Howard Hughes giving a news conference beside his airplane after landing in New York. This was his first flight after the nearly fatal XF-11 prototype crash in 1946.
Transcribed from attachment to photo: "NEW LONG-RANGE PLANE ANNOUNCED CULVER CITY, CALIF., The FX-11 took off today on its first test flight. One of the world's fastest long-range photographic planes, it was designed and built by Howard Hughes in conjunction with Air Materiel Command engineers. It has a wing spread of 101 feet, 4 inches, and is powered by two 3000-horsepower radial engines with eight-bladed contra-rotating propellers. Army officials said it can attain a speed of more than 400 miles per hour and has a ceiling of more than 40,000 feet." Transcribed from photo sleeve: "Howard Hughes sits in the cockpit of the XF-11, a reconnaissance plane that Hughes built and designed in conjunction with Air Materiel Command engineers. Hughes is preparing for his first test flight in Culver City, California July 7, 1947."
From the Howard Cannon Photograph Collection (PH-00192). Stamped on verso: "Signal Division File #USMA-64-1996 NR West Point New York 25 May 64 - Photo by Mr Murphy". Stamped on verso: "Please give credit as 'U.S. Army Photograph'"