Every so often QVAG would like to highlight someone's aeroplane. If you would like to participate, please contact us to discuss. Thank you to Mal Shipton for our first 'My aeroplane' under the spotlight.
The
Cessna 195 VH-BVD
by Mal
Shipton
The last of the red hot radials, the Cessna 195 was produced from 1947 to 1954. Although technically advanced with all metal semi-monocoque construction, it retained a radial engine and conventional gear at a time when the era of tricycle geared retractables such as the Beech Bonanza with their new ‘flat’engines had begun.
1200 odd model 190, 195 and military LC (Light Cargo) 126 were produced, the 190 differing only in it’s powerplant being a Continental W670 of 240hp rather than the Jacobs R 755 of 275 or 300hp depending on the variant.
Christened the ‘Businessliner’, a name to be recycled by Cessna for the model 402, it had a cruise speed close to that of the DC3 and other airliners of the day. It truly was a business tool just as the light corporate jets of today are.
VH-BVD, originally a model 190, was imported near new by Madang Air Services where it flew passengers and cargo to the New Guinea highlands. It could carry three 205 litre (44’s for the old guys) drums of fuel standing up in its cabin. Few, if any other light aircraft can do that.
At one point it was badly damaged when a gear leg failed on landing and the entire airframe and engine had to be carried out in pieces by native bearers before being floated down the Sepik to the coast thence to Sydney for repairs.
With successive airline takeovers, it flew in the livery of Mandated Airlines and Ansett MAL before being relegated ignominiously to flying buffalo meat in the Northern Territory in the early 1970’s.
It was later sold to a grazier on Flinders Island and used through the latter 70’s to fly rams to several Bass Strait islands to service flocks of ewes who no doubt became accustomed to the rumble of a radial heralding the arrival of the ‘boys looking for a short term relationship’.
In 1983 I bought the aircraft in a unserviceable condition and spent many days off commuting from Melbourne to Launceston to get it into shape to cross Bass Strait.
It served as a wedding vehicle for the marriage of myself and Anne in 1987. The name ‘Miss Moya’ is after my eldest daughter. I have flown it to most parts of Australia since then and improved the airframe, interior and recently fitted a new engine and propeller.
The 195 is a delightful flying aircraft, carefully streamlined even down to a retracting cabin step. It can happily cruise at 130 plus knots on 60 litres per hour with a degree of comfort not found in later models, such as a high ceiling and an aisle between the front seats. Stall is a gentle 45kt with natural buffet the only warning. Overall, the aircraft is only slightly larger (about 10%) than say a C180/185 and characterised by zero dihedral and a big wing that tapers in chord and thickness from root to tip. A full panel was standard for instrument flight capability and a simple flap assists approach and landings. The control yoke ‘throws over’ to either pilot and controls include elevator, rudder and aileron trim. The floor mounted lever handbrake also incorporates an aileron and elevator lock.
Like any radial, the Jacobs, although an extraordinarily reliable powerplant, requires special attention. Oil can build up in the lower cylinders when sitting and must be cleared prior to start. Usually starts are smoky, but that’s all part of the charm of a round engine. The ‘Shaky Jake’ does not appreciate an approach with less than positive power driving the propeller and has a style of ignition system shared by other engines of its day. One magneto fires the rear bank of plugs and a coil/distributor system fires the front.
This system obviates the need for a booster coil device or impulse for starting whilst also allowing a strong spark for a slow, smooth idle. The coil is normally powered from the battery, but can also be powered from the generator in an emergency if the electrics have failed or have to be shut down.
Due to the low drag cowl (which is one of the best looking ever) ground operations are fairly limited as cooling air is non-existent without forward speed. A convenient maintenance feature is the ability to swing the engine out from the firewall to gain clear access to the accessories and rear of the engine. A 5 US gallon oil tank is located behind the firewall and this quantity is needed for a normal 1qt per hr oil burn.
The less than desirable features include a healthy groundlooping tendency and poor forward visibility on the ground. Both can be worked around through care and caution but never eliminated.
The engine can throw oil onto parts of the airframe that never even see sunlight during a smoky start and a sure fire way of knowing when the Hamilton Standard propeller needs grease is the lack of specks on the windscreen and front of the cowl.
In case a parking marshaller is reading this, talk to the pilot, not the engine because I’ve no idea if you have gone to lunch or have been chopped up and laid waste if you are in front and not beside me.
Overall, this is a very practical classic combining grace pace and space.
