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. The airship photographing the scene is shown by shadow.
Date stamped on back of photo: Nov 2, 1947. Transcribed from attached press release: "IN THE AIR Hughes Flying boat, with Howard Hughes at the controls, takes to the air at Los Angeles Harbor November 2, 1947. LONG BEACH, Calif., Nov. 2 - - Howard Hughes' 400,000-pound flying boat, world's largest plane, in the air on its first flight. The mammoth aircraft today flew one mile at a height of 70 feet over Los Angeles Harbor with Hughes at the controls. Hughes had scheduled taxi tests only for the 219-foot long ship but it 'felt so good' on the second taxi test run at 95 miles per hour that he took it off the water, as shown here, on the third and final run. The super plane's air speed was 100 miles per hour. Take-off speed was 95 miles per hour. Hughes termed the tests exceptionally successful. The eight-engine behemoth, launched yesterday off Terminal Island, passed its tests today in view of thousands on the shore and in small craft near the test area."
Hughes Productions series (1920-1992) primarily details the production, advertising, and censorship for The Outlaw, a film directed by Howard Hughes. Materials include advertising and publicity, editing, legal, production and direction, story development, administrative, distribution, censorship, and financial records, as well as film soundtracks and records from the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) and United Artists Corporation. The series also contains ledgers, telegrams, newspaper clippings, music sheets and scores, reports, memoranda, agreements, correspondence, affidavits, analyses, screenplays, synopses, and story treatments. Black-and-white photographic prints and negatives include publicity, production, direction, set, and location scouting stills.
Corporate records contain administrative, legal, and financial reports, contracts, and correspondence pertaining to business operations. Also included are distribution materials from the MPAA and United Artists Corporation.
Archival Collection
Howard Hughes Film Production Records
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Collection Number: MS-01036 Collection Name: Howard Hughes Film Production Records Box/Folder: N/A
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' 400,000 pound Flying Boat flying 70 feet above the water for one-mile during taxi tests over the Los Angeles Harbor with Hughes at the controls. Hughes had scheduled taxi tests only for the 219-foot long ship, but it "felt so good" on the second taxi test run at 95 miles per hour that he took it off the water on the third and final run, which is shown in the photo.