Description given with photo: "Hughes At Controls Of Sky Giant For Taxi Tests - Long Beach, Cal. : Howard Hughes, millionaire plane builder, flyer and movie maker, is shown at the controls of the world's largest flying boat prior to taking the 400,000-pound craft out for taxi tests on Los Angeles Harbor. The plane, which figured in the Senate investigation of Hughes' wartime activities last summer, is 219 feet long with a wingspan of 320 feet. It was launched today, but will not be air tested until next spring. Shortly after this photo was made it was announced that taxi tests had been postponed. 11/1/47."
The series on Howard Hughes’ personal life dates from 1941-1987 and is primarily composed of reference files of newspaper clippings that document Howard Hughes’ life as an aviation leader, studio owner, philanthropist, and Las Vegas developer. His moves to Managua, Nicaragua, Vancouver, British Columbia, London, England, the Bahamas, and Acapulco, Mexico near the end of his life are also well documented as are his ex-wives, death, and the legal fight for his estate. The series also includes transcripts of radio and television interviews, magazine articles, and books about Hughes. There are also a number of biographies on Hughes, press releases, and correspondence between between Carl Byoir & Associates staff and individuals or organizations.
Archival Collection
Howard Hughes Public Relations Reference Files
To request this item in person:
Collection Number: MS-00380 Collection Name: Howard Hughes Public Relations Reference Files Box/Folder: N/A
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.