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.

Description given with photo: "Howard Hughes Carries His Lunch Tray Cafeteria Style - Washington, D.C. Howard Hughes is shown selecting his luncheon cafeteria style during a short recess of the Senate investigation of his wartime plane contracts. Along with Thomas A. Slack, his counsel, the millionaire plane builder had his luncheon in the cafeteria of the Senate office building, while Senator Homer Ferguson, (R) Michigan the Sub-Committee Chairman, called the recess due to the absence of the witnesses summoned to the inquiry at Hughes' request. 11/8/47." Hand-written description on back of photo: "Howard Hughes & Atty. Thomas Slack have bite in Senate Office Bldg. 11/8/47."

Howard Hughes in the Lockheed 14. Typed on a piece of paper attached to the image: "As Howard Hughes took off from Coast for flight east. Los Angeles, California-- The huge Lockheed "Flying Laboratory" of Howard Hughes, millionaire oil man and speed flyer, taking off from here for the flight to New York, from where he will take off for Paris. Credit Line (ACME) 7/4/1938."

Howard Hughes at a press conference, standing in front of what is thought to be a DC-3.