Tue, Jun 22, 2010
Lee Bakst Drew The Father's Day Honors At Fantasy Of
Flight
Lee Bakst and his family traveled from their home in Tampa on
Sunday so that Lee could claim his Father's Day gift ... a
thirty-minute flight in a WWII Fieseler Fi-156 Storch. Bakst, who
was nominated by his daughter Emily, was named the winner in
the "Worlds Greatest Dad" contest put on by Fantasy of
Flight. "My Dad encourages me to be exactly who I want to be,"
Emily wrote. "He wants me to experience the adventures that life
has to offer. He has taught me to aim high and reach for the stars.
I'm so blessed to have such a wonderful relationship with
him." The Bakst family and other contest winners received a
VIP tour of what the central Florida attraction calls the "World's
Greatest Aircraft Collection."
Lee Bakst Settles Into The Storch Cockpit
Photo Used With Permission Of Fantasy of Flight
It was the first time in Fantasy of Flight's 15-year history
that it rolled out the WWII Fieseler Fi-156 Storch -- one of only
four in flyable condition in the world -- for a special flight for
a civilian. The attraction's Ken Kellet piloted the special flight
at 0930 Sunday morning.
The Fieseler Fi-156 Storch airplane is still in top-notch flying
condition. Powered by its original German Argus engine, the
aircraft was designed by Fieseler in 1935 and is generally
considered to be the best vintage "liaison" (or L-Bird) airplane
ever designed. Liaison aircraft were small, slow flying aircraft
used in World War II to observe enemy artillery or transport
commanders or messengers. With its high-lift wings and fixed slots,
it can take-off and land in less than 200 feet and has a stall
speed less than 25 mph. It proved its worth throughout World War
II, when more than 4,000 were ultimately built. Used on all fronts,
its engine had a tendency to overheat, and the side cowls were
generally left off in hot climates. Fans of vintage liaison planes
prefer the Storch even more than the popular Mustang P-51. In the
words of Fantasy of Flight founder and creator, Kermit Weeks, "The
Storch is sexy!"
Contest Winner Lee Baskt, Center, Following His
Flight
Photo Used With Permission Of Fantasy of Flight
The aircraft was involved in many significant events during
World War II. "The Desert Fox," Field Marshall Erwin Rommel, flew
in one throughout the North African Campaign, landing in troubled
spots everywhere along the front lines. It was a Storch that
rescued Italian dictator Mussolini from a hotel atop a mountain
peak after Italian partisans captured him toward the end of the
war, and it was a Storch that transported the bomb used in the
attempt on Hitler's life in July of 1944. Less than a year later,
during the final days of the war in Europe, famous German female
test-pilot Hanna Reitsch flew a Storch into the heart of besieged
Berlin, landing near the Brandenburg Gate to receive last minute
instructions from Hitler.
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