Transcribed from back of photo: "Howard Hughes in the cockpit of the new XF-11 reconnaissance plane which he designed and built in conjuntion with Air Material Command engineers. He is preparing for its first flight. One of the world's fastest long-range photo planes, it can attain a speed of over 400 miles per hour."

Howard Hughes in the cockpit of his XF-11 before its first test flight.

The black and white view of Howard Hughes being surrounded by crowds and the press in front of his Lockheed 14 aircraft.

Typed onto a piece of paper attached to the image: "Chicago crowd greeting Howard Hughes when he arrived there."

A view of crowds and the press at a parade for Howard Hughes celebrating the flyer's completion of his Round-The-World trip in Chicago.

The black and white view of Howard Hughes in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Description written on back of photograph: "July 14, 1938: Tired and bearded, Howard Hughes was surrounded as he left his plane at the municipal airport (World-Chamberlain Field) to secure weather information before leaving Minneapolis to complete his record-breaking around-the-world flight-- the fastest flight ever made in circumnavigating the globe. Photo-courtesy "The Minneapolis Star" Board of Park Commissions 325 City Hall Minneapolis, Minn."

A view of the near-fatal crash of Howard Hughes' XF-11 in Culver City, California.