My 195 Story
Dave Ramsey Comments on N195P

The years went by and family obligations came ahead of my latent flying desires. But finally, in 1974 in Montgomery, AL, I started my lessons at last. Flying, while not easy, came comfortably to me and by 1978 I had attained a single engine land, instrument rating and had bought a new '78 Beech Sierra. I put 1,000 hours on it but wanted something faster so in 1984 I acquired a low time '78 Beech Bonanza A36, which I still have. After attending the Staggerwing/Beech 18 convention in Tullahoma, TN in 1999, I came back determined to finally get my Beech 18. However, It didn't take long for me to find out I didn't have enough time nor enough money to build the hours needed to afford insurance for a BE 18. Unfortunately, I had no tail dragger nor twin time. My dream, so it seemed, was over.

A former Air America pilot, Jack Thompson, who is based at our Wetumpka, AL airport and flies a beautiful '48 Swift, had been goading me for years to get an 18 because he has several hundred hours in them and really wanted to have one at our airfield. When I told him my insurance story he countered with, "Well why don't you get a Cessna 195 instead ? They look fabulous, have a round engine, they're just as fast, they cost less to own and operate and insurance is within reason." A Cessna 195? I had never even seen one. Nevertheless, my curiosity was piqued so I started my research. The more I read the more intrigued I became. I bought Larry Bartlett's tape "So you want to buy a Cessna 195" and learned a lot. I emailed several 195 aficionados to get first hand imput and after several weeks my mind was made up. I wanted a Cessna 195. I still had no tail dragger time but a C 120 would fix that. I found a good one locally last May and began building time. By October, I had more than 100 hours and was ready to get my 195.

All year I had been amassing information on available 195's in Trade-a-Plane, Aero Trader, ebay and the International 195 Association web site, but no luck. However, in early October, a new listing appeared. It seemed to be just what I'd been looking for. It was a 1948 C 195 with a very low time engine and prop. It had passable paint and a beautiful leather interior. Best of all, it was hangered here in Alabama, less than 200 miles from home. It all came together rather quickly after that. I went to see the plane and its owner, Ed Berisford, who agreed to fly it to my hanger at Wetumpka, AL (08A) for a pre-purchase inspection. With a lot of help from my friends Brian Hooey, Jim Williams, Ray Hill, and John Barron of Barron Aviation it passed inspection and the deal was made.

In the course of my due diligence I had called AOPA for a title search, which came back in a few days with some disturbing news. N 195P had a lien on it.

According to AOPA's title search, a lien was placed on the airplane in November 1965 and had never been removed. The amazing thing was that it has had at least TEN owners since then. Well, naturally I wanted this cleared up fast before major money changed hands. The problem was how to get in touch with the lien holder after nearly 40 years. I tried directory assistance, no luck. I tried the internet, same thing. I even got in touch with a man whose name was in some of the paper work that Ed had left with me. He had been interested in the plane a few years ago but had run into the same problem of trying to find the lienholder and had given up. After several days I spoke with Keith Gill at AOPA's Oklahoma City office.

Keith said he had done some research on finding the lienholder and had come up with five or six names all of whom were in Florida where the lien originated. As luck would have it, the first name on the list was the right one. When I asked this gentleman if he was the person that held a lien on a certain C195 from 1965 there was a pregnant pause before he said, "I don't believe this." He had long ago given up on getting any of his money back on this deal. After a few minutes of him telling me how the lien had come to be on the plane in the first place, we discussed his releasing it. We came to a fair dollar amount for him to do so, I sent him the release form with a check. He signed the form and all ended well. This incident is just one example of why it's vital to do your homework whenever you're planning to spend thousands of dollars on one of these old airplanes. It has never been easier to do the research and it really is worth the peace of mind that comes with a clear title.

This particular 195 has an interesting history. It has had at least 20 owners, some of whom treated it quite badly. N195P began life as a C190, N 4311V in 1948. In 1953 it was repowered with a 245 hp Jacobs and became a 195. It acquired its current N number at the same time. Years passed and it went through a succession of owners from Florida to Ohio. It suffered a major accident in 1974 when its owner, a high time ATP, ground looped it and virtually totaled the airplane. It sat in pieces for several years before it was sold to a man who worked for Boeing in Wichita. His plan was to rebuild it over several years but as it always seems to happen on these projects, time passed and things moved along very slowly. But progress was made, even to the point where he had somehow acquired a new fuselage from Cessna. Apparently someone he knew at the company located it in a storage facility and the deed was done. The record is unclear as to whether Cessna ever knew about this transaction. A set of wings was also obtained though they weren't new. The parts were carefully assembled and the end was in sight. It was at this point that the airport where the work was being done was struck by a tornado wrecking many airplanes and hangers. Sadly N 195P was one of the casualties. It was flipped on its back damaging the wings, rudder and elevator but not the fuselage.

The history is not too clear but at some point the owner decided he'd had enough fun and put it up for sale. Word spread through the Boeing organization and a Boeing engineer in Huntsville, AL made him an offer, which he took. This was in the mid eighties so the project started all over again. Twelve more years passed before the ship took to the air. Unfortunately, owner John Barber suffered a series of strokes and other health problems and never got to fly his dream plane although he has had several rides in it. Ed Berisford bought N 195P in December 1999 and after a few months decided to bite the bullet and have a rebuilt 275 hp Jacobs installed, along with a rebuilt prop. Ed's decision to sell the plane was extremely difficult for him but one that he had to make so I have now taken possession of a 54-year-old plane that has no original parts except its serial number. The exterior shows a few battle scars but it's a solid ship, with no cracks and no corrosion. Amazingly, the fuselage has less than 100 hours on it total time is approximately 2200 hours and the engine/prop have only 50 hours.

As for the plane itself, I now have put some 20 hours on it and am enjoying it more than I would have thought possible. My insurance premium with AUA is well under $2,000 per year for full coverage. I probably will drop the in-flight coverage next year after I accumulate some more time. I am having as much fun with my 195 as I'm sure I would with a Beech 18 and it isn't costing an arm and a leg. However, one bad habit I've developed since I started flying the two tail draggers is I keep forgetting to raise the gear on the Bonanza, but I'm working on that.

I would like to thank all the people I have received help and advice from during my search for my 195. I really appreciate everyone's interest and their time. Thank you one and all.

Dave Ramsey
N195P