NZFF

I just discovered the old Fieseler Storch from FSAddons has been converted to native 20/24 format, so I adapted a few old paints and made a new one:

Torch 01 by JanKees Blom, on Flickr

DO+AI (00002) by JanKees Blom, on Flickr

Storch KFQX (00006) by JanKees Blom, on Flickr

Storch Aeronav(00006) by JanKees Blom, on Flickr

Swedish Storch (00002) by JanKees Blom, on Flickr

So good to see this infused into MSFS - I didn't know one could get this fidelity from such an old model.

I've been playing with it, hugely enjoyable



So glad you turned your paintbrush to the updates, well done!

The Fieseler Storch… an underestimated chapter of aviation history.

Strictly speaking, the common definition of a "warbird" is a bit unfair. It tends to focus on firepower and combat performance – and overlooks those aircraft that shaped WWII through sheer usefulness and versatility. The Fieseler Fi 156 is one of them.

There are many episodes tied to this strange-looking, highly capable plane:
– The German invasion of Luxembourg in 1940 began with a Storch landing.
– The emergency landing in the Netherlands with secret German plans on board (I think it was January 10, 1940) – a major intelligence disaster for the OKW.
– The recovery of Hans-Joachim Marseille’s remains in the desert.
– And of course, the most famous: the “rescue” of Mussolini from Gran Sasso. After the glider landing, it was a Storch that flew him out.

After the war, the Storch was copied – or rather, used as inspiration for new aircraft. In France as the Morane-Saulnier MS.500 “Criquet,” in Czechoslovakia, in the Soviet Union… The principle remained. Even the arrival of helicopters didn’t fully displace the idea of a slow, STOL-capable, field-happy recon aircraft. It's still relevant today.

For me, the Storch is not just a warbird – it’s a flying example of character and clever engineering.
Great to see it in MSFS – and thanks to Jahn Kees for these fine repaints.

(P.S. Yes, I talk a bit more than I used to.)

it’s a flying example of character and clever engineering.

Absolutely.
I've been watching the Oshkosh STOL competition online, and wondered how a Storch would fare in there.

I like this thing. It also appears repeatedly in flight simulations, and rightly so.