The Fly Synthesis Storch (English: Stork) is an Italian ultralight aircraft, designed and today produced by Gryphen Aircraft Industries (ex- Fly Synthesis), introduced in 1990. The aircraft is supplied as a complete ready-to-fly-aircraft or as a kit for amateur construction. The Storch was designed to comply with the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale microlight rules. It features a strut-braced high-wing, a two-seats-in-side-by-side configuration enclosed cockpit, fixed tricycle landing gear and a single engine in tractor configuration. The aircraft is of mixed construction, with the fuselage made from composites and the tail boom an aluminum tube. The HS model has a 8.70 m (28.5 ft) span wing with an area of 11.8 sq m (127 sq ft) and flaperons. Standard engines available are the 80 hp (60 kW) Rotax 912UL and the 85 hp (63 kW) Jabiru 2200 four-stroke powerplants. All controls are operated by teleflex cables, except the ailerons, which are operated by push-pull tubes. In 2024 a new version of the Storch was released, with a full composite fuselage, enhancing the aircraft performance significantly. Specifications listed below. Variants Storch CL Model with a longer 10.15 sq m (33.3 ft) span wing with an area of 13.6 sq m (146 sq ft) and a gross weight of 450 kg (992.1 lb), sold as the Lafayette Stork Classic in the USA. Storch HS Model with a shorter 8.70 m (28.5 ft) span wing with an area of 11.8 sq m (127 sq ft) and Junkers-style flaperons. Gross weight of 472.5 kg (1,041.7 lb) It is sold as the Lafayette Stork Super Sport in the USA. Storch S Model with separate flaps and ailerons, in place of flaperons and a gross weight of 500 kg (1,102.3 lb).
