During the fourth annual open day at Mladá Boleslav Airport, visitors on the apron could admire a range of aircraft, including Bristells, Tecnams, a gyrocopter, and a nearby An-2. But one particular historic beauty stole the show.
“Why this particular Fieseler Fi 156 Storch?” I asked the best person for the job, Vladimír Handlík, director of the Metoděj Vlach Aviation Museum.
“Because Radek Pečínka wanted it,” he laughs. “The museum currently has 21 airworthy aircraft out of a total of 27. All the sport planes here on the apron are white, whereas the Storch is camouflaged green—it adds a nice splash of colour.”
If Radek hadn’t made the choice, which aircraft would you have brought out?
“I would have picked the Storch as well, but it’s no trouble to bring any of our aircraft here. After all, the museum is right next door.”
There’s an interesting story attached to this aircraft. Can you share it with us?
“The engine runs at 5,000 RPM while the propeller turns at 2,500 RPM. It has a reduction gear with transverse teeth to prevent slippage. Previously, it had longitudinal teeth, which led to a peculiar accident. The pilot flew through a rain shower, and water got between the teeth, causing the belt to slip. The engine kept running, but the propeller was turning too slowly. The pilot had to make an emergency landing in a beautiful long field, but as he was coming in over a forest, he clipped the very last tree. One wing was torn off, and the fuselage with the other wing hit the ground. With fuel tanks in the wings, fuel began to leak. The pilot was completely unscathed. He climbed out, grabbed the fuselage by the tail, and started dragging it away from the trees to prevent a fire. He didn’t have a mobile phone, so he walked to the nearest house to call a friend with a trailer. When he returned, he found a helicopter, an ambulance, police, and firefighters at the scene, all trying to lift the wreckage. He asked what they were doing, and they replied, ‘We’re looking for the dead pilot.’ He laughed and announced that he was the pilot—and very much alive. A doctor checked him over and confirmed he was perfectly fine. The pilot tried to send them all away, explaining his friend was on the way to help. But the helicopter doctor insisted on giving him a sedative. Jarda (the pilot) assured him he was perfectly calm, but the doctor explained that declining would mean the helicopter mission was officially wasted. So, Jarda agreed to the injection and later declared that the needle prick was the only injury he sustained in the whole ordeal.”
So how did the aircraft end up with you?
“After the accident, the aircraft was repaired and made airworthy again. We went to see it in Olomouc and found that it was a very accurate replica of the original, just 20% smaller. We even took advantage of this at an airshow here in Boleslav, where we also had an original Storch. We flew them together—our smaller one closer to the crowd and the larger one further back. It created a wonderful visual effect, with both flying at around 100 km/h.”
“My condition for buying it was that they had to start it up and fly it from Olomouc to Boleslav. Time passed with no news. Then, one day in early December, in the middle of a snowstorm, a truck and trailer arrived carrying the Storch, completely disassembled. We bought it anyway, and a team of ten of us spent the next three months restoring it to its current state. We had to repair the wing ribs and parts of the fuselage. When it came time to re-cover the airframe, we decided to paint it in the exact livery of the Fieseler Storch used in the Gran Sasso raid to rescue Mussolini at the end of World War II.”
Could you tell us more about its technical specifications?
“The Fieseler Fi 156 Storch is one of the most famous aircraft of World War II. It was a high-wing monoplane used for reconnaissance and liaison duties, renowned for its exceptional short take-off and landing (STOL) capabilities. The first prototype took to the skies in May 1936.”
“Our aircraft is a scaled-down ultralight replica built by Jaromír Andrés, from whom we purchased it directly. It has a wingspan of 11.4 metres and is powered by a 60 kW Subaru EA-81 engine fitted with a Šonka belt-driven reduction gear. The propeller has a diameter of 1.8 metres.”
The Storch is also masterfully flown by Jaroslav Klacek. However, he took me for a flight in a different aircraft, and just after we landed, he kindly answered a few of my questions.
What was the aircraft we flew in, which was also available for visitor flights today?
“We flew in an Adventurefly Bristell NG5. What I love about it is that it’s a very forgiving and honest aircraft. As long as a pilot avoids any serious errors, it’s capable of flying all across Europe.”
We performed a “steep turn,” which was a great way to demonstrate the aircraft’s capabilities.
“It’s a manoeuvre involving a steep bank angle, pulling around 2 to 2.5 Gs. You typically enter it at around 190-200 km/h and exit at about 140-150 km/h.”
You’re flying with visitors all day. Do you enjoy it, or does it feel like work?
“Not as work at all. For me, this is a hobby, and my heart still beats for aviation. It brings me a lot of joy, and I love it when I can share that joy with others during a flight.”
What if someone flies with you, as I did today, and gets hooked? What are the first steps they should take to learn more?
“They should come back to us, or to any flight school, for more information. We can outline the path to getting a pilot’s licence, which you can start from the age of 15. The first step is getting a medical certificate, then you choose a flight school. They’ll guide you on when to begin the theory and practical training. From there, all you need is passion, perseverance, and dedication!”
I spot Jaromír Bartoš rushing past with a microphone. Are you flying today as well?
“Not this year,” he laughs. “It’s all hands on deck at these events. Today, I’m just part of the ground crew—moving benches, playing music, drinking coffee, and doing a bit of filming. We’re soaking up what is probably the last beautiful day of the year. The weather is often terrible for our spring and autumn events, but we really lucked out today. Jarda Klacek and I were supposed to fly some formation displays, but it seems it wasn’t meant to be—we never managed to get around to practising.”
I asked Vladimír Handlík about the Storch. If it were your choice, which aircraft from the museum would you have picked?
“For me, the biggest star in the museum is our full-scale Sopwith Triplane replica. It just looks so impressive—after all, three wings are three wings!”
So now you have an idea of where to go if you want to learn to fly. And when you visit the Metoděj Vlach Aviation Museum, see if you can count all the aircraft—the 27th was just recently added to the collection.
