Northwest Airways Lockheed Orion 9D     NC13747        (c/n  205)

                                    

                                        Somewhere around 1931 or 1932 the U.S. Airlines (and, indeed, the public in general) became
                                        obsessed with speed.  Of course, with most airlines using the lumbering Ford Tri-Motor, they
                                        probably had a legitimate gripe.   Several companies addressed this need, none more spectacularly,
                                        probably, than Lockheed.  1928 saw the introduction of the Lockheed Vega, while in 1931 the
                                        Orion was the latest in high speed travel.  In fact, the Orion was the first commercial aircraft to
                                        exceed 200 mph in regular service.  Northwest employed a small fleet of them on their Detroit to
                                        Chicago and Minneapolis route.