An exterior view of the Lockheed 14 airplane outside a hangar at Union Air Terminal in Burbank, California.

An exterior view of the Lockheed 14 airplane outside a hangar at Union Air Terminal in Burbank, California.

Main Street, Silver Peak, Nevada, 1938. There is an inscription on the back of the image: "In 1938, Silver Peak was Esmeralda County's largest and most prosperous town, boasting a population of over 1,000. The economy was supported chiefly by the nearby mines of the Nivloc and Mary Mine areas. The town's prosperity ended when the mines closed with the beginning of WWII." The section of town in the upper left corner of the photo, which included the post office, several stores and a theater was destroyed by fire in 1948. There is a date stamp: Christmas, 1986.

The black and white view of Howard Hughes sitting in an unidentified plane.

A view of Howard Hughes preparing to fly the Air Force test plane.

A view of Howard Hughes preparing to fly the Air Force test plane.

Howard Hughes, possibly right before or after the April 4, 1947 flight of the second XF-11 prototype.