Fieseler Fi 156 Storch Plane at Collings Foudation

I was also lucky to be able to see a real Fiesler Fi 156 plane and Chris from 3rd Panzer Grenadier got to ride in the plane.The plane took off to go on a scouting mission as part of the day's battle scenario.

The Fieseler Fi 156 Storch (stork) was a small German liaison aircraft built by Fieseler before and during World War II, and production continued in other countries into the 1950s for the private market. It remains famous to this day for its excellent STOL performance, and French-built later variants are a common fixture at air shows.The Storch (Stork) was designed in 1935 by Fieseler, Mewes and Bachem, in response to a contest for a general utility airplane by the RLM. The plane flew for the first time May 24th, 1936. Among its key features was its maneuverability, extremely low stalling speed of 32 mph, and its short field takeoff and landing characteristics. In late 1937, the Storch was accepted by the Luftwaffe and, throughout WWII, was widely used by German military forces for reconnaissance, liaison, ambulance, and other duties and by high ranking officers as personal transports. Between 1937 and 1945, the German Air Force accepted 2,871 Storchs.