Transcribed from attached press release: "DRILLING LABORATORY The fundamental purpose of all Hughes rock bit research is to improve bit performance. In attaining this improvement it is necessary to balance design with the application of correct metallurgical materials and manufacturing methods. The preliminary proving ground is the Drilling laboratory housed in the main Laboratory building. Its field-size drilling rig, with 118 ft. derrick, was especially designed to test rock bits in a manner simulating oilfield drilling conditions."

The black and white view of Howard Hughes in his Lockheed 14 aircraft at Floyd Bennett Field in New York. Text printed on accompanying paper strip: "Hughes takes off on flight to Paris. Floyd Bennett Field, New York City-- Howard Hughes, multi-millionaire speed flyer, pictured in the nose of his Hughes Lockheed "Flying Laboratory" as Hughes and his picked crew of four prepared for the take-off to Paris and probably around the world on July 10th. A few minutes after this picture was taken, the giant ship lifted from the field to follow the trail blazed by Chrales A. Lindbergh. Credit Line (ACME) 7/10/38."

Men inspecting drill bits at the Hughes Tool Company in Houston.

Men and women in the Hughes Laboratory Machine Shop are devoted to the building of full-scale test models of rock bits, tool joints and other drilling tools for laboratory and field testing. In connection with the latter, the shop is equipped to manufacture these tools in sufficient quantities to make possible extensive and simultaneous field trials. The machine shop handles a large amount of work for Research, Product and Metallurgical Engineering divisions. This includes building new designs, new mechanisms and new devices for preliminary testing.