Bankstown Nostalgia
 

My regular walk around Bankstown would normally reveal a host of GA airraft, the odd corporate jet, and the usual Police or Ambulance helicopters. This
morning however was a pleasant surprise, the airport was extremely quite and I came across a 1949 Cessna 195 and a 1943 Stearman A75N1, both absolute
treasures. There are currently only six Cessna 195s on the Australian register, including two B models.

The engine is a Jacobs R-755-A2 seven cylinder air cooled radial, first produced in 1933, and still being produced in 1970. The wing chord is large and the
aircraft itself quite long compared to later Cessnas.
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The pilots side window is a wind down like in cars before electric windows, quite practical really.
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The windwcreen goes right back over the pilots head, and there are sliding shades to block the sun when required.
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Entry is via one large door, and the rear seat area is quite spacious.
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The finish and rivet work on this aircraft is amazing, Cessna really did a quality job construction wise. The owner told me they just became to expensive
to build and Cessna changed their design and construction.
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The instrument panel is well equipped and quite high, with a Y control column and a glove box for the flight manuals.
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Boeing Stearman A75N1 VH-AAP (75-5236) 1943 - I was surprised to see that there are 32 on the Australian register, covering a number of model variants.
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