CAMAIR TWIN NAVION

1953’61

Plane & Pilot

Tuesday, December 16, 2008 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Edited By: Omar Filipović

Key Takeaways:

The Camair, which first flew in 1953, originated as a custom design for Cameron Iron Works and was later commercialized as a twin-engine conversion of the single-engine North American/Ryan Navion.
Multiple models were produced, all structurally modified from the Navion and featuring twin Continental engines, with individual engine horsepower ranging from 225 hp to 300 hp across different versions.
While new aircraft production has ceased, the Camair Aircraft Corp. continues to supply spare parts to existing Twin Navion owners.

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The Camair flew for the first time in 1953 and was designed to meet the requirements of the Cameron Iron Works. The company was so pleased with the results of the prototype (powered by two 225 hp Continentals) that it decided to produce similar conversions of the Navion single-engine airplane on a commercial basis. The designation Camair 480 indicates the combined power of the twin 240 hp Continental powerplants used in the production model. Starting with a North American/Ryan Navion, structural modifications were carried out to allow for the increased horsepower and weight of the two engines, while aerodynamic, comfort, and styling refinements were added. Building of new aircraft has been suspended; however, the Camair Aircraft Corp. continues to supply spare parts to Twin Navion owners. In all, four models were built: the Model A prototype with two 225 hp Continentals, the Model B with twin 240 hp Continentals, the Model C with twin 260 hp Continentals, and the Model D with two 300 hp Continentals.