Press release captioned "Army Air Force Planes Salute Howard Hughes"

From: Carl Byoir & Associates 10 E. 40th St., Ash.4-3466 New York 16, N.Y. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FOR: HOWARD HUGHES ARMY AIR FORCE PLANES SALUTE HOWARD HUGHES LOS ANGELES, Aug. 1 ó Thundering over Los Angeles in commemoration of the Army Air Forces' 39th anniversary, some 50 war-planes today paid tribute to Howard Hughes, noted flyer and airplane designer. En route from March Field to Spokane, Wash., on an AAF West Coast "birthday" demonstration, the mighty cavalcade circled Good Samaritan hospital with wings dipping in honor of the flyer who has been waging a valiant fight for life for three and a half weeks. Hughes, also famous as an industrialist and motion picture producer, was critically injured July 7 when his XF-11 army photo reconnaisance plane, fastest long-range craft of its kind ever built, crashed in Beverly Hills on its first test flight. Early today he received the following telegram from Brigadier General John P. Doyle, commanding general of the Twelfth Air Force at March Field: "Mass flight commemorate 39th anniversary Army Air Force will circle Good Samaritan hospital at 0800 Thursday, August 1, in tribute to your invaluable con-tributions to modern aviation progress. All hands pulling for your early recovery." General Carl Spaatz, commanding general of the Army Air Forces, had previously wired the famed pilot, who set a number of transcontinental speed records and a round-the-world record in 1938: "I was deeply concerned to learn of your accident. Am happy you are im-proving. As a pioneer of modern aviation developments your contributions to the Army Air Forces have been invaluable. Sincere hopes for a rapid recovery." One of Hughes' latest craft, a flying boat as yet unnamed, the largest airplane in the world, is now being assembled on nearby Terminal Island. ó 0 ó