https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_Model_9_Orion
The Lockheed Model 9 Orion was a single-engined passenger aircraft built in 1931
for commercial airlines. It was the first airliner to have retractable landing
gear and was faster than any military aircraft of that time. Designed by Richard
A. von Hake, it was the last wooden monoplane design produced by the Lockheed
Aircraft Corporation.
The Orion was the last design using many identical elements from the Lockheed
designs preceding it. It primarily used all the elements of the Altair, but
included a forward top cockpit similar to the Vega, plus the NACA cowling
introduced in the Air Express.[1] Lockheed used the same basic fuselage mold and
wing for all these wooden designs (the Explorer wing was unique), hence the
close similarities between them. The Orion featured an enclosed cabin with
seating for six passengers. The Orion received its Approved Type Certificate on
May 6, 1931
Role Airliner
Manufacturer Lockheed Aircraft Limited
Designer Richard A. von Hake
First flight 1931
Introduction 1931
Number built 35 (36?)
Unit cost US$25,000
Although designed with the passenger market in mind, its speed made it a natural
for air races. The first Bendix race of 1931 had a showing of two Orions, three
Altairs and one Vega in a race that had only nine aircraft competing. On 11 July
1935, Laura H. Ingalls flew a Lockheed Orion, powered by a Pratt & Whitney Wasp
engine, from Floyd Bennett Field to Burbank, California, establishing an
East-West record for women.
The Orion Explorer was a modified 9E. It had a damaged wing replaced with the
wing of the Explorer 7 after a crash, and was fitted with a 600 hp (482 kW)
Pratt & Whitney Wasp S3H1 engine. Fixed landing gear and later floats were also
fitted. It was used by Wiley Post and Will Rogers for a round-the-world flight
attempt, but both men died when the aircraft crashed in Alaska on 15 August
1935.
Specifications (Orion 9D)
General characteristics
Crew: one, pilot
Length: 28 ft 4 in (8.64 m)
Wingspan: 42 ft 9.25 in (13.04 m)
Height: 9 ft 8 in (2.95 m)
Empty weight: 3,640 lb (1,651 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 5,200 lb (2,359 kg)
Performance
Maximum speed: 192 kn at sea level (220 mph, 354 km/h)
Cruise speed: 178 kn (205 mph, 330 km/h)
Range: 652 nmi (750 mi, 1,159 km)
Service ceiling: 22,000 ft (6,705 m)
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