NAVION Owner Restores 1946 Plane - Shares Memories of His Father and Credits Wife
The Poor Man’s P-51 Mustang
Wow! What another great airplane restoration story! As a supplier of fluid identification tapes for the aerospace industry, Privateer, Ltd., has a front row seat watching some really cool aircraft restoration projects come to life by their owners! Here is one of them up close!
This past year, Rick Joyner, of Dayton, Ohio reached out to us looking for fluid line identification aerospace tapes (FLI Tapes). He explained that he was working passionately on an aircraft restoration project involving his 1946 built Navion airplane. Rick told us, “My aircraft was built by North American in 1946 and the model is Navion. My serial # is NAV-4-130. It was designed and manufactured by the same engineers and line workers at the Los Angeles plant where the North American P-51 was assembled. The Navion has been called the poor man’s mustang due to its strong resemblance to the P-51. After I had it apart and then reassembled my Navion, I really saw the similarities to the P-51 design but also understood the way it (of the P-51) was built on the assembly line.”
Although there were only a few thousand Navion planes built during the 1940’s, it is obvious that there was and continues to be a tremendous amount of interest in this plane today! If you are interested in learning more about the Navion, there is an abundance of published historical facts and stories available online.
Now, More About Rick’s NAVION Restoration Project!
During our conversations, Rick explained that his dream of becoming a pilot was inspired by his father! Rick told us, “Like Dad, I wanted to become a pilot too! I just fancied airplanes and as a kid I liked to build model airplanes as a hobby and whenever I heard an airplane fly overhead, I would always look upward – to watch and wonder about the plane and people flying through the sky.”
Well, the apple did not fall from the tree, Rick told us, “I joined the AirForce in 1983 and worked as a jet engine mechanic for 2 1/2 years at Kirtland AFB in Albuquerque, NM and then 2 more years at RAF Lakenheath Great Britain.
While Rick’s father was a big part of his interest in owning an airplane someday, Rick told us, “What really got me started as a pilot, and I can blame my wife for this…she knew I loved airplanes and flying so she bought me a discovery flight in a North American T-6 at a local airport. That’s all it took to be bitten hard with the flying bug. The rest is history.”
Jump ahead a few years and Rick found himself back in Ohio running his family business. All along, Rick said he always wanted to own and fly a Navion so in 2008 he purchased one.
Before thinking of restoring his Navion, Rick flew over 200 hours in his plane!
Now, in 2022, and hours upon hours of showing his love through sweat and tears, Rick is getting ready to fly his prized, modified Navion in early summer. Coincidentally and just in time for a June 12-18 event at Moraine Airpark (I73), according to Rick, this is called The American Navion Society Nation Convention! Rick said, “It’s just our group of Navioneers coming together annually for social comradery and fun flying contests; it’s not in conjunction with any airshow. But people can come out to visit and have fun.”
Rick is thrilled and looking forward to June when he can take to the sky once again. He said, “My Navion is not stock, as it has had many updates and modifications through its lifetime. The new additions that I have done include upgrading the engine to a Continental IO-550B of 300HP and modernizing the panel with an engine monitor, modern radios and navigation equipment for IFR flying”.
Thanks and congratulations Rick Joyner! We appreciate learning more about your passions and special Navion airplane restoration project! Thanks for reaching out to us for your Aerospace Fluid Line Identification Tapes! We look forward to posting more photos of Rick taking flight aboard his Navion in June!
Happy trails and flights from Privateer, Ltd.
The following photographs were provided with permission to use on this blog post by Rick Joyner. If you would like to learn more about this project please contact Privateer, Ltd.
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Privateer, Ltd. was established in 1972 to print vinyl identification marking tapes for the Navy. By 1980, we were producing Vinyl, Mylar, Imprintable, Glass Cloth and Fiberglass tapes for all branches of the U.S. Military, as well as Sikorsky, Boeing, Grumman, and Lockheed-to name a few. Our business expanded into nameplates and decals for the international aerospace industry and a myriad of labeling solutions for the private sector… Privateer Ltd. is committed to the complete satisfaction of its customers. We exercise this responsibility through continual training of our employees, adherence to proven procedures and timely review of our quality system for suitability and effectiveness with a mindset for constant and never-ending improvement, and by our total commitment to meeting our customer requirements. Our objective is to deliver defect-free products, on time, every time… Privateer’s Fluid Line Marking Tape has been a leader in the Aerospace Industry since 1972.
Also known as: Privateer, Ltd.
Primary location: Old Saybrook, CT United States
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