North
American designed the Navion near the end of WWII. They were originally
designed for the civilan market but attracted the attention of the US
Army, who placed an order for 83 . The US Army called these the L-17A.
The design was acquired by Ryan in 1948. They continued to build the
successful design. Today, there are quite a few Navions flying at a
number of small airports across the United States.
