TheAVIA FL.3 (also later known as theLombardi FL.3) was an Italian two-seat cabin monoplane designed and built byAzionaria Vercellese Industrie Aeronautiche (AVIA) who were later taken over by Lombardi in 1947.
The FL.3 was a simple low-wing cantilever monoplane with fixed landing gear and powered by an 85 hp (63 kW) Continental C-85 engine. It had room for a pilot and passenger sitting side-by-side and could either have an open or enclosed cockpit. The first aircraft flew in 1939 and production was started, but ended temporarily when theSecond World War started.
Production resumed after the war and in 1947 the company was taken over byLombardi. Over 700 aircraft had been built by AVIA and Lombardi when production stopped in 1948.
In 1953Meteor SpA acquired the rights for the FL.3 and with some re-design produced it as theMeteor FL.53 and this was followed by a three-seat version theFL.54 powered by a 135 hp Lycoming engine. A four-seat version theFL.55 was also produced powered by either a 150 hp (112 kW) or 180 hp (134 kW) Lycoming engine.
