From Mooney Zoom to Cessna 195

[Sean S]

I will miss the Mooney speed and efficiency. I look forward to seeing my Mooney friends at OSH and other venues. My mission is the same, family trips and Pilots n Paws. The plan is to go slower and burn more dinosaurs doing just that.

Sean

[hammdo]

That’s a nice one!

Just allows you to log more flying time ;o)

-Don

[elimansour]

That is a beauty!!  

[Hank]

Pretty plane and a round engine! Enjoy it!!

[rbridges]

How much will it haul?

[steingar]

Certainly has more ramp appeal.  Of course you need your own personal mechanic to keep one of those things going.  Lucky you got one.

[carusoam]

Good luck with the new bird, Sean!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cessna_195
 

Is there C195 specific Transition Trainers for that?

300hp, radial, tailwheel, antique... sounds like there may be some interesting differences to Mooney flying. 

Best regards,

-a-

[Sean S]

There are some very good C195 specific instructors out there. I am fortunate to have one in my back yard! 

[gsxrpilot]

She's beautiful! And at Oshkosh I'll know just where to find you. My brother and I always like to go walk through the C195 rows in the grass just off 36L.

[BKlott]

My Dad was in a partnership in this Cessna 195 back in the late 1960s at Torrance Municipal Airport (TOA). That thing scared me to death.

[Hank]

28 minutes ago, BKlott said:

My Dad was in a partnership in this Cessna 195 back in the late 1960s at Torrance Municipal Airport (TOA). That thing scared me to death.

How so? Too big, too loud, bad over-the-nose visibility, ground loops, what? 

[WilliamR]

Love the Businessliner (in Atlanta, where I live, I think it's pronounced Bidnessliner) and the Shaky Jake.  A great 1950's executive transport. The 1950's crank to roll down the side from windows is fun.  I also would describe it as a cabin class airplane since you enter the cabin at the back seats and go through the center aisle to the front seats.  So, you've stepped up nicely from a Mooney.  Also, the blue flame out the exhaust at night (only visible from outside the aircraft) screams round engine and nostalgia coolness.

The negatives I found were not many people liked the crosswind gear.  The one I flew had it removed.  Great idea on the B-52, not so much on the 195.  When all the doodads worked like the step connected by cable to the door is brilliant.  Of course, the retractable landing lights were fun. 

The tail wheel assembly can be a week point as it's often neglected and prone to cracks.  I never found the maintenance to be crazy.  Unpin the side engine mount attach points and the whole engine assembly swings 90 degrees.  Too bad Mooneys can't do that.

William

[cliffy]

Nothing sounds or smells quite as good as a round motor in the morning!

[Air pirate]

She’s stunning!! 

[Sean S]

What a great group! Thank you all for the kind words, insight and advice. I look forward to catching with you all in person at OSH at the Mooneyspace tent and on I-195!

[BKlott]

On 7/10/2020 at 7:45 PM, Hank said:

How so? Too big, too loud, bad over-the-nose visibility, ground loops, what? 

I was pretty young at the time and was used to flying with my Dad in Cessna 150s and Cherokee 140s. The 195 was bigger and had some different, unique characteristics that bothered me.

One item was the shock mounted instrument panel. Once the engine started, which involved large amounts of smoke billowing past the windows, the panel seemed to vibrate excessively. I don’t know how you could read those instruments. Of course the whole airplane was wobbling on the spring landing gear once the engine started. It never did seem to want to sit still.

Another feature that concerned me was the built-in control lock feature on the yoke. I remember that you pushed that forward to engage the control lock. I was afraid that, while we were flying, the yoke could be pushed far enough forward that the lock would engage and we would up in a screaming power dive straight towards the ground.

Then there was the maintenance feature that allowed the engine to swing out from the firewall at an angle, providing access to the rear of the engine. I used to worry about the bolt(s) that held the engine in place. What if it failed? The engine would pivot to the left and we would be stuck flying in an uncontrollable left turn until we crashed.

Then there was a miss in the engine. It had the 300 hp Jacobs in it. I think when they turned on the distributor (?) the engine ran kind of funny. Instead of a constant hummmmmmmmmmmmmmm sound, it would be more like a hummmmmm.....mmmmmmmmmmm....mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...mmmmmmmmmmmmmm type of sound. It would sound like it would quit running for a fraction of a second and then resume running again.

Finally, this particular 195 had a problem with it’s door latch. Dad had bought into this partnership and the other partners didn’t want to spend any money on the airplane. Replacing the coffee grinder radios with crystal sets or fixing the door latch were just not priorities in their minds. So it didn’t happen. On my second ride in the plane, the door flew open at altitude and I was sitting in the back seat, since Mom was up front with Dad. Scared me to death, cause I believed this thing was trying to kill me anyway. Dad managed to get the door closed and I refused to get in the airplane after that. I was probably ten at the time.

He got out of the partnership and bought his Mooney a few years later. We were both much happier then.

Sadly, maybe a year or two after Dad got out of the partnership, the 195 was totaled during a loss of control accident on landing at Brackett Airport in California. The last we saw it, it was sitting on a trailer at Torrance Airport with a crinkled fuselage and wings.
 

P.S. I’ve found that now that I am a bit older (63), I’ve become much more comfortable around Cessna 195s at fly-ins. That is, as long as they are tied down, nobody is in them (especially me) and the door is closed. They seem to be fairly harmless like that.

Edited July 13, 2020 by BKlott

[Mooney in Oz]

On 7/11/2020 at 3:53 AM, Bayern Speed said:

I will miss the Mooney speed and efficiency. I look forward to seeing my Mooney friends at OSH and other venues. My mission is the same, family trips and Pilots n Paws. The plan is to go slower and burn more dinosaurs doing just that.

Sean

Congratulations Sean.  A beautiful machine.

Jack Pelton was the owner of a C195 when he was the CEO of Cessna and he may still own it.  That in itself says a lot about the aircraft.

Shame you can't have both - one an efficient A to B machine and the other a fun machine.

I easily recognise Fredericksburg airport. One of the best places I visited while in the states some years ago. 

[bonal]

That is so cool, I love the airplanes that incorporate Art Deco in their design.  Am thinking of a 195 for my next paining as they have such graceful lines.  Enjoy flying her and please share your experiences with us.

[Sean S]

This past Monday was the big day! Pick up Amelia from KPOF Poplar Bluff, MO and fly her home to KFYE, Fayette County Airport, Somerville, TN. Beautiful weather with winds 4 knots or less. Perfect for the pilot with only 7 hours TW time. Pictured is the previous owner and the new owner. I'm the short guy! I have done one landing in the 195 now. Yesterday I flew an L2 Grasshooper and manged 6 landings on my own. What a fun new challenge!

[Eight8Victor]

She’s gorgeous! I’ve always been drawn to the 195’s, such a work of art. Enjoy!

[carusoam]

Camping under the wing has a new meaning....

When your plane is that big! 

Similar MGTW and HP as an O3, but much longer legs!

Great pic, thanks for sharing it.

Best regards,

-a-

[Nick Pilotte]

Beautiful plane.  195s are gorgeous and there is something intoxicating about a radial.  It almost compels you dress up a little to go flying like days of long ago. 

[aviatoreb]

Beautiful airplane.  You need to fly around in a suit a tie and a fedora hat like a 1952 business man and take lots of black and white pictures.

[carusoam]

Another Mooney pilot that went from M20J to C195...

A couple of years ago....

-a-

 

[Sean S]

I doubt it will be a trend. The Mooney is very affordable to own/operate. The 195, well that is a labor of love. I have officially joined the "reluctant" 195 restorer club!