The Casa Jungmann Ultimate Aerobat

Story and Photos
By Jack Watson

Gail Schipper likes the airplane she shares with husband, Doedo.

A lot.

“It is a fabulous plane for a woman,” she says. “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.”

The airplane in question is a CASA 1.131E but before you start sending us e-mails, it’s a Spanish-built version of the BŸcker BŸ-131 “Jungmann.” Carl Clemens BŸcker established the BŸcker Flugzeugbau (Aircraft Construction) company in Johannisthal, Germany in October 1933.

Its first product was the BŸcker BŸ 131 “Jungmann”, a two-seat light trainer which first flew on April 27, 1934. The BŸ 131A, as the initial production version was designated, proved to be very successful.

On the eve of WW II, Spain’s Construcciones Aeronauticas SA (CASA) was granted license production, which lasted well into the 1960s. This particular aircraft  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, Calif. Registered N628BJ, the CASA flew for some 10 years before being sold to Jack Rose of Spangle, Wash.

Keeping it only for a few years, 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.

“It was spending the whole day at the airport, logging four or five two to three minutes flights,” he said. “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, Colo. where I met Dan Murray at the local airport. Dan later arranged a Jungmann ride for me with a friend of his; I  called Gail immediately after landing, telling her we should sell our Cessna 170 and buy a Bucker.”

They found once advertised for sale within their budget and grabbed it.

“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, N.M.”

The engine rebuilt turned into a complete restoration. During the process, they changed a number of things they didn’t feel comfortable with so off came the wing and fuselage fabric. However, the rebuilt Tigre engine never performed well, he said, so they decided to put a Lycoming in 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 Ôa 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.”

specifications

As Powered by an ENMA Tigre G-IVA engine of 125 hp

Wingspan: 24 ft 3 in.

Length: 22ft 1 in.

Height: 7 ft 5 in

Wing Area: 145 sq ft

Empty Weight: 925 lbs

Gross Weight: 1587 lbs

Max Speed: 124 mph

Cruising Speed: 112 mph

Ceiling: 17,716 ft

Range: 400 miles