Howard Hughes And His Flying Boat

by Charles Barton

The real story of Howard Hughes, aviator, innovative and visionary inventor and designer, has not heretofore been told. It is easy to see why. While he lived, it was difficult to write the biography of a billionaire who adamantly opposed the publication of anything about him. Would-be biographers were persuaded or forced to desist. Some were offered lucrative positions and disappeared into the ranks of the Hughes organizations never to be heard from again. Hughes employees were forbidden to talk about their boss. In 1965, Hughes concocted a new weapon to combat his would-be biographers -- Rosemont Enterprises, Inc., to whom he granted the exclusive right to use (publish, write, etc.) the name, personality, likeness, biography, life story, and incidents relating thereto of Howard R. Hughes. Even after Random House pulled the fangs of Rosemont in a hard-fought and celebrated court case, and even after Hughes's death, vestiges of the old security barriers remained. Being close mouthed had become a habit in the Hughes organizations. In Howard Hughes And His Flyng Boat, for the first time, large numbers of former Hughes employees and close associates talk about their famous boss. Here are behind-the-scenes stories that lift the veils of secrecy and controversy that have surrounded Hughes and his works during his lifetime. This is more than the story of the world's largest airplane. It is the story of Hughes the aviator and designer of unusual airplanes during a fascinating era in aviation history. It is the story of his life before he became the wheeler-dealer of Las Vegas, of the airplane crashes that changed the course of his life, of his mysterious "disappearance" for nine months, and of his struggle to vindicate himself and his works during the Senate investigation of his wartime contracts. In addition to the first-hand reminiscences of many who knew and worked for Howard Hughes, this book is based on previously unpublished documentary material. Was Hughes really a brilliant designer and builder of airplanes or did he just have the money to hire others who were? What kind of a pilot was he, really? These are the kinds of questions answered in Howard Hughes And His Flying Boat.

Genres: Aviation, History

288 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hard going. Here's the recipe: pick an event, say Howard Hughes at lunch. Then go and find as many references from as many people who may have seen him eat lunch, or heard about him eating lunch, or maybe were in the same state when he had lunch, then make your reader sit through the whole lot, each with the authors spin and interpretation. Boring.

The wikipedia entry is much more interesting, a whole lot shorter and up to date.

[Jon Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought my copy of this book used at the Dickson Street Bookshop in Fayetteville, AR. This book tells the fascinating story of the HK-1 Hercules flying boat, developed by the eccentric aviation pioneer and millionaire Howard Hughes during WW2. The idea that large flying boats could safely deliver cargo by flying nonstop over the U-boat infested Atlantic was hatched early in the war - but the idea was seen as impractical by the military and was never embraced by them. Still, Hughes finagled a government contract to build a ginormous flying boat cargo plane. Due to Hughes' disorganized and unorthodox management style and various technical issues that had to be resolved, the war ended before the single prototype plane was completed. When finally finished in 1947, the HK-1 was the largest airplane in the world, a title it held for over 70 years until the recent (2019) completion of the Stratolaunch rocket launcher aircraft. After a single test flight in late 1947 the plane sat idle until after Hughes' death in 1976; in the early 1980's it was put on display as a tourist attraction in Long Beach, CA (where I had the pleasure of seeing it in 1992). The book tells the incredible story of the airplane in excellent detail, along with a biographic sketch of Hughes and a chapter of anecdotes about his personal idiosyncracies. This is one of the stranger chapters in the annals of aviation history and well worth a read by any aircraft enthusiast. Five out of five stars.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

A better title for this book would be "The *Story* of Howard Hughes." The Spruce Goose is featured more than other subjects, but it is not the focus of the book. More than anything else the work is an excellent compilation of quotes from oral history interviews on the life of Howard Hughes. There is little technical detail on the two main aircraft discussed, the XF-11 and the Spruce Goose, but their stories are told well. Overall an interesting read but not as informative as it could be, particularly on the subject of the Spruce Goose.

[Chris Zondlo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

[Jonnie Enloe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the closest thing to the truth, as I know it, and a really good read. Hughes personal feelings and many unknown facts about the airplane. Excellent pictures that as far as I know are not published anywhere else. Meet the real man.

[MrsEnginerd · Rating 4 out of 5]

This account of the Spruce Goose made me realize why I respect and applaud everything Howard Hughes did for aviation and movies. Genius like his are once in a lifetime finds. The pictures and stories are memorable and very well redacted. A must read for hardcore aviation fans.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hughes didn't like it being called the spruce goose.

It's still the biggest airplane ever built