The Project

The project was initiated in 2004 with the search for a Fieseler Fi 156 Storch. The intention was to restore a Storch to airworthy condition. The first hands-on work took place in 2006 when a group of volunteers led by Tor Nørstegård started to restore three Argus As 10C engines for static display. The work on the engines was part of a deal with the Aircraft Museum at Sola and the Aircraft Museum at Bodø. When finished the three engines were exchanged for a possible airworthy engine.

In 2007 a project was bought in Nevada, USA. The Storch with Werknr. 1816 was one of the last in a series built at the Morane Saulnier Puteaux plant north of Paris. In August 1944, when the city was liberated, the partly completed Storch was left behind by the Germans. Sometime later the French stamped MS 500 S/N 43 on the blank German data plate and set the manufacture date as 23 November 1944. The Storch then flew with the French Forces during the last months of the war. Thus it became a truly remarkable warbird being manufactured by the Germans, but flown by the Allies. Following a military and later civilian carrier in France as F-BJQB, the Storch came to the USA in 1970 and was registered N44FS. The aircraft was bought from USA partly restored following a ground handling accident.

The restoration work was carried out outside ordinary working hours in a private workshop at Fetsund. The non-profit, privately funded project also included the engine overhaul. In 2012 the Storch was put on the Norwegian register as LN-WNS (Warbirds of Norway Storch). The aim has been to restore it to a condition as close as possible to an original Fi 156 C-3. This includes German instrumentation and original equipment in the cockpit. The Storch is given the identity of H3+BF, a Storch belonging to Stab Jagdfliegerführer Norwegen (Jagdgeschwader JG-5) based at Forus, Norway in December 1943.

 Post restoration the Storch was flown successfully by Tor Nørstegård for the first time on 7 October 2017.

A photo of H3+BF from Stab Jagdfliegerführer Norwegen
taken at Stavanger Forus December 1943.
The "Adler-Emblem" is visible on the engine cowling.

 

A photo of "sister-ship" H3+BR belonging to Stab Jagdfliegerfürer Norwegen at Stavanger Forus in Norway probably taken in the winter 1943/44.
Behind is a Focke-Wulf Fw 58 Weihe.
Does anyone have additional information about this photo?

It turns out that the emblem seen on the left hand side of
the cowling must be the same "Adler-Emblem" as the one at a Bf 109 cowling
belonging to the Aircraft Museum at Sola. For a long time it has been
believed that it belonged to Stab Jagdfliegerfürer Norwegen. However, new
information confirm that fighters from IV/JG5 had this emblem. The
possibilities of both units wearing the same emblem is not unlikely because
late in the war Major Günter Scholz was both Jagdfliegerfürer Norwegen and
Geschwaderkommodore JG5. Furthermore, they where both based at Forus outside
Stavanger, Norway. More information about this can be found in "Luftwaffe in
Focus" edition 9/2006.

The Adler-Emblem

The Storch is restored in accordance with the Civil Aviation Authority regulations. This is basically the same regulations that apply for kit building of experimental aircraft. A complete workshop with all necessary tools and equipment is located at Fetsund; 30 minutes drive northeast of Oslo Norway. The group has weekly meetings, and combines work with social activities. No date is set for the first flight, but it is anticipated that the work will take 5 – 10 years.