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."
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."
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.