Historic Aircraft at Merrill Field


                                                    Click on a Graphic   Photos by Alex Edwards

Ryan Navion 1

 

manufacturer  NAA and Ryan Aviation
wing span

33 ft. 5 in.
length 27 ft. 4 in.
height 8 ft. 7 in.
weight 2,950 lbs. loaded
engine Continental O-470-7 of 185 hp.
crew One (plus three passengers)
cost $10,000 
maximum speed 163 mph. 
range  700 miles 
ceiling 11,000 ft
total produced 2,347
year first built 1946

 

    The Navion L-17 was originally designed by North American Aviation.  Its was designed using design features of other NAA aircraft and was used in liaison missions.  The aircraft was designed as a military war bird and to sell to homecoming World War Two pilots.  The tail and wings were a scaled down version of the P-51's.  There were two gear configurations originally a tail dragger and a tricycle gear both derived from the T-6 Texan's and P-51 Mustang's inward folding landing gears.  The tricycle design won though.  

     The production of the Navion L-17 started in early 1946 in San Diego.  By late 1947 NAA had manufactured 1109 Navion L-17s.  Many of those were sold to the military.  When the Jet-Era came the NAA factory needed room to manufacture the F-86 Saber aircraft and sold the Navion L-17 design to Ryan Aviation.  Ryan Aviation continued manufacturing the Navion L-17 until 1951, it had built 1238 Navion L-17s.  These were designated L-17Bs.  Ryan Aviation remanufactured 163 NAA Navion L-17s and called them L-17Cs. 

     While people want war birds they think of P-51s and T-6s but the L-17 and many other liaison aircraft are crosses of many aircraft.  It is cheap, fun, and easy to fly.