Bücker Bü 131 Jungmann - Young man

Role: Basic trainer
Manufacturer: Bücker Flugzeugbau
Designed by: Carl Bücker
First flight: 27 April 1934
Introduced: 1935 (Luftwaffe)
Retired: 1968 (Spanish Air Force)
Primary users: Luftwaffe
Spanish Air Force
Imperial Japanese Army Air Service
Variants: Bü 133 Jungmeister

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-Johannistahl, in 1932, with the first aircraft to see production being the Bü 131 Jungmann.

Bücker Flugzeugbau's 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 80 hp (60 kW) Hirth HM60R.

In 1936, it was followed by the Bü 131B, with a 105 hp (78 kW) 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 (DLV). The Bü 131B was selected as the primary basic trainer for the German Luftwaffe, and it served with "virtually all" the Luftwaffe's primary flying schools during the war, as well as with night harassment units such as Nachtschlacht Gruppen (NSGr) 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 Rumania with 40.