A view of Howard Hughes' Flying Boat being prepared for a test run in Long Beach, California.

A view of Howard Hughes' Flying Boat being prepared for a test run in Long Beach, California.

A view of Howard Hughes' Flying Boat being taken out for an unscheduled test run in Long Beach, California.

The black and white, skyline view of New York City with Lockheed 14 aircraft flying in the foreground. Typed onto script included with the image: "Howard Hughes plane Lockheed 14 in flight over lower New York City. To right in the background can be seen New York City's three bridges of the lower East River from front to rear: the Brooklyn Bridge, Manhattan Bridge, and the Williamsburg Bridge."

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 the image: "Scene at Floyd Bennett Airport this evening shortly before the big Lockheed special monoplane New York World's Fair 1939 took off on a transatlantic flight to Paris, carrying Howard Hughes an a crew of four."

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."

The black and white view of Howard Hughes and his crew before leaving for Paris.