The Bücker Bü 131 "Jungmann" was a German 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. He later returned to Germany with Anders J Andersson, a young designer from SAAB. Bücker Flugzeugbau GmbH was founded in Berlin-Johannisthal, in 1932, with the first aircraft to see production being the Bü 131 Jungmann. While it was Bücker Flugzeugbaus first production type, the Bü 131A was the last biplane built in Germany. It had two open cockpits in tandem and fixed landing gear. The fuselage was steel tube, covered in fabric and metal, the wings wood and fabric. It first flew on the Hirth HM60R. In 1936, it was followed by the Bü 131B, with a Hirth 504A-2. Most wartime production for the Luftwaffe was by Aero in Prague.
Operational history
Sturdy and agile, the Bü 131A was first delivered to the Deutscher Luftsportverband. The Bü 131B was selected as the primary basic trainer for the German Luftwaffe, and it served with nearly all of the Luftwaffes primary flying schools during the war, as well as with night harassment units such as Nachtschlacht Gruppen 2, 11, and 12. Yugoslavia was the main prewar export customer; "as many as 400 may have found their way" there. She was joined by Bulgaria with 15 and Romania with 40. Production licenses were granted to Switzerland, which operated 94, of which 88 were built under licence by Dornier. About 530 were built in Spain with production continuing at CASA until the early 1960s, and they remained in service as the Spanish Air Force's primary basic trainer until 1968. Hungary operated 315, while ten were built in Czechoslovakia by Tatra as the T 131, before World War Two. In Japan, 1,037 were built for the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service with Hatsukaze engines as the Kokusai Ki-86 and 339 for the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service as the Kyushu K9W. In the 1960s and early 70s the Spanish, Swiss and Czech governments sold their Jungmanns to private owners and many were exported to the United States. About 200 Jungmanns survive to this day, many having been fitted with Lycoming O-320 or O-360 four-cylinder horizontally-opposed engines with inverted fuel and oil systems for aerobatic flight. The Jungmann is prized for its outstanding handling characteristics when compared to other antique bi-planes and even some modern aerobatic types. Upkeep and maintenance for the Jungmann is comparable to other antique aircraft and is superior when fitted with the Lycoming engines. Airframe parts are available from sources both in the United States and Europe. In 1994, the Bü 131 was restored to production briefly using CASA jigs by Bücker Prado in Spain, with 21 aircraft constructed as the BP 131, while in Poland SSH Janusz Karasiewicz also started production of a version of the Jungmann based on Czech plans in 1994. 20 were manufactured in Poland between 1994 and 2000.
Variants
;Bü 131A ;Bü 131B ;Bü 131C ;Nippon Kokusai Ki-86A Army Type 4 Primary Trainer ;Nippon Kokusai Ki-86B Army Type 4 Primary Trainer ;Kyushu K9W1 Momiji Navy Type 2 Trainer Model 11 ;Tatra T.131 ;Aero C-4 ;Aero C-104 ;CASA 1.131 ;BP 131 ;SSH T-131P ;SSH T-131PA
