The 53rd Annual Cessna 195 Convention took place this past September in West Yellowstone, Montana. Maggie and I were quite excited with the location as it’s only 3.5 hours flying time in our 195.

14 years ago, in September 2010, the 40th annual convention was also held there. A month prior to the convention CF-MLB was badly damaged in a forced landing and we were forced to drive the 933 km. This time, however, it would be different and we excitedly anticipated flying there in MLB.

Unfortunately, the Gods were not kind to us as our plane was damaged in a landing accident earlier this year and we ended up driving again! I doubt we’ll be flying there for the 68th Annual Convention!

After a two day stop in Waterton National Park, which we enjoyed immensely, we wound our merry way through 680 km of Montana’s winding roads to West Yellowstone. You gotta love the 80 MPH speed limits on some of the roads! It was a great to meet up with old friends from all over the US and even one couple from Australia. We had a very busy itinerary scheduled for the next three days. There’s always a fly-out or two at these conventions so on Thursday we were off to Three Forks, MT, from where we’d visit the Lewis and Clark Caverns. We jumped in with my ‘twin brother from a different mother’ Will and his wife Nila. Will and Nila are based out of Aurora, IL and we have travelled with them to several Cessna 195 Club Caravans and to Australia.

While it was only a 35 minute flight, we still had to climb up to 9,500’ to clear the surrounding terrain. West Yellowstone Airport elevation is 6,650’ ASL and with the temperature hovering around 30° C the density altitude was nearly 9,800’. I looked forward to see how much of the 8,400’ runway we would need to break ground.

Surprisingly, after a relatively short ground roll of just over 2,500’, we were airborne and on our way to Three Forks. Will has a larger diameter prop than standard and he says it gives him better take-off performance but no increase in airspeed.

It’s always fun to travel in a group of 18 plus aircraft but you must be vigilant and very aware where the other aircraft are. Sharp eyes, constant scanning and radio contact keeps everyone safe. It’s not quite as busy as arriving at Oshkosh but you being careful is a must. We all landed safely and were treated to a lunch hosted by the local EAA chapter. We then piled into buses and headed to the Lewis and Clark Caverns. The caverns are amazing but you must be comfortable with confined spaces and the fact that you are 800’ underground!

The next day we flew to Ruby Valley Field in Twin Bridges for a lunch put on by the convention hosts, Deb and Beau. Beau has the FBO in Ruby Valley and flies a number of aircraft including a Cessna Citation Mustang, a Cessna 195 and a SIAI Marchetti SM.1019.

On the way to Ruby Valley Field most of us were monitoring 123.45 to keep tabs on each other. A rancher with an airstrip along our route saw us all pass by and asked where all the Cessna 195s were headed. I told him what was going and mentioned we’d be headed back in a couple of hours. He wondered if we could do a low fly-by on our way home but unfortunately we couldn’t accommodate his request.

That afternoon on return to West Yellowstone, there was an all-members forum where we discussed such topics as training, parts availability and other issues with maintaining and operating these 70+ year old aircraft. Realistically the Cessna 195 is no harder to maintain than a Cessna 182 but one must be aware of areas of concern, just like any other aircraft. Engine management is a little more fussy than flat engines but is easy to learn. The airframe has good support and expertise available, however some parts are getting harder to find.

On Saturday we once again boarded buses for a trip to Yellowstone National Park. Maggie and I were just as amazed this time as we were on our first visit. The scenery, geysers, pools and colours are out of this world. The colours of the alkali formations formed by the steaming, boiling water flowing out of the pools have to be seen in person to be believed. Just be very careful where you step. Old Faithful performed for us on schedule. I think the most spectacular place is Artist Point and the Upper and Lower Falls. The rock colours and formations are spectacular.

All in all, we had a wonderful time enjoying the camaraderie, flying and scenery with 70 members and 21 aircraft of our Cessna 195 family.

Next year we’re off to Brunswick, Maine for the 54th edition of the Convention and are looking forward to experiencing the fall colours and scenery of the north-east United States.