Materials depict Howard Hughes operating and working on the Northrop Gamma Racer 2G in 1936. In 1935 and 1936, Howard Hughes attempted to break several records in the Northrop Gamma, and he broke his own transcontinental record by flying from Los Angeles, California to New York City, New York in 9 hours, 26 minutes.

Materials contain photographs of the HK-1 Hercules, otherwise known as the "Spruce Goose" or the "Flying Boat," from 1945 to 1947. The photographs primarily depict the construction, transportation, and storage of the plane, but also include the first and only test flight of the HK-1 above Los Angeles Harbor in 1947. Howard Hughes designed the HK-1 as the world's largest plane, capable of transporting large quantities of U.S. military hardware and personnel. In 1947, under the program's new designation H-4 Hercules, Hughes had the plane transported from his factory in Culver City, California to Los Angeles Harbor. On November 2, he piloted the plane during its only test flight. The U.S. Air Force abandoned the controversial project, and Hughes was called to testify before the Truman Committee of the U.S. Senate to justify the use of government funds on a program that never succeeded.

Materials depict the Hughes H-1 Racer in 1937. The photographs primarily depict Howard Hughes standing with the plane or in the plane's cockpit. The plane was designed by Glenn Odekirk and built by Hughes Aircraft Company in 1935, the first plane produced by the company. Hughes broke several records in the H-1, including the landplane speed record in 1935. In 1937, Hughes broke his own transcontinental speed record by flying from Los Angeles, California to New York City, New York in 7 hours, 28 minutes. Despite its speed, Hughes was unable to sell the H-1 to the U.S. military.

Materials depict the Lockheed Model 14 Super Electra piloted by Howard Hughes from 1936 to 1939. Along with a crew consisting of Harry Connor, Tom Thurlow, Richard Stoddart, and Ed Lund, Hughes flew the Super Electra on a global circumnavigation flight. On July 10, 1938, Hughes and the crew departed Floyd Bennett Field in New York and flew to Paris, France, Moscow, Russia, Omsk, Russia, Yakutsk, Russia, Fairbanks, Alaska, and Minneapolis, Minnesota before landing back in New York on July 14.

Materials depict the celebrations of Howard Hughes's circumnavigation flight in 1938. Along with a crew consisting of Harry Connor, Tom Thurlow, Richard Stoddart, and Ed Lund, Hughes flew the Super Electra on a global circumnavigation flight. On July 10, 1938, Hughes and the crew departed Floyd Bennett Field in New York and flew to Paris, France, Moscow, Russia, Omsk, Russia, Yakutsk, Russia, Fairbanks, Alaska, and Minneapolis, Minnesota before landing back in New York on July 14. The photographs primarily depict the parades thrown for Hughes after completion of the flight. The photographs also depict Hughes and his crew meeting with New York City Mayor Fiorello La Guardia at New York City Hall, the National Press Association, and crowds of onlookers who attended the plane's landings in various cities.

Materials depict Howard Hughes during various ventures from 1930 to 1950. The photographs depict Trans World Airlines planes, the crash site of Hughes's Sikorsky S-43 in Lake Mead, Nevada, aircraft construction, portraits, unidentified aircraft, events, Hughes during the production of the film The Outlaw, and Hughes speaking with members of the press.