Aircraft model
CESSNA 195A
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The Cessna 195A is the 245 hp version of Cessna's all-metal radial-engined five-seat tailwheel tourer. Polished aluminium, a big Jacobs radial and a cabin that carries five in comfort at 130 knots — it was sold as a postwar executive transport and is now bought by people who want a classic that is genuinely usable.
Two things define ownership. The Jacobs radial throws oil, needs careful starting and warm-up, and is expensive and increasingly specialised to overhaul, with parts from a small number of suppliers. Second, the landing gear: a narrow track and spring-steel legs give the 195 a well-earned ground-loop reputation, to the point that a crosswind landing gear was offered as an option and many aircraft have it. Insurance reflects that and requires real tailwheel time in type.
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Put CESSNA 195A side by side with up to two other models.
- CESSNA 195A
What it is
| Seats | 5 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | taildragger |
| Engines | 1 |
| Engine | Jacobs R-755-9 (radial) |
| Horsepower | 245 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | CAR3 |
| Production start | 1950 |
| Production end | 1952 |
| Endorsements required | high-performance;tailwheel |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 130 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 600 nm |
| Service ceiling | 17,000 ft |
| Climb rate | 1,000 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 51 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | — |
| Landing over 50 ft | — |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 5 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 1,250 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 770 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 3,350 lb |
| Empty weight | 2,100 lb |
| Usable fuel | 80 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 13.7 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $80,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $165,000 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | 1,200 h |
| Overhaul cost, low | $48,000 |
| Overhaul cost, high | $78,000 |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 211 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 106 |
| Median year built | 1950.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 7 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 0 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 66.041 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 66.042 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 17 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 16.043 |
| Airworthiness directives | 1 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | ok |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 106 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 106 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 106 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 5-6 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | 0.8 of 10 · scored on 21 years of events (fewer than 10 in the last 10)1 |
| Severity | 6.9 of 10 · scored on 21 years of events (fewer than 10 in the last 10)2 |
| Access | 2.7 of 103 |
| Support | 5.3 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 3.3 of 105 |
| Overall (sum of the categories shown) | 19 out of 506 |
- Accident record: class median 38.47 · 74 models in class.
- Severity: class median 16.67.
- Access: class median 1,823.
- Support: class median 96.
- Liquidity: class median 17.67.
- Each of the five categories places the model within its peer class, from 0 (the worst of the class) to 10 (the best): a position among comparable models, not a grade. The overall score is the sum of the categories shown that are scored, out of 10 for each (50 when all five are); it is given only when at least 4 of the five are scored, and it can be set against another model's only when both are in the same peer class and scored on the same categories.