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Pilot Jungmeister
Pilot Jungmeister
arrel-rolling a Bcker
Jungmeister through a
superb September sky with
the pulse of the engine
throbbing through the
throttle and the warm wind playfully
tugging at my silk scarf is just too much
fun. My one regret? I wish I didnt have
to give it back!
Its widely accepted amongst vintage
aircraft aficionados that Carl Bcker
produced two of the best-handling
biplanes ever madethe famous
Jungmann and the fabulous
Jungmeister. The prototype B 133 first
flew in 1935 and soon generated
considerable interest. Not only was it the
Pitts Special of its day, but it remained
competitive as an aerobatic mount until
the 1960s. Its an iconic machine. Most
recent addition to the Old Warden-based
stable of well-known vintage aircraft
collector and renowned Storch pilot
Peter Holloway, the Jungmeister comes
with an excellent reputation.
Having had a full briefing from
experienced warbird pilot Stu
Goldspink, and a further chat about the
type with the Shuttleworth Collections
Chief Pilot, Dodge Bailey, it was time to
examine the machine in detail. From
a distance this stubby little aircraft
has a pugnacious, almost wilful look
about itbut, as well see, looks can
be deceptive...
Above, from top: the name that for thirty years spelled
worlds best aerobatic biplane; superb detailing
includes these leather gaiters for strut and bracingwire fittings; offset hinges give the elevator an
effective aerodynamic slot; adjustable for reach the
rather wonderful stick grip; and those hyper-extending
oil-damped sprung undercarriage legs
Main image: bare essentials the lightweight and
beautifully triangulated fuselage frame is there to see
www.pilotweb.aero
before
landing
it, so at a safe altitude (which
coincides with cloudbase) I
try a couple of stalls. These
are incredibly benign, as the
Jungmeister really doesnt want
to stop flying. If you insist, it reluctantly
drops its nose and a wing, but simply
release the back-pressure and it starts
flying again immediately.
Time to try a few circuits, and I can see
from the limp windsock that what wind
there is still favours R03. A bit more
headwind wouldve been nice as 03s
slight downslope will exacerbate any
tendency to float, but landings are very
straightforward; gently close the throttle
abeam the numbers and then simply fly a
classic curved approach. Sixty knots
around the corner tapering back to a last
look of 55 feels about right, but the
elevator seems to lose a little authority in
the flare, so on the next landing I try
keeping just a dribble of power and this
seems to help. After half-a-dozen touchand-goes the landings are getting quite
smooth, but nevertheless it really seems to
pitch, buck and rock n roll on the ground
run. When afterwards I ask Peter how the
landings looked, he replies fine and
explains that the springy, short-coupled
Pilot January 2015 | 75
A second bite
...while the
breakout forces
are almost
non-existent
www.pilotweb.aero
SPECIFICATION
BCKER BU 133C JUNGMEISTER
DIMENSIONS
Wingspan
Length
Height
Wing area
6.60m
5.90m
2.25m
11.9sq m
420kg
610kg
190kg
92 litres
+4/-2g
PERFORMANCE
Vne
182kt
Cruise
100kt
Stall clean
45kt
Take off distance (over 50ft) 280m
Landing distance (over 50ft) 300m
Climb
1,200fpm
Range
250nm
MANUFACTURER
Bcker Flugzeugbau & Dornier,
Germany/CASA, Spain
The Jungmeisters
low wing loading
means that it doesnt
have any vices
www.pilotweb.aero