Aircraft model
NORTH AMERICAN NAVION L-17A
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The Navion was designed by North American Aviation — the company that built the P-51 Mustang — as a postwar four-seat personal aeroplane, and it shows. It has a sliding bubble canopy, retractable gear, and a structure built to military standards that is heavier and stronger than anything else in its class. It was later built by Ryan and by several successor companies.
That military-grade structure is both its charm and its problem. At 1,782 lb empty it is heavy for 185 hp, so it cruises at only 135 knots and climbs modestly, and the useful load of 968 lb is unremarkable for the size. Owners describe it as feeling far more substantial than a Bonanza of the same era, which is true, and slower, which is also true. Parts support is the real difficulty: the type has passed through many owners, the original Continental E-series engine is out of production, and components come from specialists and the type club. Many have been re-engined with 205, 240 or 260 hp Continentals, which transforms the performance and changes the endorsement requirement.
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Put NORTH AMERICAN NAVION L-17A side by side with up to two other models.
- NORTH AMERICAN NAVION L-17A
What it is
| Seats | 4 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | tricycle |
| Engines | 1 |
| Engine | Continental E-185-3 |
| Horsepower | 185 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | CAR3 |
| Production start | 1946 |
| Production end | 1948 |
| Endorsements required | complex |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 135 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 500 nm |
| Service ceiling | 15,600 ft |
| Climb rate | 800 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 48 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | 1,350 ft |
| Landing over 50 ft | 1,300 ft |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 4 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 968 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 728 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 2,750 lb |
| Empty weight | 1,782 lb |
| Usable fuel | 40 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 10.4 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $35,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $100,000 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | 1,500 h |
| Overhaul cost, low | $34,000 |
| Overhaul cost, high | $48,000 |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 4 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 1 |
| Median year built | 1947.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 0 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 0 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | — |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | — |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 1 |
| Transfers per 100 active | — |
| Airworthiness directives | 1 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | none |
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 5-6 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | —1 |
| Severity | —2 |
| Access | —3 |
| Support | 0.8 of 104 |
| Liquidity | —5 |
- Accident record: class median 38.14 · 75 models in class.
- Severity: class median 10.
- Access: class median 1,826.5.
- Support: class median 74.
- Liquidity: class median 17.96.
- Each of the five categories places the model within its peer class, from 0 (the worst of the class) to 10 (the best): a position among comparable models, not a grade. The overall score is the sum of the categories shown that are scored, out of 10 for each (50 when all five are); it is given only when at least 4 of the five are scored, and it can be set against another model's only when both are in the same peer class and scored on the same categories.