1949 Cessna 195A N9325A (sn 7404) Photo taken July 29, 2010 @ Oshkosh (EAA AirVenture Fly-in), WI - USA (OSH / KOSH) Photo © Marcel Siegenthaler

The Cessna 190 and 195 Businessliner are a family of light single radial engine powered, conventional landing gear equipped, general aviation aircraft which were manufactured by Cessna between 1947 and 1954.

The 195 model was also used by the United States Air Force, Air National Guard and Army as a light transport and utility aircraft under the designation LC-126.

1947 Cessna 195 N4398N (SN 7007) Photo taken at Arlington Northwest EAA Fly-In 2006 Arlington, WA USA (KAWO) Photo © Marcel Siegenthaler

1948 Cessna 195 on Floats N91P (SN 7482) Photo taken July 09, 2006 Renton Muni, WA USA (KRNT) Photo © Marcel Siegenthaler

1951 Cessna 195A N195AP (SN 7684) Image taken at Sun 'n Fun 2007 Lakeland, FL USA (KLAL) Photo © Marcel Siegenthaler

1947 Cessna 196 Cessna 195 with R985 Engine. N4395N (SN 7010) Photo taken at Sun 'n Fun 2007 Lakeland, FL USA (KLAL) Photo © Marcel Siegenthaler

1952 Cessna 195 N1530D (SN 7752) Photo taken at Sun 'n Fun 2007 Lakeland, FL USA Photo © Marcel Siegenthaler

1954 Cessna 195B N2156C (SN 16141) Picture taken at Sun 'n Fun 2007 Lakeland, FL USA (KLAL) Photo © Marcel Siegenthaler

1949 Cessna 195 A Pratt & Whitney R-985 Powered 450 HP "Cessna 196" with tip tanks. N4383V (SN 7305) Photo taken at Sun 'n Fun 2007 Lakeland, FL USA (KLAL) Photo © Marcel Siegenthaler

1952 Cessna 195A N3026B (SN 7909) Photo taken at Sun 'n Fun 2007 Lakeland, FL USA (KLAL) Photo © Marcel Siegenthaler

Development

The Cessna 190 and 195 were Cessna's only postwar radial-engined aircraft. The first prototype flew in 1945, after the end of World War II and both the 190 and 195 entered production in 1947.

The 195 was the first Cessna airplane to be completely constructed of aluminum and features a cantilever wing, similar to the pre-war Cessna 165 from which it is derived. The wing planform differs from later Cessna light aircraft in that it has a straight taper from root chord to tip chord and no dihedral. The airfoil employed is a NACA 2412, the same as used on the later Cessna 150, 172 and 182.

The 190/195 fuselages were large in comparison to other Cessna models because the 42" diameter radial engine had to be accommodated upfront. The crew and passengers were accommodated on individual seats in the first row with comfortable space between seats with up to three passengers on a bench seat in the second row.

The 190/195 has flat sprung-steel landing gear derived from Cessna's purchase of the rights to Steve Wittman's Big X. Many have been equipped with swiveling cross-wind landing gear which allows landing with up to 15 degrees of crab. While the crosswind gear simplifies landings it makes the aircraft difficult to ground handle. The 195 is equipped with a retractable step that extends when the cabin door is opened, although some have been modified to make the step a fixed unit.

The aircraft was expensive to purchase and operate for private use and Cessna therefore marketed them as mainly as a business aircraft under the name "Businessliner".

The engines fitted to the 190 and 195 became well-known for their oil consumption. The aircraft has a 5 gallon oil tank, with 2 gallons the minimum for flight. Typical oil consumption with steel cylinder barrels is two quarts per hour.

A factory-produced floatplane version was equipped with a triple tail for improved lateral stability. The tail resembles that of the Lockheed Constellation.

The Cessna 195 produces a cruise true airspeed of 148 knots (170 mph, 275 km/h) on a fuel consumption of 16 US gallons per hour. It can accommodate 5 people.

Including the LC-126s, a total of 1180 190s and 195s were built.

The 190 was originally introduced at a price of USD$12,750 in 1947. When production ended the price had risen to USD$24,700 for the 195B. This compared to USD$3,495 for the Cessna 140 two seater of the same period.

LC-126
The LC-126 was the military version of the 300 hp (220 kW) Cessna 195 and could be fitted with skis or floats. 83 LC-126's were delivered, including:

• USAF - Cessna LC-126 15
• Air National Guard - Cessna LC-126 5
• US Army - Cessna LC-126 63

Once made surplus the majority of LC-126s were sold as civil aircraft, once modified by a Cessna civil kit.

Operational history

The Cessna 190 and 195 are considered "one of the finest classics ever built" by pilots and collectors and are much sought after on the used aircraft market.

In August 2008 the number of 190s and 195s still registered in the USA were:

• 108 Cessna 190
• 282 Cessna 195
• 157 Cessna 195A
• 136 Cessna 195B

In August 2009 there were three Cessna 190s and 17 Cessna 195s registered in Canada.

Variants

The difference between the 190 and the 195 models was the engine installed.

• Cessna 190
  Powered by a Continental W670-23 engine of 240 hp (180 kW) and first certified on 1 July 1947.
• Cessna 195
  Powered by a Jacobs R755-A2 engine of 300 hp (225 kW) and first certified on 12 June 1947.
• Cessna 195A
  Powered by a Jacobs L-4MB (R-755-9) engine of 245 hp (184 kW) and first certified on 6 January 1950.
• Cessna 195B
  Powered by a Jacobs R-755B2 engine of 275 hp (206 kW) and first certified on 31 March 1952. It featured flaps increased in area by 50% over earlier models.
• Cessna LC-126A
  Military version of the Cessna 195, five-seat communication aircraft for the US Air Force and US Army, it could be fitted with skis or floats.

Operators

Civil

• South Africa
  Comair (South Africa)

Military

• United States
  Air National Guard
  United States Army
  United States Air Force

Specifications (Cessna 195)

General characteristics
Crew: One pilot
Capacity: 4 passengers
Length: 27 ft 4 in (8.33 m)
Wingspan: 36 ft 2 in (11.02 m)
Height: 7 ft 2 in (2.37 m)
Airfoil: NACA 2412
Empty weight: 2,050 lb (930 kg)
Useful load: 1300 (589 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 3,350 lb (1,519 kg)
Powerplant: 1× Jacobs R-755-A2 radial engine, 300 hp (225 kW)

Performance
Never exceed speed: 174 knots (324 km/h)
Maximum speed: 157 knots (291 km/h)
Cruise speed: 148 knots (274 km/h)
Stall speed: 55 knots (102 km/h)
Range: 600 nm (1,110 km)
Service ceiling: 18,300 ft (5,582 m)
Rate of climb: 1200 ft/min (6.1 m/s)
Power/mass: 11.2 lb/hp (0.15 kW/kg)