AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2019 - 77

THE AIRPLANES
A sampling of vintage aircraft in the August 2018 competition
Bücker Jungmann
The Bü 131 Jungmann ("Young
Man"), developed by Carl Bücker,
has a sturdy metal tube and fabric
fuselage mated to wood and fabric
wings. Production started in 1932;
the Jungmann was a basic trainer
aircraft for the Luftwaffe during
World War II, and the last biplane
produced by Germany. Strong and
maneuverable, the Jungmann is
prized for its well-harmonized
handling characteristics. On the
downside, the cockpit can be tight.
Bücker Jungmeister

The Bü 133 Jungmeister ("Young
Master") was an advanced trainer of
the same generation as the Bü 131,
with similar tube, wood, and fabric
construction. It was originally powered by a 160-horsepower SiemensBramo Sh 14A radial engine. Rainer
Berndt describes it as "perfectly balanced" and easy to snap roll. Possibly
the highest accolades were from Taff
Smith, who after flying Mustangs and
Spitfires says the Jungmeister is the
perfect aircraft.
LOM-powered Jungmeister
Built under license in Poland by
Janusz Karasiewicz, this faithful reproduction of a 1930s Jungmeister has a
200-horsepower LOM engine.
SAI KZ VIII
This is a very rare aircraft with only
two in existence (and a third under
construction as a replica). It was built
in 1949 by Danish company Skandinavisk Aero Industri and powered by
a 145-horsepower de Havilland Gipsy
Major 10. It served as the basis for the
Hirth Acrostar aerobatic aircraft.
According to Hardy Vad, who flew it
in the competition, it handles amazingly well, even inverted, without a
symmetrical wing. It has little inertia on yaw axis and is very stable.
However, it "spins like a de Havilland
Chipmunk"-the airflow is blanked
by the fuselage in a deep stall and it
is hard to do precise spin recoveries
after more than one turn.

Bölkow Junior
Originally developed by Björn Andreasson in the late 1950s, the airplane
is powered by a 100-horsepower
Continental O-200, with mid "shoulder" wings that are forward swept for
visibility. It was produced by Malmö
Flygindustri as the MFI-9 Junior,
and from 1963 to 1971 as the Bölkow
Junior 208. In the late 1960s several
became MiniCOINs (an acronym for
Miniature Counter-Insurgency) during
the Nigerian Civil War. The Bölkow has
sensitive controls and is economical
to fly and own. However, it has a low
useful load, is not a good cross-country aircraft, and climbs weakly. Later
versions had longer wings with better
performance.
Saab 91B Safir
Designed by Anders Andersson
(who designed the Jungmann and
Jungmeister with Carl Bücker), the
Safir (Swedish for sapphire) first
flew in 1945. The B series is powered by a 190-horsepower Lycoming O-435A engine and has three
seats. The Safir was later used as a
platform to test at low speeds the
swept wing for the SAAB 29 and 32
jet fighters. According to its pilots,
it is well balanced with good control
harmony. On the downside, pilots
describe it as being heavy and having a long takeoff roll.
Stampe SV.4B and SV.4C
The Belgian SV.4 began production
as an advanced aerobatic trainer in
the 1930s. With its wood and fabric
design it is sometimes called a
"Belgian de Havilland" (or a "French

Focke-Wulf Fw 44 Stieglitz
The rarest aircraft at the championship, the Stieglitz ("Goldfinch") is a
World War II German training aircraft
that first flew in 1932. It was the first
commercial success of the thenstruggling Folke-Wulf. It is thought
that every German Luftwaffe pilot
flew the Stieglitz at some time during
his career. An interesting side note is
that a Fw 44 fuselage and engine was
used as the basis for the first practical helicopter, the Focke-Wulf Fw 61.
There are thought to be fewer than
50 in existence from more than 3,000
produced. Claus Cordes, who flew his
Stieglitz in the VAWC, described it as
"honest and responsible," while being
"softer" compared to a Jungmann.
In the negative category, the roll rate
is not particularly rapid, and every
10 hours the exposed pushrods and
rocker arms need to be relubricated
and the valve lash readjusted.
Zlin 526
Czech pilots won the first FAI World
Aerobatic Championship in 1960, leading their aircraft to become world leaders for the next several decades and
transitioning the aerobatic world from
biplanes to monoplanes. The foundation of this dynasty was the development of the Z 26 Tréner in 1946. The
later Z 526 was designed in 1959. It is
a strong classic design with excellent
visibility through its large canopy and
swept wings. It is light on the controls
for such a large aircraft and is a reasonable cross-country traveler. Owners
do have to be aware of the limited
aerobatic life of 3,800 hours because
of spar fatigue, and the brakes can be
difficult to keep properly adjusted. -JA

Tiger Moth," which isn't accurate,
as it is neither). The Stampe flies
similarly to a Jungmann. With their
well-harmonized controls Stampes
are treasured by their caretakers.
Unfortunately, parts are becoming
harder to find, the wooden structure
can be more sensitive to decay than
metal, and there is an airworthiness
directive requiring replacement of
the lower-spar tie rods that can be
onerous.
aopa.org/pilot AOPA PILOT | 77

http://www.aopa.org/pilot

AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2019