1943 Bücker Bü 131 Jungmann HB-UUI (sn 95) Photo taken Aug. 2009 Kestenholz Oldtimer Airshow (Oldtimerflugtage), Switzerland Photo Copyright Marcel Siegenthaler

1954 Casa Jungmann 1.131 D-EIWW Spanish License Built Versions of the Bücker Jungmann Photo taken Aug. 2009 Kestenholz Oldtimer Airshow (Oldtimerflugtage), Switzerland Photo Copyright Marcel Siegenthaler

1951 Bücker Bü 131 Jungmann D-EIJL (sn 2088) Photo taken Aug. 2009 Kestenholz Oldtimer Airshow (Oldtimerflugtage), Switzerland Photo Copyright Marcel Siegenthaler

1946 CASA 1-131E Series 2000 Jungmann G-CDRU (sn 2321) Photo taken Aug. 2009 Kestenholz Oldtimer Airshow (Oldtimerflugtage), Switzerland Photo Copyright Marcel Siegenthaler

Bücker Bü 131 Jungmann SP-YRS Photo taken Aug. 2009 Kestenholz Oldtimer Airshow (Oldtimerflugtage), Switzerland Photo Copyright Marcel Siegenthaler

The German Bücker Bü 131 "Jungmann" (Young man) was a 1930s basic training aircraft which was used by the Luftwaffe during World War II.

Development

After serving in the Kaiserliche Marine in World War I, Carl Bücker moved to Sweden where he became managing director of Svenska Aero AB (SAAB). He later returned to Germany with Anders Anderson, a young designer from SAAB. "Bücker Flugzeugbau GmbH" was founded in Berlin in 1932, with the first aircraft to see production being the Bü 131 Jungmann.

Operational history

Sturdy and agile, the Jungmann was selected as the primary basic trainer for the German Luftwaffe. Production licenses were granted to Switzerland, Spain, Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Japan, the last one of which built over 1,200 examples for Army and Navy Air Services (as the Kokusai Ki-86 and Kyūshū K9W respectively). In Spain, production continued at CASA until the early 1960s. The Jungmann was retained as the Spanish Air Force's primary basic trainer until 1968.

About 200 Jungmanns survive to this day, many having been fitted with modern engines.

Variants

Bü 131A : Two-seat primary trainer biplane. Initial production version.
Bü 131B : Improved version, powered by the more powerful Hirth HM 504A-2 piston engine.
Bü 131C : Experimental version, fitted with 67 kW (90 hp) Cirrus Minor piston engine. One built.
Ki-86A : Japanese production version for the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service.
K9W1 : Japanese production version for the Imperial Japanese Navy.
Tatra T-131 : Czechoslovakia, pre-war licence production in Tatra Koprivnice.
Aero C-4 : Mass-produced in Aero factory in occupied Czechoslovakia during wartime under original Bücker Bü 131B designation, used postwar with original Hirth engine.
Aero C-104 : Czechoslovakia, postwar development with a Walter Minor 4-III engine, 260 aircraft built.
CASA 1.131 : Spanish license-built versions

Operators

Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovak Air Force operated this type post war.

Independent State of Croatia
Zrakoplovstvo Nezavisne Države Hrvatske

Finland
Finnish Air Force

Germany
Luftwaffe

Hungary
Royal Hungarian Air Force

Japan
Imperial Japanese Army Air Service operated this type as Kokusai Ki-86.
Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service operated this type as Kyūshū K9W1.

Netherlands
Royal Netherlands Air Force

Romania
Royal Romanian Air Force

South Africa
South African Air Force

Spain
Spanish Air Force

Switzerland
Swiss Air Force operated this type from 1936 to 1971.

Specifications (Bü 131B)

General characteristics
Crew: Two (student and instructor)
Length: 6.62 m (21 ft 8 in)
Wingspan: 7.40 m (24 ft 3 in)
Height: 2.35 m (7 ft 6 in)
Wing area: 13.5 m² (145 ft²)
Empty weight: 380 kg (840 lb)
Loaded weight: 670 kg (1,500 lb)
Powerplant: 1× Hirth HM 504 four-cylinder inverted inline engine, 70 kW (100 hp)

Performance
Maximum speed: 183 km/h (99 kn, 115 mph)
Cruise speed: 170 km/h (92 kn, 110 mph)
Range: 628 km (339 nm, 390 mi)
Service ceiling: 4,050 m (13,300 ft)
Rate of climb: 2.8 m/s (6,600 ft)
Wing loading: 46.3 kg/m² (9.49 lb/ft²)
Power/mass: 100 W/kg (0.064 hp/lb)