The Howard Hughes Professional and Aeronautical Photographs contain black-and-white photographs of businessman and entrepreneur Howard Hughes and his companies from 1916 to 1997. The photographs primarily depict Hughes alongside his aircraft, including the XF-11 prototype reconnaissance plane and the HK-1 Hercules, better known as the "Spruce Goose" or "Flying Boat." The photographs also cover the companies owned by Hughes, including Hughes Tool Company, Hughes Aircraft Company, Hughes Electronics Corporation, and RKO Pictures.
Howard Hughes (second from left) standing in front of the experimental helicopter XH-17, Flying Crane, with others (from left to right): Rea Hopper, Director of the Aeronautical Division, Hughes Aircraft Company; Hughes; Clyde Jones, Director of Engineering, Hughes Tool Company Aeronautical Division; Warren Reed, Assistant; Colonel Carl E. Jackson from Air Research and Development Headquarters, Baltimore; Gale J. Moore, Pilot; possibly Chal Bowen, Flight Engineer/Co-pilot; and an unidentified man, October 23, 1952.
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.
Archival Collection
Howard Hughes Public Relations Photograph Collection
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Collection Number: PH-00373 Collection Name: Howard Hughes Public Relations Photograph Collection Box/Folder: N/A
Scale [ca. 1:9,600. 1 in. to approx. 800 ft.]. Cadastral map. 'Compiled by Pioneer Title Insurance &Trust Company.' 'By Jack Asher, State Nev. Reg. Engr. No. 305.' 'Issue 5, 6/1/46.' Includes indexes. Pioneer Title Insurance &Trust Company
Description given on piece of paper attached to the image: "Chicago reception for Howard Hughes after completing his Round the World flight. Hughes is in the center of the car leading the parade."
The black and white view of Howard Hughes in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Description printed on photograph's accompanying sheet of paper: "Howard Hughes at Minneapolis to refuel before leaving for Floyd Bennett Field to complete a round the world flight."