Howard Hughes (wearing hat) receives congratulations from Mayor Fiorello La Guardia at Floyd Bennett Airport in Brooklyn. The gentleman wearing a polka dot bow tie, standing behind the mayor is Grover Whalen. Mr. Whalen was president of the 1939 New York World's Fair.
40 x 62 cm. Relief shown by hachures. Prime meridians: Greenwich and Washington. Page numbers at top: 58-59. "Entered according to act of Congress in the year 1864 by A. J. Johnson in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the Southern District of New York." Original publisher: Johnson and Ward.
Transcribed from back of photo: "Howard Hughes (in cockpit) warms up the XF-11 for its initial test flight. It is one of the world's fastest long-range photographic planes, July 7, 1946."
Description given with photograph: "Hughes sets new transcontinental transport mark. Floyd Bennet Field, NY--- Howard Hughes, millionaire flier, setting his famous round-the-world transport plane down here, early August 20th, after a record-smashing flight from Los Angeles. Hughes and three companions completed the trip in 10 hours 32 minutes and 20 seconds, shattering the record of 11 hours and five minutes set four years ago by Tommy Tomlinson. The flight was made most of the way in the substratosphere at an average altitude of 17, 000 feet. Credit Line ACME."