ....

[@madzen112]

Absolutely. But if I flew one on a regular basis, I sure would prefer a more civilian version!

[@AFV85]

Best recon aircraft

[@stewartnicol3028]

Pilot's dream....

[@simonz28]

very easy to tip stall though , but a very good plane none the less

[@rookie1525]

what a wonderful clip! i`stefan from kassel in germany, where tho storch is comming out of its egg in 1936. we have here a community. saving its live and several originals. do you want contact?

[@sandysutherland2182]

I Didn’t see that aircraft do any ‘low and slow’! I saw clips of two different aircraft.

[@HighFlight]

A matter of opinion, but you saw different clips from different cameras at different times of the same aircraft, which is coded GM+A1.

[@user-bp8pv1lg2t]

Лучший самолёт второй мировой войны

[@jonathoneadie-simcock8095]

All the small two seater planes from the ww2 this is the most beautifully small plane ever love to have a go in one

[@HighFlight]

Being in the cockpit must be like flying a greenhouse?

[@michaelsodt9402]

Jonathon Eadie-Simcock o

[@fourneaujean7593]

à l'origine il n'y avait pas de roulette de queue adaptation après.

[@HighFlight]

Je ne savais pas ça. Savez-vous quand ils ont commencé à monter une roue de queue et pourquoi?

[@fourneaujean7593]

@@HighFlight certainement après la WWII pour la maniabilité au sol

[@HighFlight]

@@fourneaujean7593 Je comprends. Je vous remercie.

[@mikeowen657]

I think the Swiss still make this ??

[@hartmutwrith3134]

no. They never did. Id had been produced in France still after the war with radial engines.

[@walterhinterberger3929]

You are thinking of the 'Pilatus Porter'.

[@jamesblade6684]

I think they don’t.

[@j.ongman5512]

Purring like a kitten

[@oinc7320]

Great plane, the US military learned nothing. After WW II, grasshoppers, planes designed for the purpose, by manufacturer contest, were replaced with basically civilian light aircraft. Vietnam those were just decked out civilian helicopters, they finally, after that conflict, went back to requiring ground up designs for a purpose. The Army got real military helicopters, tank killers, gun ship platform. As I recall even Patton flew an Army grasshopper with full slats and flaps.

[@royperkins3851]

German engineering but French manufactured!

[@fourneaujean7593]

???? le criquet c'est après ?

[@muellerm9768]

its german

[@obnyasar2998]

In memoriam ww1

[@d.haroldangel241]

What a truly beautiful, fantastic airplane. So sad, though, that it was produced by such a murderous regime and society.

[@HighFlight]

I agree and sadly there are many other similar examples of German and some other countries engineering that would fall into the same sphere. Captured Storch were also operated by the RAF and the French continued producing them as Morane Saulnier Criquet's for the Armee de l'Air after their liberation in WW2.