Henry Kaiser, steel magnate and shipbuilder, conceived the idea of a massive flying transport and turned to Howard Hughes to design and build it. Not only did he invest in aviation and aerospace companies, but he also flew the planes himself. No one was killed, but Lyon saw an ambulance driver help transport a seriously injured victim. Though he was also a movie mogul and real estate investor, Hughes is perhaps best known for his career in aviation. Basically, they could not make it strong enough. The transfer forestalled tax expenses and the prospect of cutting the plane into pieces for display at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington. This was a younger Hughes -- the seemingly fearless, rogue pilot and entrepreneur who was hell-bent on success for his aircraft manufacturing company. Imaginative use of America’s industrial and technological strengths to deal with such problems was the mission of the War Production Board’s planning committee. It is the largest aircraft ever built. After Hughes’ death in 1976, it was gifted by Hughes’ Summa Corporation to the Aero Club of Southern California. | EIN: 93-1069203 | © 2020. Evergreen subsequently bought the aircraft from the Aero Club. The largest wooden airplane ever constructed, and flown only one time, the Spruce Goose represents one of humanity's greatest attempts to conquer the skies. By August 22, 1942, after several weeks of discussion, a handshake agreement was reached—Hughes would design the plane and Kaiser would build it. Design presented several challenges—such a plane would require an overhang wingspan 50 percent greater than the Martin Mars, which would present new torsional, wing flutter, vibration, deflection, and control problems never before tested. Lawmakers hauled Hughes before a congressional committee to justify the plane's taxpayer price tag of. She yelled upstairs to us, saying, 'Do you have some pieces of that airplane?' Although the museum declined CNN's requests for an interview, the museum's statement said the facility remains open, is financially viable and has no plans to close. Bottom line: museum-goers -- which number around 150,000 a year -- have nothing to fear, Lyon said. But, he said, who knows? On September 17, Kaiser-Hughes received authorization to proceed with design engineering and construction of three prototype flying boats. He followed with a proposal to the Army and Navy. Subsequently, a written contract between Hughes and Kaiser called for the design and construction of 500 aircraft. by Warfare History Network. ", Hughes crashed a prototype reconnaissance plane, Lyon watched trucks roll the Spruce Goose down local streets. But his report called the plane’s design amazing and the most remarkable flying boat he had ever seen. Kron said a final investigation report is expected to be made public soon. Empty the Spruce Goose weighed almost twice what a fully loaded B-29 weighed at takeoff when at combat overload weight. Hughes settled on a design gross weight of 400,000 pounds. That's when Aero Club struck a bargain with Evergreen and the behemoth was floated up the West Coast on barges in a spectacular 138-day moving operation to Oregon. Lyon remembers police canvassing the neighborhood looking for the missing debris. In 1947 in Long Beach harbor, it grabbed about 70 feet of air for about a mile. The other was to mass produce antisubmarine aircraft carriers on Liberty Ship hulls. Relevance. But Nelson was concerned about the possible impact on existing programs by manufacturers working at full capacity. Hughes — who piloted the test flight — said it needed more development. Kaiser, unsuccessful in his attempt at combining forces with Hughes, had nothing more to do with the project except to help out with providing a few personnel. "The vast majority" of the museum's aircraft exhibits, it said, "are unaffected by issues" linked to the investigation. Meanwhile, Lyon is nearing the finish line as a custodian of this aviation icon. In July, Kaiser outlined plans for flying boats of 200 to 500 tons and launched a publicity and lobbying campaign telling the press that he envisioned a fleet of 5,000 flying boats. Numerous elements lined up against the project. Key decisions were delayed for days in some cases because of problems contacting Hughes. I found a clue about the Spruce Goose's small flight in the memoirs of George Spangenberg. The dispute, said Lyon, basically comes down to a payment formula and the interpretation of three words: justifiable operating expense. Hughes did prove the thing could fly. Temporary hangars were built as housing for the aircraft, while volunteers worked on the aircraft’s restoration. It is over five stories tall with a wingspan longer than a football field. The world’s largest plane at the time, the Spruce Goose would fly only once in 1947, and Howard Hughes was the pilot. "The Aero Club's mission in this whole thing was to save the Spruce Goose," said Lyon. Dario Leone Sep 28, 2020 Sep 28 2020 0. Kaiser then approached the well-known aviator, Howard Hughes, with a pitch to jointly develop the large flying boat. Lv 7. Designed to carry more than 700 troops, the Spruce Goose flew only once. The police are here and they want them.' The largest wooden airplane ever constructed, and flown only one time, the Spruce Goose represents one of humanity's greatest attempts to conquer the skies. He approached such problems with big schemes, limitless energy, and a genius for organization and improvisation. The week of May 4-10, 1942, saw the loss of 300,000 deadweight tons of Allied shipping to German U-boats, loss rates that were twice new ship launches. Nevertheless, the press insisted on calling it the “Spruce Goose” despite the fact that the plane is made almost entirely of birch. At the center of our museum stands the original Spruce Goose. In 2001, re-assembly of the Hughes Flying Boat was completed in its new home. I think the spruce goose was obsolete by the time it was completed. But the manufacturers were not enthusiastic about the possible entry of another aircraft company into their industry. Lyon -- who represents Aero Club -- is now negotiating the plane's final payment, which he estimates at about $50,000. "I'd never seen a tall, lanky, guy with a Texas accent before," he remembers. When I was a kid in the mid-1970s, my family used to go sailing on the weekends. The giant airplane was made mostly of birch, not spruce, with a wingspan of 320 feet, a vertical fin of 85 feet, and a weight of 300,000 pounds. The Evergreen Museum newsletter will keep you up to date on upcoming events, exclusive experiences, and educational opportunities on the Evergreen Campus. In early 1944 it was determined that successful development of the Mars flying boat would make the HK-1 unnecessary. America wanted a giant flying boat; Howard Hughes made it. And she said, 'Yes, I think you do! In 1947 in Long Beach harbor, it grabbed about 70 feet of air for about a mile. Bob Lyon remembers the day he met Howard Hughes. "I noted that there were controls for the pilot, but none for the co-pilot," Lyon said with a chuckle. 2 years ago. "... both sides expect a prompt resolution of that payment," the museum said in a statement. During the two decades since the Spruce Goose deal was struck, he's never traveled to Oregon to see the plane. Six times larger than any aircraft of its time, the Spruce Goose, also known as the Hughes Flying Boat, is made entirely of wood. The Aircraft Division of the War Production Board was asked to review Kaiser’s proposal. It would be a nightmare.". During the 1930s, few men in America were as well-known as Howard Hughes. Merrill C. Meigs, deputy director of the board’s Aircraft Division, told Kaiser that it took more than four years to develop a new aircraft, but Kaiser was undaunted. It originally was conceived by Howard Hughes for rapid large troop or equipment movements during WW2 but was not finished until 1947 after the war was finished and no longer required. Its official name was the H-4. Faced with the terrible loss of shipping that was threatening the Allies, Kaiser suggested two possible solutions. In this perspective the flight of the 'Spruce Goose' takes on a new significance. Donald Douglas, head of Douglas Aircraft, advised that to prepare a preliminary design for a 200-ton aircraft would require at least 100,000 engineering hours. "It's a problem of contract interpretation," Lyon said. Spruce Goose was moved a short distance away to a spectacular seaside dome next to the moored luxury liner Queen Mary. There's a perfect beach for every week of the year. Hughes was called before the Senate War Investigating Committee in the late summer of 1947. Hughes pointed out that he had spent an additional $18 million, OCD-plagued, naked, bearded recluse portrayed near the end of Martin Scorsese's "The Aviator. "This plane was a part of my life," said Lyon, 77. ", "The museum is no danger of losing the Spruce Goose," echoed Evergreen spokeswoman Melissa Grace in a statement.

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