The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1954-01-19
D JAMES BAccN

HOLLYWOOD u = This il he
story Of Howard Hughes and his
Spruce Goose, the worlds birgee,
aIrplane. and how II new. or 81.
most.
It's also the story Of how Hughes.
who keeps making news while
seeming to shun the spotlight
stepped into Its full glare and
proved that be can talk when he
has 10.
His pIywood monster, also
dubbed the Flying Lumberyard
was begun ID 1913 At 4 time when
aluminium was scarce. So far II
has cost taxpayers Is million dol.
lars and, says Hughes, another "a
million Of his own money.
II 1913 It was the biggest flying
boat ever built--and In 1854 II stilI
Ii. So far It's just q vast white
elephant. II doesn't fly. yet last
fall 1t cost Hughes an estimated
five million dollars In repairs when
. broken dixie poured 30 feet of
mud on II.
Hughes contributions 70 the his
tory OF aviation speed and round.
the-wOrId record flights--rank him
with outstanding air pioneers. But
II this big ship fails TO get In the
air again, II could easily make a
tickle public remember only
Hughes folly.
But he's confident that shell ny,
and with him at the controls, Air
men who know him won't bet
against 1t.
This boat Is an overwhelming
thing. An AP reporter who first
saw II In 1915 recalls:
al first look, you feel like the
fellow who saw q giraffe for the
first time-there amt no such ami
nal. thought I was looking at
the biggest wing | had ever seen
Then ! discovered that I was only
looking at the aileron, the movable
control portion that hinges along
the rear edge Of the wing. re-
member how well the plywood was
fitted, as neatly as mandolin. "
Hughes, who designed the ship,
used hish-frequency radio waves
70 uniformly boil the glue In Join.
ing the plywood.
Here are some statistics:
Weight ~. 600 pounds.
Height at tail--2i5 stories.
WingspaD $40 feet, just big
enough to touch both goalposts on
. football field.
Huli-220 feet long, 80 feet high,
Is feet wide.
Engines Of 5000 horse.
power each.
Gas load-i4.O 900 gallons, enough
70 drive your car around the earth
more than eight times If there
were a highway at the equator.
Pay load ---- $50 soldiers fully
equipped or d cotton tank.
The plane was built at Hughes
Culver City plant. II cost $4,000
just to haul the wings and fuselage
Is miles 10 Los Angeles harbor.
The press was invited to 60 along
on taxing tests Nov. 3, 1947. Tests
over, the newsmen disembarked to-
file their stories.
1.-THE last reporter had barely
got off the ship" recalls the API
staffer on the scene, when
Hughes revived her up again and
took off across the harbor with
about 80 associates aboard. He
lifted the plane about 70 feet in
the air, skinned a mile around
;he harbor and dropped her down
again.
Later Hughes explained:
The buoyancy felt so good that
just decided to take her up"
Earlier Hughes had told report
ers he wasn't cure the plane would
get into the air.
No one can ever be certain that
an experimental plane viii fly"
he said.
Six years later, this is what
hughes says about the big flying
boat:
II was not required under the
original contract to put cents
into this project. | have invested
millions because believe in the
future Of aviation in this country