Country of origin:

Germany

Description:

Two-seat military training biplane

Power Plant:

One 78 kw (105 hp) Hirth HM504 inverted four-cylinder in-line air-cooled engine

Specifications:

History:

On 27 April 1934 the prototype of the Bucker Bu 131A Jungmann (D-1350), designed in 1933 by Anders Andersson and Carl Bucker, powered by a 60 kw (80 hp) Hirth HM60R four-cylinder engine, was flown for the first time at Johannistal near Berlin, Germany. Upon completion of its test flying program it was placed in production for the Luftsporverband, the German civil flying association, and was used to train Luftwaffe pilots.

Production took place at Rangsdorf airport and a single-seat variant was produced known as the Bu 133A Jungmeister. The prototype of this model (D-EVBO) had a 101 kw (135 hp) Hirth HB 6 engine. Production Jungmeisters were fitted with the 112 kw (150 hp) Siemens Bramo Sh 14A seven-cylinder radial engine.

Both the Jungmann and the Jungmeister were stressed for unrestricted aerobatics and became popular with aerobatic pilots.

In 1936 an improved Jungmann known as the Bu 131B succeeded the Bu 131A model in production fitted with a 78 kw (105 hp) Hirth HM 504 engine. At about this time Dornier-Werke in Altenrhein, Switzerland, CASA in Spain (as the CASA C 131 – 530 examples built) and TATRA in Czechoslovakia (as the Aero C 104 with the Walter Minor 4-III engine and C 4 with the Hirth) commenced licence production. In addition, 1,376 examples were built in Japan as the Kyusha K9W and the KoKusai Ki-86 where, because of the shortage of high-grade alloys, it was built of wood.

By late 1937 the type was in service in 19 countries. The Bu 131C was fitted with a 67 kw (90 hp) Cirrus Minor engine; and the Bu 131D was similar to the Bu 131B but had minor improvements.

In Spain in later years Buke Prado SL at Albacete, using original CASA jigs, and some original material and components, built 20 Jungmanns and Jungmeisters, designated BP 131 and BP 133, being available as complete aircraft or in kit form. Others have been newly built in Poland and these are known as the T 131PA.

The Jungmann served with the Spanish Air Force up until the 1980s and, after retirement, the survivors were sold to civil operators. First of the type seen in this region was a British aircraft  G-TAFF (c/n 1129) which was shipped to Darwin, NT in 1988 and flown back to the United Kingdom, leaving on 29 April 1989.

Two examples have been imported to Western Australia, the first, a CASA 1-131E, becoming VH-FBJ (c/n E3B-227) early in 1996 after restoration; and the second (also a CASA I-131E) becoming VH-KIL (c/n 295) in 2008, both registered to their owner at Mt Pleasant, WA.

Another example, formerly SZ-BUC (c/n 20), was imported to Australia in 2009 and was noted stored at Luskintyre, NSW in late 2014. Another was imported in 2010 from South Africa and was restored at Luskintyre, becoming VH-YUX (c/n 104 – ex SP-YUX). This aircraft was built in Poland and has been described as a T 131PA fitted with a Walter M-332A engine.

A company, Historic Aircraft Services, in Poland in 2014 was building a batch of Jungmanns, one of this batch being destined for an operator in New Zealand.

One was imported to Omaka for restoration by Antique Aero Engineering. However, this aircraft, a Bu 131B (D-EAZO), painted yellow overall, after assembly at Ardmore, crashed on a test flight on 16 February 2014, suffering substantial damage and was disassembled and said to have been returned to Europe for repair. However, it seems this aircraft (c/n 52 – ex HB-UTK, D-EAZO) may have remained in New Zealand, was repaired, becoming SE-AIK and being painted overall silver, being noted at Rangitata Island in 2016.