The only ex-military Navion on the British register,
and still flying
The Aircraft
The Navion was a solution to a post-war aviation need: a four-seat liaison aircraft that America's Army could procure straight from a production line serving civilians, oil companies and farmers. No bespoke military contract. No years of development. An honest aeroplane, bought off the shelf.
Originally designed by North American Aviation (the same Inglewood drawing offices responsible for the P-51 Mustang), the Navion first flew in 1946. The U.S. Army selected it as the L-17A after a rigorous competition against every four-seat aircraft in the country. In July 1947, Ryan Aeronautical (builders of Charles Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis) acquired the design and continued refining it.
47.911 was among the first off the NAA production line. Completed on 11 March 1947 in Los Angeles, it carries serial NAV-4-911 and Type Certificate 782. It was shipped to post-war France in 1948 to support U.S. Army Forces performing liaison and personnel carrying duties, flying initially under French registration. More recently, it was transferred into civilian ownership under a new registration F-AYZ based at Châteauroux, France.
Service History
U.S. Army L-17A aboard a Navy escort carrier during Korean War operations. L-17s flew personnel and cargo from the decks of USS Sicily and USS Badoeng Strait.
Over 1,200 Navions served in military roles through the late 1940s and into the Korean War. L-17s spotted targets and guided F-51 Mustang and F-80 Shooting Star fighters into the attack, with individual aircraft logging up to 100 hours per month on front-line duties. General Douglas MacArthur and Major General Matthew Ridgway both flew personal L-17s.
After Korea, most L-17s passed to ROTC flight training and the Civil Air Patrol before entering civilian hands in the late 1960s. Today, fewer than 1,000 airworthy examples are believed to remain worldwide.
This aircraft is the first and only ex-military Navion on the British Register, now registered as G-EYVZ with a special exemption permitting it to display its original U.S. Army markings. The code 47.911 combines its build year with the last three digits of its serial number.
Technical Data
Original data plate · North American Aviation · Serial NAV-4-911 · Completed 3-11-47
North American Aviation Inc.
Los Angeles, CaliforniaPhotographs
Supporting Veterans
47.911 is more than a historic aircraft. We are working with the RAF Benevolent Fund to raise awareness of veteran services across the UK through charitable air displays and flight experiences.
If you would like to support the Fund or enquire about a flight experience aboard this piece of living history, please get in touch.
Visit RAF Benevolent Fund
Get in Touch
Have a question about 47.911? Interested in a flight experience or a charitable partnership? We would love to hear from you.