L-R: John D. Home, Department Commander of the American Legion; Howard Hughes, Managing Director of production for RKO Pictures; Edward Underwood, Commander of the Hollywood American Legion Motion Picture Post #43.
L-R: Edward Underwood, Commander of the Hollywood American Legion Motion Picture Post #43; Howard Hughes, Managing Director of production for RKO Pictures; John D. Home, Department Commander of the American Legion.
Description printed on photograph's accompanying strip of paper: "Howard Hughes in the cockpit of his plane. A few minutes before leaving Paris for Moscow on the second leg of his flight around the world. 7-12-38"
Howard Hughes inspecting the equipment on the flight deck inside of the HK-1, Hughes Flying Boat, which he designed and built. The man pictured behind Hughes is possibly Earl Martyn, Hughes' flight engineer. The Flying Boat was near completion and was located on Terminal Island in the Los Angeles Harbor.
Trascribed from attached press release: " Howard Hughes (wearing hat) talks over details of tomorrow's initial taxi testing of his 24,000 horsepower flying boat, Nov. 1, 1947." Hughes is standing between Chal Bowen(?) (left) and Gale J. Moore (right).