Howard Hughes (right) and Earl Martyn inside of the HK-1, Hughes Flying Boat, which was near completion on Terminal Island in the Los Angeles Harbor. The Hughes Flying Boat, also called the Spruce Goose, was the largest plane in the world.
Howard Hughes on the flight deck of the HK-1, Flying Boat (the largest plane in the world) discussing with his flight engineer and radio operator, Dave Evans, the plans for the next day's taxi testing of the 400,000 pound craft. The flight deck occupies the upper level in the nose of the 219-foot hull. The Flying Boat was assembled on Terminal Island in the Los Angeles Harbor.
From the Howard Cannon Photograph Collection (PH-00192). Stamped on verso: "Las Vegas News Bureau - Las Vegas, Nevada Convention Center - Photographers Don English, Joe Buck, Jerry Abbott, Milt Palmer". Stamped on verso: "Southern Nevada Industrial Foundation, INC. 400 Stewart Ave. - P.O. Box 1688 Las Vegas, Nevada" Howard W. Cannon and Alan Bible (2nd and 3rd from left), Gov. Grant Sawyer (2nd from right)
Howard Hughes sits at the controls of his 400,000 pound Flying Boat just a day prior to its first tests in the Los Angeles Harbor in California. The aircraft was 219 feet long with a wing span of 320 feet.