Transcribed from attached press release: "DRILLING LABORATORY The fundamental purpose of all Hughes rock bit research is to improve bit performance. In attaining this improvement it is necessary to balance design with the application of correct metallurgical materials and manufacturing methods. The preliminary proving ground is the Drilling laboratory housed in the main Laboratory building. Its field-size drilling rig, with 118 ft. derrick, was especially designed to test rock bits in a manner simulating oilfield drilling conditions."

The black and white view of Howard Hughes exiting his Lockheed 14 aircraft after performing the final landing on the Round the World flight at Floyd Bennett Airport, New York. Description printed on photograph's accompanying sheet of paper: "World fliers greeted on arrival. Floyd Bennett Airport--- Minutes after he and his companions set their plane down here, completing a dramatic dash around the world, Howard Hughes, wearing the same battered hat, his face covered by a heavy stubble, stepped from the plane, to be greeted by Mayor La Guardia, in the photo are, left to right: Ed Lund, flight mechanic, Howard Hughes, Thomas Thurlow, navigator; Harry P. M. Connor, navigator, and Mayor La Guardia. Credit Line (ACME) 7/14/38"

Men inspecting drill bits at the Hughes Tool Company in Houston.

Men and women in the Hughes Laboratory Machine Shop are devoted to the building of full-scale test models of rock bits, tool joints and other drilling tools for laboratory and field testing. In connection with the latter, the shop is equipped to manufacture these tools in sufficient quantities to make possible extensive and simultaneous field trials. The machine shop handles a large amount of work for Research, Product and Metallurgical Engineering divisions. This includes building new designs, new mechanisms and new devices for preliminary testing.