Fi 156 with unusual plates on the undercarriage

[richardb]

Via the excellent LW collectibles :

http://cgi.ebay.de/Orig-Foto-2-WK-Fl...QQcmdZViewItem

[Soren Flensted]

Hi
More likely small fuel tanks

[Stig Jarlevik]

Sören

Not saying you are wrong, but could they really have chosen such a strange place for fueltanks?

First of all you would need a pump to get the fuel to the engine and secondly what is the point to have such an incredible small amount of fuel as an extra bonus?

Since the Storch was on top an excellent rough area field machine, having fuel tanks on the landing gear, which was the main part that took up all the rough momentums, would make them particularly vulnerable to any rough country side landing.


Just my thoughts

Cheers
Stig

[SES]

Hi,
Just a thought. I agree that fuel tanks should be ruled out. The "things" are far too small to contain any amount of useful fuel. How about containers for inflatable flotation gear?
bregds
SES

[gogh]

Could this be small ski's

[John Beaman]

How about containers that could be dropped where even the Storch cannot go?

[sirbob]

I don't think it is a strange place to put fuel tanks; the undercarriage struts are habitually subject to weight and impact, and may be the strongest part of the airframe - it is a Storch, not a robust combat type. Also such an aeroplane would be quite ecconomical on fuel so two tanks of this size would make quite a difference to its range. Note the pipe or cable running from the tank, up the strut and across to the lower cowling.

I don't know for sure, but as a guess fuel tanks seem most likely to me.

[RT]

Smoke laying device ??

[Mikael Olrog]

Hi All,

It's definately not skis - they're to short for an aircraft with that weight and the likelyhood of digging in to the snow when landing, taxying or taking of is great.

A photo of a Storch with skies can be found here
http://www.preservedaxisaircraft.com...i156munich.jpg

I think fuel tanks where generally carried under the fuselage on Storch.

What is of interest to note is that there seem to be an additional strut between the landing gear which is not normally found on the Storch.

Smoke laying equipment is an option but wouldn't that require larger tanks too?

It looks like it has some sort of center line attachment point.

[ChrisS]

Attachment points for PK loudspeakers?

I've seen something similar on Soviet Po-2s.