Transcribed from attached press release: "HUGHES TEST-PILOTS SECOND XF-11. CULVER CITY, Calif., April 5. Preparatory to making its first flight test today, Howard Hughes, famed flier-industrialist, is shown in the cockpit of the second XF-11 sister ship to the plane in which he almost lost his life in an accident last July 7. Hughes designed and built the ship, one of the world's fastest long-range reconnaissance planes for the Army Air forces in conjunction with the Air Materiel Command engineers."

Transcribed from press release attached to photo: "HUGHES READY FOR TAKE-OFF IN SECOND XF-11 FLIGHT. CULVER CITY, Calif., April 5 -- Howard Hughes, famed flier-industrialist, recovered from injuries following crash last July 7, is shown here just before he test-piloted today a duplicate of the plane in which he nearly lost his life. He designed and built the plane, designated XF-11, and one of the world's fastest photo-reconnaissance ships, for the Army Air Forces in conjunction with the Air Materiel Command engineers.

Transcribed from attached press release: "Wide World Photos Please Credit A-63899 (Part of Series) $58,000 LONG BEACH, CAL. A view of the hull of Howard Hughes new $20,000,000 cargo flying boat at the pontoon bridge, ready to be moved from Long Beach to Terminal Island in Los Angeles Harbor, there is a graving dock it will be assembled with other parts of the ship."

Press release attached to photo: "HUGHES FLYING BOAT Howard Hughes' massive wooden flying boat, which flew November 2, 1947, is shown in its Long Beach hangar in the first official photograph released since its flight. The airplane, with a wing span of 320 feet, remains today the largest ever constructed. The U. S. Navy has expressed interest in it for experimentation, although no transaction has yet been made." Stamped on photo: "HUGHES HELICOPTERS DIVISION OF SUMMA CORPORATION CULVER CITY, CALIFORNIA." Los Angeles Harbor is now known as Long Beach Harbor.

Press release attached to back of photo: "LAUNCHING WORLD'S LARGEST PLANE The Hughes Flying boat was launched for the first time November 1, 1947. After the three concrete docks, one containing the hull and two the wing pontoons, were pumped with sea water to the outside level, gates were lowered and the Flying Boat was carefully towed forward by tractors, and by boats as the tail cleared the dock. During taxi tests the following day Howard Hughes made a surprise flight of a mile." Stamped on back of photo: "Hughes Aircraft Photo" and the date "Nov 1 1947." Los Angeles Harbor is now known as Long Beach.

Transcribed from press release attached to photograph: "LABORATORY MACHINE SHOP SPEEDS PRODUCT RESEARCH The Hughes Laboratory machine shop is devote to the building of full-scale test models of rock bits, tool joints and other drilling tools for laboratory and field testing. In connection with the latter, the shop is equipped to manufacture these tools in sufficient quantities to make possible extensive and simultaneous field trials. The machine shop handles a large amount of work for the Research, Product and Metallurgical engineering departments. This includes building new designs, new machines and new devices for preliminary testing."

Transcribed from press release: "HUGHES TEST DERRICK This 118-foot field-size oil derrick tower above a block-long laboratory in Houston, Texas, where the Hughes Tool Company simulates every drilling condition in the world in order to produce tough, long-lasting drill bits for the oil industry. Rock bits are responsible for tapping of deep oil fields where today 90 per cent of the world's oil is found."