(Ed.
nrote:Euch month durng 1972 contractor, was siariltd out of his
an outslariding pilof and his aircraf~
ivill he Irunored hy Omni Aviation
Managers Inc., a Von N w s , a!$.
AVlATlOM MANAGERS INC.
NI insitrer ouf general aviation aircraft
I n c l u d i n ~ antiques, worhirds and
homebitil3s. Wlzen PIANE & PILOT
leori~ed riurr Fwtich dcr.rpicr M(~rccl lar efforts of Marcel Jiirca of Paris,
Jurca was one of those s ~ / e c l e d we ,
asked ailthor Nick Stasinos to profile
Jirrrra's conrrihution ro a segment of
# general aviation trot wide1,v fumiliar to
a"" niosr pilots - the hr~mehtiilt worlcl.
of developirig o major imparr on the
US. Giriid-if--voursclf fmrket. H o i v tion?
e l x , afwr aall. arc yoit e i w f i k e b to
Jilrca's scakd-dowrr versions offurn(~us iionor liini? Wliat kind of unique
milirary planes of (Ire pasr show signs
oiin your own Mtisrurr~,Spitfire. P-40 in 1')23. He flew twin-engine I-letisdiel
or Messerschinirr 109 7 1
Marcel's
FIGHTERS
SCAPED-DOWN
HOMEBUILT WARBIRDS THE LITTLE YELLOW-NOSED came to the attention of home-
FOR THE Focke WuSF 190A figfiter rolled on ils
W A L ~ E R M I T T Y I N Y O U backforaberierdeflectionshotatthe
R.A.F. Spirfire I I . Tn his mind's eye
the Luftwaffe ace could we his cannon
shells rip into the Spit's engine and its
pilot bail out safely over the channel
coast. Sitting in his partially com-
pleted 314 saIe FW-190A homebuilt
f i g h t e r , "Rittmeistcr Ron von
Ki tchen" executed an iinaginary
victory roll. Tliis was a Fjtting ciitnax
to his visualized figliter sweep over the
hannel as one o f the yellow-noscd
"Abbeville Boys".
Ron Kitc'tien, Carson City, Nevada
REPRINTED FROM PLANE & PILOT FEBRUARY 1972
reverie by his wife's voice tell ing fiim
for the t h r d time that Iiis dinner was
getting cold. Imagine addressing the
Luftwaffe's prernicre ace in tfiai tone
of voice! With a satisfied q i n , he
stepped out of the 1905 cockpit and
back into reality.
Like Ron. niany of us yearn to own
our favorite World War 11 was bird.
Perhaps its a P-51, P-40, FW-190,
ME-1 09 or Spiifire that riirns you on.
Al1 pilots Iiavc a l i ~ t l ebit o f fighter
pilot in them.
But what once was only a Walter
Mitty dream lias lately rnoved into the
realni of the average pilot: Now you
can own a 213 or 314 scale Figh'ter
decorated in your favoriie squadron
markings. You can strap on a pcc-wee
warbird and iriakc like a WW II Fighter
ace, ttianks to tlie energeiic and s i n p -
France. wlio has et~gineered fl ying
replicas of a wlioIe series of out-
standing fighters of the pas!.
W l m is Marcel Jiirca? Wtiy has OmnE
Aviatioti Managers, Inc., choseti to
contrihiitioti has lie niade to grass
roots aviation to deserve sucli atten-
Marcel Jiiaca was bcirn in Roumania
129-R2's fot ilte otlier side in the big
-
war. Later he niinrated tci Paris. France
and became an eiectrical engneer. In
[Ci49 Marcel built himself a Jodel, a
srnat! Iioniebuitt popular in Europe.
Tliat started his ''second career" as a
Iiomehuilt aircraft designer. Mis first
design wwas the MJ-2 '"Tenrpete." It
niet with instant success in Europe. He
clirrently owns one decorated in
French Air Force roiindels and
camotiflagd as a fighter. This was
quic kl y fellowed by Iiis MJ-5
''Sirocco." a !OW wing 2-place sport
plane of pleasing configuraiion. Marcel
biiilders in the U.S. and Canada
througii his plans marketed hy
Falconer Ltd. of Edmonton, Canada.
A number of Siroccos have been built
and are currently flying in the U.S.
and Canada.
Marcel has always been a "frustra-
ted Iighter pilot." With his Tempele
and Sirocco designs launched, he was
riiotivated ?ci do his big thing. He
began designing 213 and 314 scale
versions of the P-51D for the home
builder in 1967. The world renowned
Mustang became the MJ-7 "6natsum."
That's Mustang spetled backwards, and
wventh in Marcel's desips. Successful
with the 5 1 , he quickly followed by
designing a 314 scale FW-190, an
ME-104, the Spitfire and recentiy a
Curtiss PdO. the shark-mouthed
lighter made famaus by the Flying.
Tigers. Siirprisingly he siicceeded in
capturing not only detailed authen-
liciiy ER l~ispee-wee figliter series. but
also safe flight perforniance. Marcel's
little eagles can he safely f I o ~ nby an
experienced taildrapger pilot.
News ihat tliese scaled down fighter
designs would soon be availabIe
creaied niuch excitement in the U.S.
and Cqada. The Anierican continent
cepresents a fertile market for Marcel's
littlt war birds. This is bccause of ihe
scale al honie builder activity. afflu-
ence and resoiirces to successfully
tackle this kind of project. Four years
ago Marcel wosked out an agreement
with Falconer Aircraft Limited o f
Edmonton, Canada, io market Jurca
plans and products. l t was agreed by
both to build a 213 x a l e MJ-7
Gnatsum to check oui the plans and
flight test the concept of a pee-wee
version of the famous PS 1 D.
Ttiere was some concern thai the
llittle bird mipht be too hot for the
averag home builder piIot to Iiandle.
Also it would provide an excellent
sales promotion aircraft to stimulale
plan sales. Somehnw during the build-
ing period the MJ-7 Gnatsam ended iip
an SAL 213 Mustang. Rumars indi-
cared that there were serious differ-
ences of opinion about the design
between Marcel and Falconer Ltd. The
finished SAL 213 Mustang ended up a
heavier and more sophisticated bird
than Marcel's original MJ-7 design.
In its finished form ii's a heautiful
little warbird replica to behold. I t flies
as well as il Iooks, too. George Chivcrs,
Sturgeon Air Ltd. (former Falconer
Aircraft Ltd.), pilot, claims it's a
delight to fly. with no bad habits of
any kind to get a pilot into trouble.
Tlie little eagk livcs up to its big
brether's reputation in Iooks and
performance. Recently i t made a
sensational debut at the EAA 1971
Oshkosh fly-in.After i t was displayed
for visitors it was sold ro a Chicago
pilot for $17.000. Fdoner/Sturge,eon
clairii t o have invesad $40,000 in
Marcel's MJ-7 design io bring ii to its
curreni proven status.
A great concern for Marcel is plan
piracy of his pee-wce fighter series.
Several unsuccessfi~l at tempts have
k e n made to market duplicated plan
sets witliout kis consent or authori-
zation in the U.S. and Canada. He's
qiiick to assure al! that his anti-piracy
effort is in behalf of a contribution to
the hombiiilt aircrafi movemcnt and
not to iry to enrich himself. At
present, plan sales sustain his fiin
flying activitjes in the "Tempete" and
visits to fly-ins.
There are about 18 of Marcel's
pee-wee fiditers now under construc-
tion. Plan sets sel! for about $ 1 20.00 , I f F F t , n t l l ~ ~ b ~l o~ tr~~ ~. t ~ q h Ft~glund,
ur~~,
each. They arc prccceded by a data clumps r k ~ npanel to Iris Jirrru srale
sheet on each mode1 type. The data Y E I S Z I J I of
~ rhe farned Spi! f z r ~figlirer.
-
sheet reveals Marcel's perstinality as Fie
porirays design details in sketch and
cartoon frirrn. Not only are they
entertaining, but ais@ an insiglit ln to
the thoraughness of each design.
These littlc fighler projccts are riot
meant for thc novice. After atl. i t ' ~an
attenipt i n create a hi@ performance
replica of a coniplex World War El
figliter aircraft. Patience, nioney and
time are required te successfully tackle
one of these projects. A gestation P i a r i s urc tioirm 1'40
ai'aiicuhlt5Ji)r i!!~
p s i a d of about ttiree yesrs appears to j i ~ l i r c rhv Currrss. abore, and ~ J ~ O S P
IK an average time to spawn one of f i r B o e i n ~F4B hiplane are in the rnill.
tliesc ljttle eagles.
Listcd here are a few of Marcel's
pee-wee fighters curren tly iinder
constmction and destined to fly in the
relatively near ftiture: MJ-9 Focke
Wulf 1906, 803 conipleted by Ron
Kitchen, Garden City. Nevada; MJ-9
FW-190A. 50% cornplezed hy Onelia
Vien, Torrance, CaEil:; MJ-7 213 scale
P-51 by Capt. W. T. Foster, Big
Springs, Texas; MJ-77 314 scale P-5 1,
compjeted by Victor McAdams,
Yicaorvilie, alif.; MJ-7 213 scale P-5 I structure. I t represents the most
more tlian cornpleted by John complex assembly in the entire
D e h y e r , Torrance, alif.; MJ-7 (SAL) praject. The wing structure is dtsigned
213 scaie Mustang 1 OW complete and to withstand plus or minus 4 G loads.
f-ving for Georgc Chivers of Strirgeon These uniqiie design features reqiiire
Air Ltd., Edmoiiton. Alberta, Canada, skill, patience and many ciamps with
and an MJ-10 Siiperrnaririe Spitfirc I I suitable jigs io translate raw wood into
under constmcbion by M. E. Pendle- a reliable aircraft suh assembly. The
hury of Nottingl~arn, England. Other fuselage, wings and tail group are
builders also have projects under way, csvercd with a thin plywood veneer
so i t won't be long before air show and and surfaeed wiih a fiberglass cloth
fly-in crowds will be admiring mock covering or a Dacron equivatent. Tlze
air bartles, victory rulls and fly-bys tesult is a glass srnooth, liplit weight
featirring the mini-fighiem. and rugged structure ihat represents
Careful examinarion of the MJ-7 the uliiniafe in this type of liome built
Gnatsum and Sa1 213 Mustang ptans aircrart design. \men ibis wooden
reveal Marcel" concern for srructiiral structure is cnn~hined with fiberglass
integrity in his pee-wee figliter designs. cowling. wing fitle!s, gear doors. gun
He rightfulty reasoned that pikot fairing, etc., it turns inta a iriie
builders wiIl he tempted to wring out homebuilder's work o f art.
these little birds in simulated dog- Marcel has set up a Jiirca plans
figlits. Hence, the fuselage is designed office io assist and expcdite construc-
to include lamnated wood longerons tion of tliese pee-wee w3r birds in the
to carry stress from the wing into the U.S. and Canada. Ken Heit and Blackie
fuselage. The wing main spar is biiilt as Warren arc heading up tEiis operation.
a one-piece laminaieci tsptred 1-heam They will provide data sheers, plan

a horizuiirull in~ p p o s c r l~ripzricH liicli
fils nrce1.v iii rodru! f t h r r ~ / u sC ~I IwI.
Proppcd zip in rhu back jlord. Ron
K ~ r c l i ~*F nFil+!-!90 a l r ~ n d lrlroii's
~ lio w
well lurca captirred ori~inal's11nvs.
sets, advice, data and fihrglass
components sucli as cowlinp. etc.
Thcy are locared at 581 Helen St., Mt.
Morris, Micliigan 48458.
Examinaticin o f flight performance
of two of the most popular little war
birds in this series is very reveating.
The SAL 3 3 Mustang MJ-4 Cnatsuni
replica Es now ffying and has provided
these specs. It's powercd with a
6 4 4 0 6 5 inverted Ranger endne rated
a t 2Whp. The little 5 1 -D staIls at 67
rnph flaps up and a 60 with !laps
down. Statl is straight forward without
roBing on a wing. Top speed is IR5
mpli and 75% power at cruise gives
you t 68 niph indiwted. Never exceed
speed is 258 rnph. A dezn little bird. it
picks up speed in a dive very quickly
jvst like i t s big broiher. The little
figiirer grosses out at 1.600 pounds
fully loaded and is Iieavier khan
Marcel's oripnal MJ-7 design specs.
George hivers, S t u r g o n Ltd. pilot,
says the bird will @ve a god pilot n o
trouble. An experienced taildragger
utld .T!I !:\JI .!~t< (1 .5tri>t t ,J
7 1 1 ~SI< c k
IIu popular I H ~ O - F ~ Oh! o i n ~ h ~ r wl il i h
wide appeaI io u* Conadron
type can easily and safely handle ir.
Likc big brother, the scaled-dow
version is blind over the long nose in a
tliree-point attitude, so "S" urves on
taxi for visihility are a necessity. Tail-
u p on takcoff reveals a 360degree
panoramic vicw tlirougli the bubblc
canopy. George says you strap it on
when you clinib inio it and it inspires
you instantty to niake like a figlites
pilot. I t can accomodate pilots
weighing 125 t o 230 pounds rrom
5'4'" to 6'4"'withoiit difficiilty.
Ron Kitchen is iising ari 10.540 2911
H.P. Lycoming (fuel injected) engine
t o power his FW-19OA rcplica. The
Focke Wulf is about 80Crh cnmplcte
and up on its gear. He e x p c t s 10 hang
thc cngine soori and anticipates i z wll
be ready for flight test about spring of
1972. Ron expects a stall speed of 75
mph (Reno, Nevada alt. 4,700'). Hel1
land i t a i 80 rnph. The little FW-190
showld do 300 rnph firewalkd and
cruie at about 250 mph. In its par-
tially completed stage it's indeed a
-> - - _ * -_- - __%-
' 4
thing of haut! and looks like it will
more than live up t o its perforniance
expectafions.
Kun i s naturally excited as he's
approaching the climax of three years
of T.L.C. on his Iittle Jerry war bird.
The FW-190A will incIude details like
armameni, p i n fairings, etc., to add t o
its autheniicity, The radial cowling of
fiberglass is 3 wnrk of art and gives the
little war bird a lot of petsonality. He
plaiis to decoraie the bird in Lukwaffe
markinp. It will display the yellow
nose spinner. cowl pan and sqtiadmn
insignia of the "Abbeville Boys." TIils
was General dolf Galland's finest WW
II fiyhter outfit based on the French
channet Coast.
Ron is planning t o be attired in an
operational LuftwafFe pililoi's out fit:
Fiir boots, wings, P-38 pistol, the
works. He will surely create excite-
ment wlien he split S's the FW-190 in
for a Lnding and clirnbs out t o meet
the air show rowd in his 1943 vintage
Luflwaffe pilot's ou~fit.
But then - that's whalt it's al1
about! This is exactly what Marcel had
in mind when he created ihis pee-wee
fifiter series. And witli World War II
safely in the bag, you'd think heY rest
on hs laurels! But no, his iinngination
is at work again to create a set of
Golden Era 314 scale hiplane ftphters.
How about a Curtiss Hawk P6t3, a
Bwing F4B4 or a PISE (rom the
1930's? I t secms Matml has conceived
a design philosopfiy and forrniila that
Ii ri s infinite possibilities for the
l a l e n te d home builder. Without
question he deserves this recognition
by Omni Aviation Managers Inc. and
his fellow airmen for his unique contri-
butions to the homebuilt aiscrafi
movement. El