N53504 Flugzeugwerk Altenrhein (Dornier) #41, formerly U-94
Here is the story: A couple of years ago, Chris Overson, Dave Stillinger and I were coming back from the Blakesburg fly-in in our Jungmanns and stopped for fuel at a small airport in Kansas. While at the fuel pump, a local gentleman told us there was “one of these” (Buckers) in a duster hangar across the field. In the middle of Kansas? No way! We would know about it!.... We dismissed it as mistaken identity for a Starduster or Pitts and went on our way. Last spring, at a Stearman fly-in, I ran into a Stearman pilot that said he had a friend in Kansas that owned a Jungmeister. I then told him the story of our stop on the way back from Blakesburg. The Stearman pilot shared his friends name and email address. I then filed the information away.
A few months ago, my friend Dave Stillinger told me he would like to find a Jungmeister to share his hangar with his Jungmann. I decided to help out by pursuing the information I had on the Kansas Jungmeister. I was surprised when I received a reply back from the Kansas owner who was a crop duster. He owned several airplanes including Bearcat, Sea Fury, Yak, P51, Waco, a D18 and 3 dusters and, of course, the Jungmeister. The owner informed me that the Jungmeister had not flown in several years and that the engine was sick. In subsequent emails, he hinted that he really did not have time to fix and enjoy it. He suggested he should find a good home for his Jungmeister. Not just any home, but he wanted his Jungmeister to go to someone that would conserve, care and appreciate it. I replied that I had just a home for his Jungmeister and hooked him up with Dave. With only two photos to go by and sight unseen, a deal was made and Dave owned a Jungmeister.
Last week, Dave and I set out in a Budget rental truck on a 2600 mile round trip to pick up the Jungmeister. It was a very pleasant surprise to find the Jungmeister to be in very complete original condition. Although the engine was sick, it was a fairly low time Siemens engine. Dave and I, with the help of the duster pilot and his crew, disassembled the Jungmeister, put it on the truck and drove back to San Diego.
Dave’s plan is to put the Jungmeister back together and then Dave and I will take a look at the engine. Since it was spewing a lot of oil out of the breather, I suspect Dave’s Siemens has a case of bad piston rings. That should be an easy fix. We will let you know how it turns out.