The black and white view of Hiram "Tommy" Thurlow and the Lockheed 14 aircraft in New York, New York. Typed on a piece of paper attached to the image: "Readying Hughes' plane for Paris flight. New York City-- Mechanics hastened to put Howard Hughes' Lockheed 14 monoplane in shape for a flight from Floyd Bennett Airport here, to Paris. Motor trouble forced postponement and helpers were working under injunction to have the ship ready for a takeoff "at the earliest possible moment," July 9. Photo shows: Lieut, Thomas A. Thurlow, navigator, calibrating compass on plane. Credit Line (ACME) 7/9/1938."
The Bob McCaffery Collection on the Save the Hughes Flying Boat Campaign (1980-1983) documents efforts by activists to preserve the plane from destruction and its subsequent acquisition by the Aero Club of Southern California in 1980. The collection contains photographs and newspaper clippings about the Hughes H-4 Hercules flying boat nicknamed the "Spruce Goose" from the 1980s.
Description printed on photograph's accompanying strip of paper: "Howard Hughes landing at Fairbanks 8:18 p.m. after flight from Moscow in 12 hrs., 17 mins. - distance 2457 mi. Distance flown from New York: 11, 188 mi. Elapsed time from New York, 72 hrs., 58 min. Flight time, 54 hrs., 39 min."