Cessna 195 Businessliner Buyer's Guide: Owning and Financing a 1947–1954 Radial Taildragger
For experienced tailwheel pilots who want a fast, roomy classic, and who understand that they're buying a radial engine and a 70-plus-year-old airframe.
The Cessna 195 "Businessliner" was built from 1947 to 1954 as a business airplane, not a bush plane. It was Cessna's first all-metal airplane and its last with a radial engine. It has a cantilever wing, spring-steel gear, a four-to-five-seat cabin and a cruise speed around 140 knots. Some online sources get the basics wrong: a factory 195 never had a Lycoming engine, and none were built after 1954.
Are you the right pilot for a 195?
Be honest about this part before you shop. The 195 rewards pilots who already fly taildraggers regularly and want an airplane to cross the country in, not just fly around the patch. You sit high, the nose is long, and the airplane is heavy for a taildragger, so the ground-handling margin is thinner than in a 170 or a Cub.
- Good fit: a tailwheel-current pilot with a few hundred hours, a hangar, a mechanic who knows radials (or willingness to travel to one), and appreciation for a vintage airplane.
- Poor fit: a new private pilot, anyone without regular tailwheel practice, a buyer who needs the lowest cost per mile, or someone who wants to leave the airplane outside.
- Building toward it: tailwheel time in a Cub, a Cessna 170B or a Maule first makes the 195 far easier to insure and to enjoy.
190, 195, 195A or 195B: which one?
| Model | Engine | Power | Buyer notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 190 | Continental W-670-23 radial | 240 hp | Same airframe with a different engine. Often a little cheaper. |
| 195 | Jacobs R-755A2 radial | 300 hp | The most power; fuel burn and engine care match it. |
| 195A | Jacobs R-755-9 (L-4MB) | 245 hp | Lower-power Jacobs. |
| 195B | Jacobs R-755B2 | 275 hp | AvWeb calls the R-755B2 generally the most reliable of the group. Many buyers' first choice. |
| LC-126 (military) | Jacobs R-755 | 300 hp | Military variant; some were later civilianized. Check the records and type-certificate paperwork carefully. |
Sources: Wikipedia, Cessna 195; AvWeb, Cessna 195 Businessliner. Many airplanes have swiveling crosswind gear that allows landing with up to about 15 degrees of crab.
Decision rule: engine type matters less than engine condition, but a 195B with a well-documented R-755B2 and an experienced overhaul shop's paperwork is the benchmark. A 300-hp 195 gives more performance at a higher running cost. A 190 is a good airplane if the price reflects its lower power and thinner market.
What to inspect on a Businessliner
Hire a mechanic who knows 190/195s specifically. The International Cessna 195 Club, founded in 1967, can point you to one. Start from our older-aircraft pre-buy guide, then add:
- Wing structure. Main and outer spar connections, attach fittings and corrosion. AvWeb recounts a pre-buy that found an outer spar not connected to the main spar, which is exactly the kind of finding a 195 specialist catches.
- Ground-loop and gear damage. Wingtip, aileron and gear repairs; gear alignment, which AvWeb calls crucial; spring-steel gear legs and their attach structure; and the crosswind-gear castering mechanism if installed.
- Tailwheel assembly. Strut servicing and condition. AvWeb warns never to fly with the tailwheel strut flat.
- Engine. Cylinder compressions and condition, oil consumption trend, magnetos, induction and exhaust. Check time since overhaul against the roughly 1,000–1,200-hour TBO AvWeb cites for these radials, and who did the last overhaul.
- Propeller. Constant-speed prop overhaul history and hub condition, done by a shop experienced with that vintage of prop.
- ADs and records. The 190 and 195 are covered by Cessna's seat rail AD, AD 2011-10-09. An older AvWeb review counted only four recurring ADs and none on the engine or propeller. Have your mechanic confirm the current list for the serial number.
- Restoration quality. Form 337s for major repairs and alterations, the quality of past corrosion treatment, wiring, and a panel that's airworthy rather than just shiny.
Parts are more available than you might expect. AvWeb notes that specialist suppliers manufacture most airframe parts new and that radial overhaul shops still support the Jacobs and Continental engines. Prices and lead times are vintage prices and lead times, though. Review the logs line by line with our logbook guide.
What a 195 costs, and how vintage financing works
AeroGurus showed eight 190/195 listings in September 2026, asking from about $99,000 to $275,000 with a median near $145,000, plus a recent sale of a 1950 195A at $140,000. These are typical asking prices seen in 2025–2026 listings, not verified sale prices; confirm with Vref or Aircraft Bluebook and a type-experienced appraiser.
Lenders do finance 1940s and 1950s airplanes, on different terms. AOPA says its lenders have no age restriction for piston singles, but aircraft built before 1960 "may require a larger down payment and/or shorter term." Its baseline is 20% down for pre-1960 aircraft, and in a 2024 article it noted older aircraft may be financed only "up to 70% or 75%." Don't plan on a 20-year term. Model 10 and 15 years instead, and expect the lender to lean hard on the appraisal and logbooks. As of September 2026, rates generally run from about 7% to 10%. Vintage aircraft often price toward the upper part of that range.
| Example | Price | Down | Loan | 10 years | 15 years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flying 195, tired cosmetics | $110,000 | 20% | $88,000 | $1,056/mo | $828/mo |
| Well-kept 195B | $150,000 | 20% | $120,000 | $1,440/mo | $1,130/mo |
| Well-kept 195B | $150,000 | 30% | $105,000 | $1,260/mo | $988/mo |
| Term | 8.00% APR | 9.00% APR | 10.00% APR |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 years (120 mo) | $1,456/mo | $1,520/mo | $1,586/mo |
| 15 years (180 mo) | $1,147/mo | $1,217/mo | $1,290/mo |
Loan amount $120,000. Principal and interest only; excludes insurance, taxes and fees. Illustrative, not a quote.
If a conventional aviation lender won't write the airplane, alternatives include a larger cash component, a secured personal loan or home-equity financing. Each carries different risks; see alternative aircraft financing. For how build year changes loan terms generally, see financing an older airplane.
Financing a classic?
Tell us about the 195 you've found. A financing specialist will check which lenders in our network take vintage radials and on what down payment and term.
Insurance for a vintage radial taildragger
Expect the insurance conversation to be the gating step. An older AvWeb review reported carriers asking for about 200 hours PIC and 25 hours of tailwheel time, and premiums have changed since, so treat that as an illustration only. Most underwriters will also want dual instruction in type. Ask for an agreed-value hull policy that reflects restoration quality, since a classic's replacement cost can exceed a generic valuation. Your lender will require hull coverage for at least the loan balance with the lender as loss payee; see aircraft loan insurance requirements and how pilot experience affects insurance.
First-year ownership notes
- Learn radial habits. Pull the propeller through before starting to check for oil pooled in the lower cylinders, per your mechanic's and the engine shop's guidance. Learn the start, warm-up and shutdown routine from an experienced owner.
- Budget oil as well as fuel. At the AirNav national average of $7.24/gal (September 2026), an assumed 14 gph is about $101.36 per hour before oil. AvWeb cites roughly half a pint to a quart of oil per hour.
- Hangar it. A 70-plus-year-old aluminum airframe and an original-style interior deteriorate fast outdoors.
- Join the International Cessna 195 Club. Its maintenance clinics and owner network are the practical knowledge base for this fleet.
- Plan an engine fund early. With TBOs around 1,000–1,200 hours and specialist overhaul shops, the engine reserve is the largest long-term cost. See engine overhaul financing.
How this guide differs from related pages
This page covers the decision to buy a 190 or 195: pilot fit, variants, inspection and vintage financing. We don't publish a separate 195 model page or cost-of-ownership page. The closest classic-Cessna specification pages are the Cessna 170B and Cessna 180 Skywagon. For annual budgeting methods that apply to any airplane, see the cost of ownership hub and our first-year ownership budget worksheet.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a Cessna 195 cost in 2026?
In September 2026 AeroGurus showed eight 190 and 195 listings asking from about $99,000 to $275,000, with a median near $145,000, and a recent sale of a 1950 195A at $140,000. Restoration quality, engine time and the engine model drive the spread. With so few trades, use a type-knowledgeable appraiser alongside Vref or Aircraft Bluebook.
What engine does a Cessna 195 have?
A radial. The 195 used Jacobs R-755 radials: 300 hp in the original 195, 245 hp in the 195A and 275 hp in the 195B, which AvWeb calls generally the most reliable. The companion Cessna 190 used a 240-hp Continental W-670 radial. Some older web pages wrongly list Lycoming flat engines; a factory 195 never had one.
Can you finance a 1950s Cessna 195?
Yes, though on vintage terms. AOPA's lenders set no age cutoff for piston singles, but they ask for 20% down on pre-1960 aircraft and may require a larger down payment or a shorter term. With 20% down, a $150,000 195 means a $120,000 loan, about $1,130 a month over 15 years at an illustrative 7.75%.
Is a Cessna 195 hard to land?
It demands tailwheel proficiency. It is a heavy taildragger with a high seating position that makes the sight picture unusual, and AvWeb notes pilots tend to flare too low. Crosswind gear, which lets the main wheels caster up to about 15 degrees, helps on many airplanes. Plan on dual instruction from a 195-experienced instructor regardless of your tailwheel time.
How much oil does a Cessna 195 use?
More than a flat engine. AvWeb reports owners planning on roughly half a pint to a quart per hour, depending on engine condition, and Wikipedia cites about two quarts per hour as typical for steel-barrel cylinders. Oil is a real operating cost and a condition indicator, so track consumption from the first flight and compare it with the seller’s records.
What insurance requirements apply to a Cessna 195?
Requirements vary by insurer and are rarely light. An older AvWeb review reported carriers asking for about 200 hours pilot in command and 25 hours of tailwheel time, and many also require dual in type. Treat that as an example rather than a current rule. Ask for an agreed-value hull quote that reflects restoration quality, and have it in hand before you commit.
Last reviewed September 27, 2026. Rates and rules change; see our editorial standards.