Ryan Navion

The Ryan (originally North American) Navion is a single-engine, unpressurized, retractable gear, four-seat aircraft originally designed and built by North American Aviation in the 1940s. It was later built by Ryan Aeronautical Company and the Tubular Steel Corporation (TUSCO).

The Navion was envisioned as an aircraft that would perfectly match the expected postwar boom in civilian aviation. It was designed along the general lines of, and by the same company which produced the North American P-51 Mustang, and North American T-28 Trojan.

Design and development The Navion was originally designed at the end of World War II by North American Aviation as the NA-143 (but produced under the NA-145 designation).Taylor, Michael, J.H., ed. Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. Danbury, Connecticut: Grolier Educational Corporation, 1980. p. 929. North American built 1,109 Navions in 1946–47, initially selling them at a below cost US$3,995, which later increased to $6,100,Garrison Flying May 1973, p. 45. although the actual cost of construction was $9,000.Huber Air & Space October–November 2008, p. 45. These included 83 L-17As for the US Army and National Guard.

Ryan Aeronautical Company acquired the design in the summer of 1947, launching production at its San Diego factory in 1948. Ryan built 1,240 Navions (powered by Continental O-470 engines or Lycoming O-435 engines), including 163 aircraft for the US armed forces, before production ended in 1951, with Ryan wanting to concentrate on defense production.Bridgman 1952, pp. 241–242.

Production rights passed to the TUSCO corporation, which flew a prototype of a revised version, the Navion Rangemaster G, on 10 June 1960, and set up the Navion Aircraft Company to build it. The Rangemaster G replaced the sliding canopy of the earlier Navions with a more conventional five seat cabin with access via car-type doors. Production began in 1961, and by mid-1962 was reported to be at a rate of 20 per month,Taylor 1962, p. 248. but Navion Aircraft Company went bankrupt,Gilbert Flying May 1966, p. 55 and the rights to the Navion were picked up by the Navion Aircraft Corporation, set up by members of the American Navion Society in mid-1965.Taylor 1969, p. 392. The rights were then purchased by the Janox Corporation, who held a groundbreaking for a new factory at Richard Downing Airport in Coshocton, Ohio in October 1970. However, no production every materialized there. The design was acquired by the Navion Rangemaster Aircraft Corporation in Wharton, Texas in 1972 and a few aircraft were built before the company went bankrupt in 1976. Later, in 1997, the Navion Aircraft Company proposed building a service center at the Wood County Airport in Bowling Green, Ohio.

Operational history

While Republic offered an amphibious aircraft, the Seabee, Cessna offered the 195, and Beechcraft offered by far the most successful type Bonanza, which remains in production in 2020. All of these aircraft, including the Navion were significantly more advanced than prewar civilian aircraft and they set the stage for aircraft built from aluminum sheets riveted to aluminum formers. It was thought that wartime pilots would come home and continue flying with their families and friends under more peaceful conditions, but the postwar boom in civilian aviation did not materialize to the extent the manufacturers envisioned.Laert 1989, pp. 67–68."Beech Bonanza History, Part 1," Winter 2025, AAHS Journal, Vol. 70, No. 4, retrieved 22 April 2026

The United States Army Air Force bought 83 L-17As from North American in 1946, as a liaison and staff transport aircraft, with 36 going to the Army and 47 to the National Guard. These were supplemented by 163 L-17Bs from 1948, which were ordered by the United States Air Force on behalf of the Army and National Guard, with 129 going to the Army and the rest to the National Guard. During the Korean War, the US Army's Navions added casualty evacuation and forward air controller to the aircraft's liaison and light transport duties. The Navion was phased out of front line service by 1957, with the aircraft handed over to the Civil Air Patrol or used as hacks.

Present day , many Navions are still flying and there is an active Navion owners community. On 18 March 2003 Sierra Hotel Aero Inc of South St. Paul, Minnesota purchased the type certificate,"Aircraft specification NO. A-782 Revision 51." Federal Aviation Administration, March 2003. Retrieved: 18 April 2010. design data, molds and tooling. The company stated in January 2013 that it was two to three years away from bringing the aircraft back into production.Wilson, Benét J. "Holder of Navion type certificate targets new aircraft production." Aopa.org, 30 November 2006. In the meantime Sierra Hotel Aero is carrying out re-manufacturing and upgrading for some owners of Navions."About Us" SierraHotelAero.com Retrieved: 25 June 2015.

Variants

North American NA-143 Two prototypes.Simpson 1991, pp. 276-278 North American NA-145 Navion North-American-built production aircraft, 1,027 built. North American NA-154 Navion Military version for the United States Army as the L-17A, 83 built. Ryan Navion Ryan-built production aircraft, 600 built.

Ryan Navion A Improved Navion with a 205hp Continental E-185-9 engine, 602 built. Ryan Navion B Modified for the higher powered 260hp Lycoming GO-435-C2 engine, also known as the Super Navion 260, 222 built. Tusco Navion D Conversion by Tulsa Manufacturing Company with a 240hp Continental IO-470-P engine and tip tanks. Tusco Navion E Conversion Tulsa Manufacturing Company with a 250hp Continental IO-470-C engine and tip tanks. Tusco Navion F Conversion Tulsa Manufacturing Company with a 260hp Continental IO-470-H engine and tip tanks. Navion G Rangemaster Redesigned aircraft by Navion Aircraft Company with 260hp Continental IO-470H engine, integral cabin and tip tanks, 121, some built as the Rangemaster G-1 with a modified fin. Navion H Rangemaster Navion G with a 285hp Continental IO-520B engine, 60 built, an additional aircraft was built by the Navion Rangemaster Aircraft Company in 1974. Klingler Navion J Rangemaster Proposal for a Navion with a TIO-540-J2BD engine, six-seats and an extended cabin Klingler Navion K Proposal for a Navion with a TIO-540-J2BD engine, six seats and a sliding canopy Ryan Model 72 One Navion B was modified as two-seat trainer for a United States Navy competition with the Temco Model 33 Plebe.

Camair Twin Navion twin engine conversion Camair 480, 2 Continental O-470-B, 240 hp each. Camair 480C, 2 Continental IO-470- 260 hp each. 25+- built. X-16 Bi-Navion One twin-engined (130hp Lycomings) prototype designed and built by Dauby Equipment Company in 1952, production by Riley and later by Temco. Temco Riley 55 Initial version of the twin engined Navion conversion. D-16 Twin Navion Production version of the X-16 with two 150hp Lycoming O-320 engines and strengthened wings, 19 conversions by Riley and 46 by Temco. Temco D-16A Improved D-16 conversion with two 170hp Lycoming O-340-A1A engines, nacelle tanks and 20 gallon each tip tanks, 144 gallons fuel total. 45 conversions.

Military L-17A Military designation for NA-154s delivered to the United States Army, 83 built, re-designated U-18A in 1962. QL-17A Six L-17As modified by TEMCO as remote-controlled drones for the United States Air Force. L-17B Military designation for Ryan-built Navion As delivered to the U.S.Army, 163 built, re-designated U-18B in 1962. L-17C L-17As modified by Ryan with improved brakes and increased fuel capacity, 35 modified, re-designated U-18C in 1962. XL-17D Three former XL-22As for evaluation. XL-22A Two Ryan-built Navion Bs for the U.S.Army, re-designated XL-17D. U-18A Former L-17As re-designated in 1962. U-18B Former L-17Bs re-designated in 1962. U-18C Former L-17Cs re-designated in 1962.

Operators Civil The Navion is popular with private individuals and companies.

Military

Royal Hellenic Air ForceBridgman 1951, p. 11a.

United States Air Force United States ArmyHarding 1990, pp. 190–191. Air National GuardSwanborough and Bowers 1963, p. 522. Massachusetts Air National GuardAAHS Journal, Spring 2004, p. 72.

Uruguayan Air Force, 5 L-17B (1949 – 1975)

Specifications (Super 260 Navion)

Ryan Navion

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