This service we contract out to propeller shops. We can work with a shop of your choice, otherwise we use our shop which we have been extremely satisfied with. We also try to keep overhauled propellers in stock for AOG Service. These props are offered on an exchange basis with a core charge that is refundable after inspection by the prop shop.

A few things to note:

The 190/195 uses the Hamilton Standard 2B20 Prop with 6135A-15 or -11 blades. Longer blades are not approved.

The propellers are set up different for the 240 & 245 hp engines than the 275 & 300 hp engines.

It IS acceptable to polish the blades on these propellers and is specified in the blade overhaul manual.

These Propellers always throw grease after overhaul, and is not uncommon to throw oil for a while.

Cessna 190/195 Gear Boxes are composed of a steel forging, one tubular section, two steel plate end caps and two mounting brackets. We can overhaul any assembly containing a servicable forging. We overhaul a lot of these boxes and have a custom machined articulating steel jig. The dimensional accuracy of these assemblies is very important and the tolerances quite narrow. A slight error here translates into a much larger one at the end of the gear leg. This can compromise gear alignment, a very important factor in the ground behavior of these airplanes. Having an accurate fuselage jig for the installation of these box assemblies is also a necessity.

A perfect set of polished wheel pants for a Cessna 195 has been an extremely rare commodity for many years. We have the tooling and forms to fix dented pieces or we can replace every component new. This is called "repair by manufacture". We have several of these wheel pants out there and they are better than the originals in finish.

Another option for painted airplanes is the addition of the aluminum cap strips and lower doublers on fiberglass pants.

The air/oil tail strut on these airplanes is a good system when working and properly serviced. If yours is working well do not overhaul it. If it is not working well or is damaged we can rebuild it. The problems we see most are bad seals and/or bearings. Bent wheel forks are also a somewhat common finding. Our standard overhaul includes all new seals, gaskets, valve core and cap, bearings, bushings, complete bead blast, prime/paint and new servicing placard. The paint color for the strut assembly is silver, but we will work with anyone desiring a different color. We do strongly recommend strut sealer in these struts whether overhauled or not.

This is another service we contract out unless only minor work is needed. Many of these accessories take very specialized tooling and test equipment that only specialty shops can justify owning. Remember, most of these units are NOT included with an engine overhaul, and many have been overlooked through the years. Of special concern is the fuel pump bypass rate allowing engine operation in the event of a fuel pump failure.

Cessna 190 series fuel bladders were manufactured to Military Specifications and were thicker than most general aviation bladders. They have served these airplanes very well for these 50 plus years. Many are still in very good condition. One of the main factors for condition is whether they have had fuel in them throughout their life. Bladders that have been allowed to dry out are usually cracked. Also, modern fuels have many different chemicals, such as Tolulene, that dry out rubber components. This is one of the good reasons to use a small molecule oil such as Marvel Mystery Oil, in the fuel.

Many times when the wings have to be removed, the nipples for the fuel pick-up and vent tubes will crack. These are usually not repairable and require a new bladder. Some bladders with surface drying can be overhauled. In either case we have become very proficient in replacing these bladders and prepping the bays. This is very important to the life of the bladders and wing structure. We also replace the lower rivet cap strips which, by the way, are not shown in the parts manual.

Instruments are often overlooked , even on an otherwise excellent restoration. If you ever have a chance, watch how many people walk up to an airplane and look at the instrument panel almost immediately.

There are numerous options when it comes to instrumentation for these airplanes, ranging from original to digital. For those original instruments, we have had a full set of original silk screens made. We can even have the original colors duplicated if desired. There is also the option of facing newer instruments to look like the originals.

We find many engine mounts bent. Sometimes this is from previous damage that was overlooked. We have a full engine mount jig for checking and rebuilding these units. This might be a good thing to have checked the next time the engine is removed.

Engine baffeling is inherently prone to chafing and cracking. The cowling attaches to the outer ring formed by all of the baffels. If the anti-chafing material is not properly maintained the baffels are the first to suffer. They also have a tendency to crack around the mounting areas. We also can modify the bases of the baffels to accomodate the checking of cylinder base nuts without removing the baffels.

The 195 exhaust system is a sturdy design, but they are getting old. Most are still in good shape but we do occasionally find thin, cracked, or damaged systems. Single segments or whole systems can be overhauled. There is usually some custom fitting involved with overhauled systems or components.

We have overhauled many sets of these stainless muffs. It is time consuming but very permanent when done. This process involves cutting and forming stainless pieces to cover cracked areas and then spot welding them together. This sounds fairly easy, but these pieces do overlap when installed on the exhaust system.

This was a bad design right from the start. Put a steel plug into an aluminum housing that holds water in the same proximity?? Needless to say this is a formula for corrosion. There are a number of ways to fix this problem. Our favorite is to replace the Steel with aluminum and add a drain in the bottom to actually drain all of the water. The condition of the strainer housing will determine the best way to accomplish this. We often eliminate the side drain at the same time. We think this is a good idea for two reasons. We like to be present to see what actually drains out and make sure it stops draining when we are done.

This one has the original plug and is still fitted with the original side drain valve.