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.
