By Larry Ogden, EAA 506307

This piece originally ran in the July 2026 issue of EAA Sport Aviation magazine.

As a kid growing up, I was really into airplanes, and when I was 14, a friend asked if I wanted to go for a ride in their J-3 Cub. My parents gave me the okay, and that hooked me for good.

A few years later I got word that a flying club for high school kids was being formed by a local United Airlines captain. I joined, and we eventually purchased a 1946 Aeronca Champ and later down the road a Cessna 150. I soloed the Champ and got my private in the 150 at 17.

After high school, I earned my A&P mechanic certificate at the University of Illinois along with a business degree, taking an aerobatic course in the school’s Stearman while there.

Then adult life took over — marriage, children — and flying became unaffordable for a few decades. Eventually, though, our income allowed it, and I bought a Cessna 172. It was fun, but a dream of mine was always to build or restore an airplane. I loved old taildraggers, wanted something economical, and anything aerobatic would be icing on the cake, and that’s when I stumbled upon the Bücker Bü 131 Jungmann. I had never heard of it before, but it was exactly what I was looking for. It’s a German design, and they were heavily used by the Luftwaffe as trainers in WWII. Few German-built Bückers survived the war, but there are still a number that were license-built in other countries, mostly after the war. I finally found one in California, bought it, and flew it home to Chicago.

It’s actually a CASA 1.131, a license-built Bücker Bü 131, built in Spain in the 1950s that began its life as a trainer in the Spanish air force. When Spain finally withdrew the aircraft from service, they were sold off to the civilian market. A Spaniard living in the United States brought a number of them in to resell and had one of them restored for himself. After flying it for several years and appearing on the cover of a couple of publications, he sold it to a person in California who eventually sold it to me. I flew it for seven years before deciding it was time for restoration.

I started by first taking a complete set of photos in its assembled state. Then I began disassembly by taking photos of a part, removing it, tagging or bagging it, and logging the step, the tag/bag number, and photo numbers in a spreadsheet. The engine was fine so it went onto an engine stand and was mothballed, and when it became time to remove the fabric, it was done carefully so it could be used as a reference during re-covering. I continued the process part by part until it was down to the bare airframe.

Once the disassembly was complete, I began cleaning, paint stripping, and bead blasting parts. Everything was inspected; some parts were replaced, some repaired, and some were newly fabricated. After stripping the original steel flying wires, they showed some rust so I ordered a new stainless set from Bruntons Aero. When it came to the airframe, I decided to chemically strip it rather than blasting it. I threw a “stripping party” in our backyard with a bunch of friends and family, and we had it done within a few hours.

Then the painting and varnishing began. Metal components were primed and color-coated, and the numerous wooden parts, including the wings, were sanded and revarnished.

When this was finally done, it was time for the fun stuff — re-covering and reassembly. My disassembly logs became guides for reassembly by simply doing everything in reverse order.

I had decided on Stewart Systems for re-covering, and since I hadn’t used it before, I started with a test panel. I found the system to be easy and forgiving to use. I covered the wings (4), center section, ailerons (4), tail, rudder, horizontal stabilizer, elevators (2), and main landing gear (2), and then moved on to the fuselage. I covered the belly first, and then rolled it over and re-installed, in proper order, everything that goes into the fuselage. This took a good while, but it was rewarding to see all of the pieces coming together again. Then the remaining fuselage fabric went on. The fabric work was actually my favorite part of the whole project, although it involved applying several coats of charcoal UV filler, then white, silver, and markings in various other colors.

After the fabric painting was complete, the main gear went on, followed by the empennage, the wings, and lastly the engine — with not a single part left over. It took me a number of years, but I’m happy I did it and proud of the finished product.

Special thanks to John Friling, EAA 49211, for his help, guidance, and tools!

Attention — Aircraft Builders and Restorers

We would love to share your story with your fellow EAA members in the pages of EAA Sport Aviation magazine, even if it’s a project that’s been completed for a while. Readers consistently rate the “What Our Members are Building/Restoring” section of the magazine as one of their favorites, so don’t miss the chance to show off your handiwork and inspire your peers to start or complete projects of their own. Learn more ->