Bücker Flugzeugbau first design, designed by Anders Andersson, was the Bü.131A Jungmann powered by a 4 cylinder Hirth in line engine. A light two-seat biplane trainer specially developed for school and other training purposes, the prototype "D-3150" flew first 27 April 1934 with a 60-kW (80-hp) Hirth HM 6CR inline engine. The Jungmann was ordered by the Deutsche Luftsport Verband (The German Air-Sports Association). In 1936, the Luftwaffe adopted the Jungmann as one of its primary trainers.

Power was provided by a 60kW Hirth H.M.60R engine in the Bü.131A and a 78kW Hirth H.M.504A inverted engine in the Bü.131B.

 

Before the outbreak of World War II the trainer was being used in 21 countries and licence-built in Holland, Czechoslovakia, Spain and Switzerland.

Spain was one of the earliest customers. Over a hundred German-built Jungmanns were delivered to the Spanish Nationalist side in the civil war. A total of 500 Jungmanns were built by the Construcciones Aeronauticas S.A. (CASA) in Spain. The first 200 had German Hirth HM504 engines but the remainder were powered by versions of the Spanish ENMA Tigre G-IV. In Spain production started 1938 and the CASA I-131 remained in production until the end of the fifties. The CASA E3B is a licence-built example.

 

Production figures have not survived, but some indication of scale is provided by the fact that Hungary took 100 and Romania 150, while Switzerland built 75. The Bucker Bü.131B Jungmann was also built under license pre-war in Switzerland by Dornier, and Czechoslovakia as the Tatra T.131. In Czechoslovakia the post-war version of the Bu.131B was the C.4. The C.104 was as the C.4 but with a 105 hp Walter Minor 4-III engine.

Bucker Prado Sl offered kits to build the former German Jungmann two-seat aerobatic biplane using original Bucker/CASA Bu 131 jigs, plus Jungmeister single-seat aerobatic biplane.

Gallery