The Storch is trickier than expected

‪@LeviNoguess‬ takes me flying in his World War 2 era replica Storch.

The Fieseler Fi 156 Storch is one of the OG short takeoff (STOL) aircraft.

Production of these aircraft started in 1937. After the war, the French continued to build them for civilian use until 1965.

A contemporary of the Storch was the L-4 (better known as the Piper Cub. In comparison, the Storch was much much bigger. It had a wingspan of almost 50 feet, and weighed almost 3,000lbs full loaded.

This Storch recreation uses modern materials to give the same STOL capabilities, while being safer and more reliable.

If you are at a STOL competition, odds are you’ll see the owner Levi Noguess taking this thing off and landing it in incredibly short distances.

It was a pleasure to get to meet him and fly his airplane. He is such a great guy who just genuinely loves flying. Looking forward to running into him and the STOL team again at ArkanStol in about a month.

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Chapters:
0:00 - Intro
0:11 - Getting my plane ready
2:24 - Flight planning
3:49 - Weather brief
6:19 - Arrival in Killeen, TX
6:42 - Storch walk around
8:28 - Taking off
9:49 - First landing
12:22 - River run
15:37 - Second landing
18:27 - Last landing
20:27 - Reaction
21:12 - Debrief
24:12 - Formation flying with Levi
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The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.