The Navion L-17 was manufactured during 1948-1950 by the Ryan Aeronautical Company that acquired the rights in the design in 1947 from North American Aviation. More than a thousand machines were produced.

Production of the Navion was terminated by Ryan in 1951, shortly after the company had introduced a new, more powerful model, the Navion Super 260. Some 1,300 exmples of the various Navion versions are still active in the United States today.