Howard Hughes in the cockpit of his Douglas DC-3 aircraft. The photo was taken right before or after his first flight since the nearly fatal XF-11 crash in 1946.
L-R: John D. Home, Department Commander of the American Legion; Howard Hughes, Managing Director of production for RKO Pictures; Edward Underwood, Commander of the Hollywood American Legion Motion Picture Post #43.
L-R: Edward Underwood, Commander of the Hollywood American Legion Motion Picture Post #43; Howard Hughes, Managing Director of production for RKO Pictures; John D. Home, Department Commander of the American Legion.
Description given with photo: "Howard Hughes sits with his witnesses at Senate War Invest. Hearing. 1st row (l to r): Glen Odekirk & Thomas Slack; 2nd row (l to r): E. A. Peterman, Richard (?), & Howard Hughes; 3rd row (l to r): Edward Schwartz, John Parkinson, & John R. (?)."
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.