Swiss Transportation Museum

Versatile · **Joined:** Wed Nov 09, 2005 1:35 pm **Posts:** 636

I saw a blurb about this museum. They have an ac that is a taildragger, passenger compartment with about 4 windows per side an open cock pit for the pilot and aradial engine iirc. Looking for photos stories etc. I wen to the web site but failed to find it.
thanks.

airknocker · **Posted:** Thu May 29, 2014 11:13 pm

Lockheed 9C Orion
https://www.verkehrshaus.ch/en/museum/a ... d-9c-orion
http://www.aerofiles.com/home.html

Orion 9C 1932 (ATC 2-416) = Conversion of the experimental Altair DL-2A with 450hp P&W Wasp E, redesigned cockpit, and mail compartment to a passenger cabin. Work was performed during a financial low-point in Lockheed's existence by Dick Von Hake, Jimmy Gerschler, and Nina Wyatt, working without pay in the deserted factory. POP: 1 [NR/NC12222] c/n 180. Repowered with 650hp Wright SR-1820 as James Doolittle's red-and-orange Shellightning, the only metal Orion. Acquired by Paul Mantz, then by SwissAir, who restored it as the only surviving Orion.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sdasmarchives/11054154596/

Versatile · **Joined:** Wed Nov 09, 2005 1:35 pm **Posts:** 636

airknocker wrote:

Lockheed 9C Orion
https://www.verkehrshaus.ch/en/museum/a ... d-9c-orion
http://www.aerofiles.com/home.html

Orion 9C 1932 (ATC 2-416) = Conversion of the experimental Altair DL-2A with 450hp P&W Wasp E, redesigned cockpit, and mail compartment to a passenger cabin. Work was performed during a financial low-point in Lockheed's existence by Dick Von Hake, Jimmy Gerschler, and Nina Wyatt, working without pay in the deserted factory. POP: 1 [NR/NC12222] c/n 180. Repowered with 650hp Wright SR-1820 as James Doolittle's red-and-orange Shellightning, the only metal Orion. Acquired by Paul Mantz, then by SwissAir, who restored it as the only surviving Orion.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sdasmarchives/11054154596/

Thanks for the info. A great airplane.

Chris Brame · **Posted:** Wed Jun 11, 2014 7:08 pm

Quote:

After an eventful history, the plane wasted away in an American museum until being acquired by the Swiss Museum of Transport

Hey, at least Mantz flew it every so often.

tulsaboy · **Posted:** Mon Jun 16, 2014 4:43 pm

I would love to have that Orion here in Oklahoma for multiple reasons. First and foremost, it's the sole survivor of the type of aircraft that Will Rogers and Wiley Post were in when they died. Second, I wonder how many of Jimmy Doolittle's race aircraft have survived? Is that the only one? Third, that airplane was regularly maintained at the Spartan School here in Tulsa, and so we have quite a few shots of it periodically stopping by the Tulsa Municipal Airport. Neat airplane, fantastic history. Sad it is so far away...

kevin

Mike · **Joined:** Tue May 04, 2004 8:54 am **Posts:** 3322

tulsaboy wrote:

First and foremost, it's the sole survivor of the type of aircraft that Will Rogers and Wiley Post were in when they died.

Not entirely, as Post's aircraft was a lash-up with Explorer wings and an Orion fuselage, bigger engine, oversized floats and numerous other mods.

tulsaboy · **Posted:** Wed Jun 18, 2014 7:42 pm

Mike-entirely right. But to most folks it would be a pretty good representation. I would never want to do to the last survivornwhat it would take to make it look like Wiley's airplane. I would paint it up in Shell colors as it was when Doolittle flew it. But the Orion connection to Post would be neat.
Kevin

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