Page 9 - July24T

The Life of Riley:
A Historic Twin Navion
I sure thought it looked like a Navion, but I never knew they made a twin- engine version.
by Matthew McDaniel
Walking across the ramp of Arizona’s Chandler Municipal Airport (KCHD), outside of Phoenix, under the warm spring sun, the presence of the brightly painted twin loomed large in the distance. Even before the owner, Troy Welch, and I completed our pre-flight inspection, we were interrupted not once but twice by a friendly inquiry of, “What is that?” The first time, the question came from a couple loading their aircraft in the adjacent parking spot. They were taken aback by the significant stature of the twin. After all, the tip tanks of its low wings were nearly the same height as the bottom of their Cessna’s high wing. The second inquisitor had seen the strange twin from across the apron but couldn’t identify it. He explained that he just had to drive across the airport to get a closer look. Upon learning the plane was a TEMCO- Riley D-16A Twin Navion, his expression quickly transformed into a broad smile of recognition. “I sure thought it looked like a Navion, but I never knew they made a twin-engine version,” he replied. A few minutes later, engines running and taxiing to the active runway, the question was asked a third time. Initiated by the ground controller, the conversation repeated itself again. This time across VHF radio waves.
July 2024 / TWIN & TURBINE • 7