Different Types of Navions
TUSCO Corp. (Navion Division) Navion D

Between 1952 and 1957, production of the Navion remained stagnant, with the Ryan Aeronautical Company supporting the Navion fleet with spare parts, most of which were simply pulled out of the storage boxes they were packed in when production ceased.

In 1957, the type certificate and production rights were sold to the Navion Aircraft Company, a division of the Galveston, Texas based Tubular Service Engineering Company (TUSCO).

Instead of resuming production of a still numerous and inexpensive aircraft, TUSCO opted to remanufacture existing Navions with an extensive list of changes. For $12,000 customers received a like-new Navion, complete with:

• A newer, more powerful Continental direct-drive engine.
• Fiberglass cowling nose bowl.
• Palo-Alto horizontal stabilizer angle of incidence change.
• Flush riveting on the wings.
• Rear baggage compartment door with flush rivets.
• Flush mounted seven-piece cabin windows.
• Internal balance weights on the ailerons.
• Wing root fairings.
• Landing gear doors.
• Cowl flaps.
• A new entry foot step cut into the port flap.
• Cabin air vents in the inboard leading edges of the wings.
• Fletcher tip tanks, each holding 34 US-gallons.
• A new instrument panel with modern avionics and radios mounted in a center stack configuration.
• The use of circuit breaker switches throughout the aircraft's electrical system.
• A new custom interior.
• A new paint job, preceded by paint stripping.

The first D Model Navion was certified on April 2, 1958. Although the horsepower rating of the new Continental O-470-P engine was 20 less than the Navion B, the elimination of the gear box and addition of tip tanks increased the gross weight by 300 pounds. TUSCO also increased the never exceed and maneuvering speed limitations. Twelve examples were remanufactured.

A second remanufactured model, the Navion E, was introduced on May 22, 1959, with the IO-470-C producing 250 horsepower and an optional fifth seat mounted in the baggage compartment. Production was limited to three before the introduction of the Navion F later that year.

Certified on September 23, the Navion F was to become the most popular of TUSCO's remanufactured Navions, with nearly three dozen being produced. Once again, the horsepower was increased by 10 with the use of an IO-470-H, bringing it back to the 260 of the Navion B. Another dramatic change was made to the wing's angle of incidence. Although the limiting airspeeds didn't change, the performance improved noticeably, as did the maintainability of the engines and propellers.

In all three cases, the data plate of the original airframe was restamped to show the conversion to a different model. A NAvion or Navion A would switch from NAV-4-XXX to NAV-4-XXXD, -XXXE or -XXXF while a Navion B would switch from NAV-4-XXXB to a -XXXBD, -XXXBE or -XXXBF.

TUSCO Corp. (Navion Division) Navion E

TUSCO Corp. (Navion Division) Navion F