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Aviation History
1944
1944 - 1855.PDF
SEnEMBER 7TH, I944 FLIGHT 263 Studies in Recognition Aircraft in Flying Attitudes £ STORCH (One 240 h.p. Argus As 10C) ^w FROM the functional point of view the Fieselcr Storch is comparable to the British Auster and the American Piper inasmuch as it was designed to fulfil duties calling for a quick, short take-off and a slow, short landing in and out of small spaces. But it" does not fulfil them with anything like the economy of the light: Allied types which are military versions of popular private-owner and club aircraft. For the Storch is comparable in the matter of size and engine power with such Allied aircraft as the Fairchild Argus and Stinson Reliant, which are illustrated here by way of comparison. Usually powered by a 240 h.p. Argus As 10C eight-cylinder in verted "V" type air-cooled engine, but occasionally encountered with other engines of similar size, the Storch has a top speed of only 108 m.p.h., but it is able to fly level at 31 m.p.h., land at 25 m.p.h., and stop in 30 yds. As will be seen from the illustrations, this aircraft has fixed slots along the entire leading edge of the strut- braced high wing, and slotted camber-changing flaps ensuring a remarkably short take-off run. This last feature enabled a Storch Fioscler Storch. RELIANT ARGUS (With radial engine) Span - 42ft. Length - 30ft. Span - 36ft. 4in. Length - 23ft. oin. Fairch'ld Argus (in-iine Ranger engine) pilot to rescue Mussolini from his mountain jail. The type was also extensively used in North Africa to taxi German generals, including Rommel, around their commands, and Mr. Churchill used a captured Storch on a recent tour of the Normandy front and was piloted by Air Vice-Marshal Hairy Broadhurst, a group commander in the A.E.A.F. Incidentally, its name (in English, Stork) is obviously inspired by the long, slender legs of its fixed undercarriage braced to the upper longerons of the fuselage at the wing-roots. This unusual undercarriage constitutes a major recognition feature. Other dis tinctive points include the very slim fuselage aft of the cabin, which bulges at the sides to provide adequate elbow room (especially for Mussolini!), the very large curved elevators which project well beyond the tips of the fixed horizontal surfaces, and the large fin and rudder with curved trailing edge and horn balance. It is worth noting that the peculiar shape of the nose, which rdughly follows the cross-section of* the inverted V engine, gives it the appearance of a small radial in the underneath plan view. This is of some importance when comparing the Storch with the Fairchild Argus—the C-61 in the U.S.A.A.F.—because the latter, which also has parallel edged wings and a fixed undercarriage braced to the upper fuselage longerons at the wing roots, is now produced with either radial or in-line engine as illustrated. The far more Stinson Reliant. compact lines of the C-61, however, should prevent confusion, while in the case of the Reliant the cantilever undercarriage and " Lysand>;r " wing form are quite distinctive. Like the Aigus, the Reliant has a fuselage of much greater cross-section in relation to its length than has the Storch, while its comparatively heavy, blunt nose could not house anything but a radial engine, Dimensions of the Storch are:—Span 46ft. gin., length 32ft. Sin., height iolt., wing area 279.7 sq. ft.
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