Howard Hughes sits at the controls of his 400,000 pound Flying Boat just a day prior to its first tests in the Los Angeles Harbor in California. The aircraft was 219 feet long with a wing span of 320 feet.
Howard Hughes with his flight engineer and Dave Evans, radio operator, preparing for the Flying Boat's taxi test the next day. The group is shown on the flight deck of the 24,000 horsepower craft. The Flying Boat was assembled on Terminal Island in the Los Angeles Harbor.
A front view of HK-1, Hughes Flying Boat, the world's largest plane, which successfully completed its first flight, shown in the photo. The eight 3,000 horsepower engine lifted the craft from the waters of Los Angeles Harbor with Hughes at the controls. The huge wings, with a span of 320 feet carried the aircraft for one mile at a 100-mile per hour speed before Hughes put it back on the water.
A side view of the HK-1, Hughes Flying Boat, the world's largest plane, which successfully completed its first flight. The eight 3,000 horsepower engine lifted the craft from the waters of Los Angeles Harbor with Hughes at the controls.
A side view of the HK-1, Hughes Flying Boat, the world's largest plane, which successfully completed its first flight. The eight 3,000 horsepower engines lifted the craft from the waters of Los Angeles Harbor with Hughes at the controls. The plane is 219 ft long.
Howard Hughes' 400,000 pound Flying Boat flying 70 feet above the water for one-mile during taxi tests over the Los Angeles Harbor with Hughes at the controls. Hughes had scheduled taxi tests only for the 219-foot long ship, but it "felt so good" on the second taxi test run at 95 miles per hour that he took it off the water on the third and final run, which is shown in the photo.
The interior of the 219-foot long hull of Howard Hughes' Flying Boat, on the day of the craft's initial water taxi tests. The picture was taken from the center section of the 400,000 pound aircraft. Workmen were completing the final arrangements for the test in the background.