Typed onto a piece of paper attached to the image: "Fete, Hughes, and crew at Luncheon. Left to right at the head of the table are Harry P. Connor, navigator of the Hughes plane, Grover Whalen, Howard hughes, Mayor Fiorello Laguardia of New York City, Thomas Thurlow, Navigator, Richard Stoddart, radio engineer, and Edward Lund, flight engineer. At the bottom center of the photo is William Randolph Hearst, Jr., son of the publisher. 7/15/38"
Howard Hughes speaks into two microphones as he gives a news conference beside the Douglas DC-3, after landing in New York. This was his first flight after the nearly fatal crash of the first XF-11. A number of officials and onlookers stand nearby.