Coming to us back in the fall as Local Legend VII, the Carenado/Asobo Cessna 195 Businessliner for Microsoft Flight Simulator came alongside the World Update XI: Canada update. The aircraft has no specific Canadian connection (though the free DHC-2 Beaver that came with the 40^th Anniversary sure did) so its not quite the local legend that some other aircraft have been but after reviewing the classic lines and looks I kind of had to get it. I’ve reviewed so many other Carenado/Asobo products over the last year that this one will be slightly lighter weight. Let’s check out the Cessna 195!

A bit of history

The Cessna 195 prototype flew in 1945 immediately after the end of World War II. Based on the pre-war Cessna 165, this new airplane was Cessna’s first to be built completely with aluminum while being the last to be powered by a radial engine. A 7-cylinder, air-cooled Jacobs R-755B-2 radial piston engine that produces a variety of horsepower with some producing 300 horsepower. This helps propel the Cessna 165 up to a maximum speed of 155 knots.

Production commenced in 1947 and 1,180 were built up until 1954. High price, excessive oil consumption, and the traditional tail dragger configuration limited its appeal. Cessna marketed it to executives with some success.

Many of these aircraft still exist and are highly sought after on the collector market today.

Visuals and sounds

Unsurprising to just about everyone who knows anything about Carenado, the Cessna 195 that they have done for Asobo and Microsoft Flight Simulator looks stunning. Just like ever other type that I’ve seen from them in recent history, their texture and 3D model work are top notch. So too are the animations for all of the switches, buttons, throttle/mixture/prop controls, and even the roll up and down windows.

It doesn’t hurt that the Cessna 195 has those classic lines that permeate the whole airplane. The radial engine, the old school Art Deco sytle, and overall style and artistry of the cockpit all come together in this airplane. This is just a beautiful classic airplane and it comes with a bunch of liveries that are clean and classic looking that fit the airplane beautifully.

From a sound perspective, this is a Carenado airplane. It’s one of their better ones with a generally enjoyable engine sound and all the usual creaks and groans when put through tighter turns or rumbling across the runway.

Flying it

The emphasis on this being a classic airplane helps to inform the way this flies. Carenado are not using the new flight model so it doesn’t feel as lively as it could. It’s actually remarkably stable with little impact from its powerful radial engine being felt. It’s a bit disappointing but not unexpected.

The elevator is reasonably responsive while the ailerons are slow causing the airplanes roll rate to be somewhat ponderous.

For some reason, I like flying this all the same. It’s a hands on airplane with no autopilot and at lower altitudes it really likes to climb so you constantly have to keep an eye on the gauges to make sure that it isn’t going somewhere you don’t want it to go.

Takeoff is a bit challenging as this is one of the few times where the torque can really be felt. Make sure that you get the trim and rudder dialed in properly before increasing power or you could find yourself in a bit of trouble. Landing is much easier as it stays on the glideslope easily and a little bit of power on or off modulates your landing point nicely.

This is a very basic airplane from an equipment perspective. For navigation you would need to follow radio beacons as that’s all this airplane has. No GPS or other modern instrumentation are available. It also has no autopilot so its not the ideal cross country cruiser if you like to kick back and relax as the airplane cruises to its destination.

Like the other Carenado/Asobo collaborations, this one does not have a tablet interface and it doesn’t come with wheel chocks, pylons, covers or any of the other features that you get from the more expensive Carenado releases.

If you want read about a Cessna 195 adventure, check out my flying around the SoCal area with the 195.

Final thoughts

Beautifully modeled and textured, the Cessna 195 is a stunning recreation of this historic type. It’s not deeply modeled but it hits at the same level as other Carenado offerings. It’s fun and presents a few challenges flying it but it’s also very steady and stable and it cruises nicely. With no autopilot and no GPS, this is an firmly in the old school cross country experience if you want that sort of thing.

I bought this against my better judgement having felt like I’d collected more than enough Carenado airplanes but I don’t regret the purchase. The classic styling and flying experience was just fun enough. I should mention too that although the airplane is reasonably priced exclusively in the MSFS Marketplace, it’s $19.95 USD is slightly higher price than some of the other offerings such as the Bonanza V35 and I can’t really figure out why.

If you don’t require an extremely deep modeling of airplane systems, you like beautiful historic airplanes, and you want that classic airplane flight experience, I can generally recommend this airplane especially if its offered as part of a Marketplace sale.

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