Antique Attic
A Young Man’s Dreams
“It is a fabulous plane for a woman. Whether you are slow or fast, the stick forces are always light. It is not the most comfortable or the most ergonomic airplane, but the control feel is the best I have ever experienced.” comments Gail Schipper on the behavior of the CASA 1.131E -the Spanish-built version of the Bücker Bü-131 “Jungmann”- N628BJ (s/n E3B-628), that she and Doedo, her husband, are sharing. Carl Clemens Bücker established the Bücker Flugzeugbau GmbH, in Johannisthal, Germany, during October 1933. Its first product was the Bücker Bü 131 “Jungmann”, a two-seat light trainer which first flew on April 27, 1934 The Bü 131A, as the initial production version was designated, proved to be very successful.
On the eve of WWII, Spain’s Construcciones Aeronauticas SA (CASA) was granted license production, which lasted well into the 1960s. CASA 1.131E E3B-628 was built in 1963 by CASA at its Albacete, Spain, factory for the Spanish Air Force and assigned to primary training duties with its Air Academy at San Javier. It was declared surplus to its needs and offered on the civilian market on January 25, 1977.
On April 1, 1979, it was acquired, by Theodore “Ted” Marchner, of Calistoga, CA. Registered N628BJ, the CASA flew for some 10 years, before being sold to Jack Rose, of Spangle, Washington. Keeping it only for a few years, Jack Rose transferred the Jungmann to Robert McAusland and Gilbert Johnston, living in Seattle, on June 8, 1991. It was acquired by Doedo and Gail Schipper on June 12, 2001. A Dutch native, Doedo started flying gliders launched on winches at age 14.
He recounts: “It was spending the whole day at the airport, logging four or five two to three minutes flights. I moved to towed gliders some time later, and, then, on to powered gliders. I came to the US about 20 years ago and became involved in the Long Island Soaring Association, where I started to learn on Cessnas and Champs. Gail and I were married in a friend’s Mooney flying over New-York City. Shortly after, we moved to Longmont, Colorado, where I met Dan Murray at the local airport. Dan later arranged a Jungmann ride for me with a friend of his. I got a 10 minute flight, and called Gail immediately after landing, telling her we should sell our Cessna 170 and buy a Bücker.”
Doedo continues: “About that time, TAP ran an add for a reasonably priced Bücker. Finding a Bücker within our budget was unexpected, but we were soon owners. We flew the Jungmann with the original Tigre engine for a couple of years, and on a trip from Santa Paula back to Colorado, the engine sucked in a valve and we were forced to land in a field in Cubero, New Mexico. The engine rebuilt turned into a complete restoration. During the process, we saw a number of things on 628BJ we did not feel comfortable with so we started stripping the fabric off the wings, the gear, and the fuselage. However, the rebuilt Tigre engine never performed well, so, we decided to put a Lycoming on it. We rebuilt an 0-320 Lycoming and made a new engine mount. We used the original nose bowl, the original top cowl, and we made cut-outs “a la” J-3 in the side panels, leaving the cylinder heads exposed. Now, the plane performs quite well, even when the density altitude reach 8-9000 ft in Colorado.”
Doedo takes the airplane virtually around the patch: “Starting the engine is standard Lycoming procedure. However, before you taxi, you have engage the tail wheel steering. Like all taildraggers of its generation, the pilot has to dramatically s-turn to see in front of the plane. Prior to take-off, we proceed with a conventional runup and mag check. The trim is very sensitive but the stick forces are very light . The tail comes up when ready, and we let the plane roll on the main gear until reaching an indicated ground speed of 100-110 km/h (65 mph), then lift off gently, staying in the ground effect until the 130 km/h (80 mph) best speed of climb is reached. Cruise is at 2350-2400 rpm, which gives a 150-160 km/h (100 mph) indicated airspeed (IAS), and the airplane burns about 7.5 gph at that setting.
However, the Bücker, with its short wingspan, four ailerons and very light controls is better suited for aerobatics than straight and level flight. It does loops, cuban eights, and rolls with ease, spins nicely, and snap roll like a dream. 628BJ is equipped with inverted fuel and oil systems, and it will fly upside-down to the limits of its pilot. For landing, trim the Jungman for 130 km/h, and plan for a tight approach, Once the power is pulled off, the rate of descent will be dramatic. Approaching high with a sideslip gives the pilot the best view of the runway. With even modest airspeed there is good rudder control, but the airplane becomes a handful when it touches down too fast. On the up side, as long as the plane is kept straight and level, the oleos can hide almost any bounce.”
Gail concludes: “I had less than 400 hours when I started flying the Bücker, and it taught me a lot about flying, managing energy and making the right moves.”
