Materials contain photographs of the Hughes XF-11 prototype military reconnaissance aircraft from 1946 to 1947. The photographs depict Howard Hughes piloting the two XF-11 prototypes that were built: during the test flight in July 1946, Hughes crashed the first XF-11 in Beverly Hills, California; in April 1947, Hughes successfully flew the second prototype at high speeds and at high altitudes. However, the United States Air Force abandoned the controversial project, and in August of 1947, Hughes was called to testify before the Truman Committee in the U.S. Senate about the failures of the program.
Archival Collection
Howard Hughes Public Relations Photograph Collection
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Collection Number: PH-00373 Collection Name: Howard Hughes Public Relations Photograph Collection Box/Folder: N/A
From the Nye County, Nevada Photograph Collection (PH-00221) -- Series IV. Pahrump, Nevada -- Subseries IV.A. Hughes Family. Hughes believes the motel was constructed around 1920 by the Pahrump Valley Company, under the ownership of Isodore Dockweiler, to house Dockweiler and his associates when they visited the ranch. It featured a screened porch, one bathroom, running water, a flush toilet, a kitchen, and four bedrooms. The "motel" burned down in the early 1940s.
The people associated with Howard Hughes series dates from 1947-1976 and is composed entirely of reference files of newspaper clippings that document Hughes employees, business associates, competitors, and relatives, as well as politicians and government officials that were of interest to Hughes.
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
Transcribed from attached press release: "HUGHES READY FOR TAKE-OFF IN SECOND XF-11 FLIGHT. CULVER CITY, Calif., April 5. Howard Hughes, famed flier-industrialist, recovered from injuries following crash last July 7, is shown here just before he test-piloted today a duplicate of the plane in which he nearly lost his life. He designed and built the plane, designated XF-11, and one of the world's fastest photo-reconnaissance ships, for the Army Air Forces in conjunction with the Air Materiel Command engineers."
Howard Hughes standing in the doorway of his plane and shaking the hand of an unidentified individual amongst a crowd of men at the Grand Central Air Terminal in Los Angeles.
The black and white view of the Lockheed 14 aircraft at Floyd Bennett Field in New York. Typed onto a piece of paper attached to this image: "This crowd gathered at Floyd Bennett Airport to watch Howard Hughes take off on his flight to Paris with a crew of four. New York, New York."