The black and white view of unidentified people surrounding the Lockheed 14 aircraft. Typed on a piece of paper attached to the image: "Rolling Howard Hughes' plane out of hangar at Floyd Bennett Field, with Lt. Thomas Thurlow, one of the navigators, calibrating the compass. 7/9/38."
Transcribed from press release attached to photo: "HUGHES READY FOR TAKE-OFF IN SECOND XF-11 FLIGHT. CULVER CITY, Calif., April 5 -- Howard Hughes, famed flier-industrialist, recovered from injuries following crash last July 7, is shown here just before he test-piloted today a duplicate of the plane in which he nearly lost his life. He designed and built the plane, designated XF-11, and one of the world's fastest photo-reconnaissance ships, for the Army Air Forces in conjunction with the Air Materiel Command engineers.
Description given with photograph: "Hughes's Stratoliner is ultimate in Streamline. Glendale, Calif.--- To give one an idea of just how far aeronautical designers can go with the streamlining effect, this above view of Howard Hughes' newest four-motored, $250,00 Stratoliner is pictured from the tail end of the big plane as it stood on the runway at the Grand Central air terminal at Glendale, Calif. The millionaire flier is believed to be preparing for a new caost-to-coast record. 8-30-39""