Navion, jackass-proof
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Acapulco airport in Mexico was attacked by a herd of donkeys some time in the summer of 1951. Breaking into a gallop amongst the private planes parked on the tarmac, the quadrupeds brought havoc and destruction to the canvas and wooden aircraft. One of the donkeys was not so lucky: he collided with the left wing of a Ryan Navion, lifting it a foot off the ground and getting badly injured in the process. The Navion, built entirely out of metal, suffered only a minor dent and a press release from Ryan soon afterwards announced the Navion to be “Jackass proof”.
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The little Navion is a four-seater low-wing leisure aircraft, designed by North American Aviation (NAA) in 1946 to keep its workforce occupied until production started on the F86 Sabre fighter. The NAA intended to sell it on the civilian market as a liaison aircraft and trainer for the Air Force, but without much enthusiasm: each Navion was sold for $6,100 despite costing nine thousand to build. The millions made from the F86 contract afforded the NAA such luxury and, soon after it riveting started on the production line, the NAA passed the Navion to Ryan.
Ryan enlarged the engine size (from 200 to 260hp), increasing its top speed to 418 km/h, along with the price-tag ($14,000). It managed to sell some to the US Air Force, but hopes of a lucrative trainer contract were thwarted. Overtures to the Navy were no more successful.
Designed by the same team of engineers responsible for the famous Mustang fighter, the Navion clearly betrayed its origins, which worked against it in the civilian market. Despite expectations of a good number of buyers, especially pilots recently returned from the war and keen to maintain their adrenalin levels with a fast and agile aircraft, the fighter pedigree came between them and their spouses: in a world of pleated skirts there was no way for a lady to get into the Navion and retain her modesty, and the market favoured models which allowed for a pleasant family outing without the morally threatening acrobatics.
Ryan stopped making the Navion in 1951 and sold the rights to Tusco, who restarted production in 1958. In 1961, Hurricane Carla devastated Galveston and Tusco’s headquarters there, and it never recovered, closing down for good.
Never truly successful while in production, the Navion enjoys a healthy existence amongst vintage aircraft aficionados and what went against it in the 1940s and 50s today is its salvation: quick, agile and robust, it is the ‘poor man’s Mustang’, the fan who wants a vintage fighter but lacks the means to acquire one. Hopefully, the Navion community will continue to take to the air for several decades to come.
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Beechcraft Bonanza
The nemesis of the Navion was the Beechcraft Bonanza, still in production today. Started in 1947 and also a single-engined low-wing aircraft, it was however more comfortable for the ladies. Initially with a V-shaped tail, it was later altered to the traditional configuration. Apart from the pilot, it could take 5 passengers at a top speed of 326 km/h. It holds the record for the longest aircraft in continuous production, with 17,000 having been built, and it was the plane flown by the well-known Portuguese paraplegic pilot, Commander Faria de Mello, who took it around the world twice.
Curiosity
The list of celebrities who flew the Navion includes names such as Veronica Lake and Mickey Rooney. Today, no two Navions are alike, due to their length of service, change of makers and numerous alternative suppliers of spare parts.
Numbers
2,469 Navions built / 500 in operation today
40,000 dollars for a Navion today
700,000 dollars for a Beechcraft Bonanza
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by Ricardo Reis
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