A view of Howard Hughes (right) after being asked about his controversial XF-11 photo reconnaissance plane by Senator Harry Cain (left), Republican of Washington, in Culver City, California.

A section of Howard Hughes' "Spruce Goose" or "Flying Boat" being moved (with a police escort) from the Hughes Aircraft plant in Culver City, California to Terminal Island in the Los Angeles Harbor where the plane was assembled in June of 1946.

Howard Hughes on the flight deck of the HK-1, Flying Boat (the largest plane in the world) discussing with his flight engineer and radio operator, Dave Evans, the plans for the next day's taxi testing of the 400,000 pound craft. The flight deck occupies the upper level in the nose of the 219-foot hull. The Flying Boat was assembled on Terminal Island in the Los Angeles Harbor.

The Hughes Laboratory machine shop is devoted to the building of full-scale test models of rock bits, tool and joints and other drilling tools for laboratory and field testing. In connection with the latter, the shop is equipped to manufacture these tools in sufficient quantities to make possible extensive and simultaneous field trials. The machine shop handles a large amount of work for the Research, Product and Metallurgical Engineering departments. This includes building new designs, new mechanisms and new devices for preliminary testing.

Crowd at a parade in New York City celebrating the completion of Howard Hughes' Around-the-World Flight!