The Straight Dope: How come Howard Hughes's "Spruce Goose" flew only once? A Straight Dope Classic from Cecil's Storehouse of Human Knowledge How come Howard Hughes's "Spruce Goose" flew only once? July 26, 2002 Dear Cecil: Howard Hughes's H-4 (the "Spruce Goose") flew only one time, in 1947. Somewhere it was written that Hughes detected a vibration or pulsating in the aircraft frame or in the control wheel right after he lifted off and decided to set the H-4 back down rather than take a big risk that it would be uncontrollable if he gained more altitude. It was also said that he was just proving that it would indeed fly for the senators and that he just wanted to prove it by flying only a very short distance. What is the straight dope? — Marvin Moss Cecil replies: I know what you're thinking. Well, maybe not what you're thinking, Marvin, since you sound like an aviation buff. However, the average person is thinking: Of course Howard Hughes flew the Spruce Goose only once (it wasn't spruce, by the way — it was mostly made out of birch).

By far the biggest airplane ever built, the H-4, also known as the Hercules, had a wingspan of 320 feet — 20 feet longer than a football field. It had enough cargo space to carry two railroad boxcars. It had eight massive engines with 17-foot propellers. It weighed 300,000 pounds. And it was made of wood. They make, or at least made, toy gliders out of wood, not real aircraft. Hughes was lucky the wings didn't break off during the first flight. Shows you what the average person knows. As late as 1977, the party that commissioned the H-4, the U.S. government, was thinking about flying it again. Great, the U.S. government almost embarrassed itself twice, you're thinking. (Not you, Marvin. The average guy.) I'm not saying the design didn't have its problematic aspects. But it wasn't as crazy as some might believe. The idea for a giant seaplane was initially championed by industrial magnate Henry Kaiser, who had masterminded the Liberty Ship construction program, which cranked out freighters in an unbelievable 48 days (record: five days).

Kaiser wanted to transport war materiel overseas by air, where it would be safe from enemy torpedoes. But he knew nothing about airplane building and was happy to hook up with Hughes, who'd assembled a team of crack aeronautics engineers that, among other things, helped him design a plane that set a speed record in 1935. Despite opposition from the military and the aircraft industry, Kaiser and Hughes landed a government contract to build three prototype planes. The catch: the long-shot project could make only minimal use of strategic materials such as metals. That meant using wood, common in small aircraft but untested in one so large. Hughes's eccentricities hobbled the project from the start. Kaiser found his partner impossible to work with and was relegated to the sidelines. Hughes micromanaged every design detail, and work soon fell far behind schedule. By early 1943 the metals shortage had eased and many urged that aluminum be substituted for wood, but Hughes, apparently enamored of the advanced plywood fabrication methods his team had developed, declined to switch. Skeptics almost succeeded in killing the project in 1944, but somehow Hughes got the OK to continue.

The war ended before the plane was assembled into one piece. The project dragged out until 1947, when a U.S. Senate committee began investigating Hughes for defense contract irregularities, particularly regarding the Spruce Goose. As if to demonstrate that he hadn't defrauded the government, Hughes, who always test-piloted his own planes, flew the H-4 about a mile in less than a minute during what was supposed to be a taxiing test on November 2. Why did Hughes never fly the plane again? Some said he was afraid to, but his closest associates denied it. The more likely explanation is that there was no reason to continue. The war was long over. The need for big seaplanes had evaporated. Wood construction was obviously a dead end. Even before the flight Hughes admitted that the plane was too large to be economical. Claiming there were still research lessons to be learned, he stubbornly kept the work going until around 1952. But he was distracted by other ventures and increasingly reclusive. Eventually everyone moved on to other things.

After Hughes's death in 1976, the plane was put on exhibit and now may be seen at the Evergreen Aviation Museum in McMinnville, Oregon. Was the Spruce Goose an impractical boondoggle? Absolutely. Was it completely off the wall? No. The plane was flyable — no small point. In fact, in 1977 the U.S. Navy seriously considered test flights with the H-4 as part of research into low-altitude transoceanic flight. Didn't happen, which is probably just as well. But one thing you have to give Howard Hughes: he may have been crazy, but he was no fool. — Cecil Adams The flight of the Spruce Goose - Framework - Photos and Video - Visual Storytelling from the Los Angeles Times The flight of the Spruce Goose Posted By: Scott Harrison Posted On: 12:01 a.m. | November 2, 2012 In 1947, the Senate War Investigating Committee called Howard Hughes to testify regarding government money spent on his H-4 Hercules experimental aircraft. During a break in the hearings, Hughes returned to Los Angeles to perform taxi test flights on the aircraft.

The results of the Nov. 2, 1947, taxi tests were reported the next morning in a Page 1 Los Angeles Times story: Lifting gracefully from whitecapped waters into the teeth of an erratic 20-knot wind, Howard Hughes’ $25,000,000 plywood flying boat yesterday took to the air and flew at 70 feet for a mile during its first taxi tests in Los Angeles-Long Beach Harbor. Hughes was at the controls of the 400,000-pound plane when it took off midway in the third and final trial run before thousands of surprised spectators who jammed the shore line. Brought down on the choppy waters lightly, the behemoth was towed back to its moorings to await an abatement of the gusty winds that prevented redocking at Terminal Island. As he returned to shore, the Texan sportsman-pilot was grinning broadly and munching an apple. “I think the airplane is going to be fairly successful,” Hughes commented.

“When we got up to 95 m.p.h., I lowered the flaps to take-off position and it felt so good, I just took it off.” The flyer said the eight 3,000-horsepower engines were turning up 2,200 revolutions per minute at the take-off, “but I throttled back to 1200 r.p.m. and she settled down like a feather at the end of the course.” Men aboard the flying boat said the hull skipped from wave to wave when the speed increased and that a violent motion shook the cockpit. An engineer stationed in the plane’s after section reported that the huge fuselage twisted with each wave. With a hollow booming of its hull, the huge plane began its test runs under the two inboard engines that pulled it to the Outer Harbor at 10 m.p.h. As the other engines were started, Hughes steered the craft through waves four feet high for the first water-borne trial from east to west. The brisk, gusty wind and choppy sea offered no apparent difficulties to the 219-foot-long plane as it made an initial run at an estimated 40 m.p.h.

The gigantic winged boat maneuvered easily at the end of its first run in turning for a second thundering race at nearly 90 m.p.h. in the opposite direction. On the second sweep the ponderous hull lifted onto its step and completed the downwind taxi in a wide-flung spray of water. Hughes piloted the boat on a course roughly paralleling the shoreline from Terminal Island Navy Base to offshore from Pier A in Long Beach. An estimated 15,000 persons jammed beaches and piers along the course to watch the boat’s trials… Hundreds of small boats ranging from fishing craft to row-boats swarmed waters adjacent to the taxing lane. A Coast Guard cutter stood by to warn spectators clear of the plane. In addition to the multimillionaire planemaker, 30 engineers, technicians and observers were aboard the plywood giant for its first movement under its own power. Acting as copilot was Dave Grant, Hughes’ chief hydraulic engineer… After the flight Hughes was asked if he believed the test would have any effect on the attitude of Senate committee members toward his plane. “I think not,” Hughes replied.

“I don’t think the committee is concerned whether the flying boat flies or not.” The flyer is scheduled for an appearance Wednesday before the Senate committee investigating war contracts. Hughes’ wartime contract for the construction of the huge plywood seaplane, under investigation by the committee, was under an $18,000,000 government contract handled by the Reconstruction Finance Corp. Hughes has put more than $7,000,000 of his own money into the project. Following the flight, the H-4 Hercules returned to its Terminal Island dock — never to fly again. Hughes built a custom climate-controlled building around the airplane. In 1980, the Spruce Goose was moved and put on display next to the Queen Mary. Today the aircraft is on display at the Evergreen Aviation Museum in McMinnville, Ore. Hughes HK-1 (H-4) 'Spruce Goose' Overview Howard Hughes's famous HK-1 Hercules ( #NX37602 ) is a cargo-type flying boat designed to transport men and materials over long distances. Originally conceived by Henry J. Kaiser, a steelmaker and builder of Liberty ships, the aircraft was designed and constructed by Hughes and his staff.

The original proposal for the enormous, 400,000-pound wooden flying boat, with its spectacular 320-foot wingspan, came from the U.S. government in 1942. The goal was to build a cargo and troop carrier that did not require critical wartime materials; in other words, that substituted wood for metal. Throughout its construction, considerable controversy surrounded its funding. After a disgruntled U.S. Senator dubbed the HK-1 a "flying lumberyard," the "Spruce Goose" nickname was coined  Hughes despised the name! The huge flying boat consists of a single hull, eight radial engines, a single vertical tail, fixed wingtip floats, and full cantilever wing and tail surfaces. The entire airframe and surface structures are composed of laminated wood (primarily birch, not spruce). All primary control surfaces, except the flaps, are fabric covered. The aircraft's hull is divided into two areas: a flight deck for the operating crew and a large cargo hold. Access between the two compartments is provided by a circular stairway. Below the cargo hold are fuel bays divided by watertight bulkheads.

The Hughes/Kaiser flying boat was to be the largest airplane ever built (in fact, after its completion, it was three times larger than the largest aircraft built before it) and probably the most prodigious aviation project of all time. Only the courage and solitary dedication of Howard Hughes and his small development group caused this project to advance resulting in its historic first, and only flight. As Hughes kept meddling in the design, making things more complicated and causing lost time, Kaiser backed out. An urgent government project in 1942, the wooden flying boat had lost all priority by 1944. Hughes's motives for making things so complicated are not clear. They seem to have resolved around his idea for an "aerial freighter beyond anything Jules Verne could have imagined." Although he thought big, Hughes paid careful attention to the smallest details. A true eccentric, he would sit for hours in the cockpit of his great aircraft deliberating the design of the control and instrument panel. Unfortunately, as a perfectionist, he could not make up his mind, and his many delays finally caused a Senate committee to look into the project. By the time the aircraft was finally completed in 1947, the U.S.

government had spent a whopping $22 million -- Hughes spent $18 million of his own money! On 2 November 1947, Howard Hughes and a small engineering crew fired up the eight radial engines for taxi tests and thrilled thousands of on-lookers with an unannounced flight. With Hughes at the controls, the flying boat lifted 33 feet off the surface of Los Angeles Harbor and flew one mile in less than a minute at a top speed of 80 miles per hour before making a perfect landing. This trial run was simple vindication from the detractors of the program and it is now looked upon as a great moment in aviation history. Was the flight an accident? When the chief designer asked Hughes whether he meant to lift it off the water, Hughes replied, "You'll never know." It is possible he flew it that one time just to prove that something that big could actually fly. After the historic event, the "Spruce Goose" was returned to its large, specially designed hangar, never to fly again. As ordered by Hughes, it was constantly maintained and kept in flight-ready condition, including monthly runups of its engines, until he died in 1976.

Over the past 50 years, the aircraft has endured to become a popular cultural artifact telling a remarkable story of sacrifice, determination, and technological development. The HK-1 was decades ahead of its time in the 1940s. It revolutionized jumbo flying bodies and large lift capability, shaping modern flight. The popular wooden flying boat is now appropriately regarded as a true American icon. After a long period of storage, the HK-1 was presented to the Aero Club of Southern California and was for many years the star attraction while preserved in its own circular building, next to the former ocean liner Queen Mary, at Long Beach, California. The aircraft was moved in 1992 and now resides in a newly constructed facility at the Evergreen Aviation Educational Center in McMinnville, Oregon. To this day, it is still the largest aircraft, in terms of wingspan, ever to fly. Note: The HK-1 designation was derived from the names Hughes and Kaiser. When Kaiser backed out of the project in 1944, Hughes redesignated the aircraft H-4 and, after the first flight, changed the tail number from NX37602 to N37602.

Sample Story, Level 3.5: The Spruce Goose Acrobat PDFWriter 4.0 for Windows uuid:6d284d7d-c4e2-4fc7-8428-cd89ee55e839 uuid:f9c339cb-9664-4dce-ba0a-7c61a10e252f endstream endobj 5 0 obj <> endobj 4 0 obj <>/Font<>/ProcSet 2 0 R>>/Type/Page>> endobj 22 0 obj <>/ProcSet 2 0 R>>/Type/Page>> endobj 23 0 obj <>stream H��W�n�F��� Oj3�;ٗ���ƀ�� �@��W[�+�TT�}�J���N���҃djw���9g��~�k�1 ,% f��F< Z �ُ ���K�y�W���l{�1D�6X�fiBy&���� ���;

X�5C�}pz �ܭH���[v�)z�:�7�E�@U��J?�O�^��w6P :7bQJGpE.e��u ����/%��T'�Pt������ ��;���s���J��B�� e��G2�9���㱌6����)�� ��'���t��GX���Y�ǲ�Tm��>&$�>���z#;���[5�an>�!��gE8\b���h8�&!!��9�:=H�~_���hپ�2���2��u��eѶG�T]V��Lc���vu%�gh�"dH3D��k��WU]Ce+�����m�/nk*��&��ɶ�ʦ�C�o�0[6���ƃa�L QF ?

�T2c����^* �[ � o?��������f�� G5��&.�H��|�ޭ,��4�R|�� �|D؉�D��P�����Rk�v;)KgmZ�Uk��b� 1�� 9:� d���O�<���!pLK����ʪ� �5P,[�9-�6�T�yL� ��Xʳ�����^V�C����Y�S�|���Z3���$j ��:�u��G)�������,� �� o*�p��<�Pw��K�+Z��ٔrt���nR |��|t�F����F*k��TMY��j\��: N�̠��y!��4B���� A&�ŧ �3��˦;��v����L>]4 �k; 6e1h ��դctd5���� Y��q����b�b

�mj�f�n��/FNH�P|b�F��4E�6 ~�#�G�[g|�y����K����:O�׆ B����"b�\����o��77����N���z����ũ;:�nԝr����/���[oD:��1����`��q)J��� ��x8�RAc�xf�e1��r���I �IY�V�5Wm���Vu�`�f����5�0x�hJB�����/���� Z�3�Evb9#S �I' �Ѐ1����{-���m���<ִ�r�Χ�&���E�ahFah�k�^�_p+{�G.}g����M�ag|�x�����J�WHV�����-�M_�v��c)�y��1�FJ���FفF/������-� endstream endobj 2 

0 obj [/PDF/Text/ImageB] endobj 6 0 obj <> endobj 10 0 obj <> endobj 14 0 obj <> endobj 16 0 obj <> endobj 17 0 obj <> endobj 15 0 obj <> endobj 11 0 obj <> endobj 7 0 obj <> endobj 12 0 obj <> endobj 13 0 obj <> endobj 18 0 obj <>/Height 1361/Type/XObject>>stream ���������������-r�Z��|��4�i����j��Ȭ�Z i��N4��+�Z��� �,�n!ŧ�+�2��v�2Geq�:=���o2��mŦD0�&~�� 0�m�;n�`Ȳ7^W#�{f�ݷ�������5� ��"YBNи�m��q�G"�4�P��a��Nj0���v6���m� 

ݱ����i9޵ЋL��i�;V���m���nۋ �#��:đ�I��Ĉ�� E�m<�;A�r 2,l6� �b o�!`����8�Y��DZ�vA�J�� �4�1ޛjJ����k� �{1i?�3\�Y 6��%��M, �� �#��3�L�(� r +��Gm� wi���f�Ȩ�!:���5� �R�{�U�}� �AJɸ��[��� ��q��Iov¢�c�r�""?��&>� �A@쟶�I+�`� <2� �9�������C!�=/w�" B�`���2i����E �> $��m"��]܁�� �A��m)c��V�u���G!�ds6�p<

5�j�~"�V�[D�8�98 x`rn ��nt����@��7�@�"�@�Li6�C-ȣ���'v�@W� ���'��eT�gz�J����o !�qr� �ह*z�U�ӂ�\r�Dv���D R�x��D ���a�@r�B�C0vސ�T�i0��y1�d��w2<�l ��H+w�k ��"C�`q�d �o� �R|��C,l���Ll��Q���1A&�0e �� ���ݷ�DA�I^������c�k l� I�n� RN��E (#����?�5�T���z!��a�!�6@���X�A��3�pQm�T

���솰� ��� �@m:{胎: "4�IY8ɸ&·Y 㤶-��� qJ�,r�@���{���� k���ɹȼ& �*��C8� ��ir�['�91ɽ� ��R�VD �dH ,rnX��!7-亂e� @"q &=��>�1ǲ�A7Wґ_�� �d4"����ז�T ���GI6�!A��!

���ް����J� NZ�' -�Q]�D`(O�":c�n��I[������e�MÂ�O��wCF�� ���8��vZ+$��Wz��%�B묂� �����!��C� ����.:M!pD3�Qԅ Z����N; {�p�+� 3�QHDu�Ge��2 ���f=n9�����@�ų� ��ҧ� y� ˱�a�; 5͙�!�BŽ �"��"�N�{'܌qA��m�t�aM���P�㠅ɹׇ߈����<4�]I�`�� �p֠a�+v��Dc�8�� ��� �/`�#������}"C� J�\�ߤ����k�� �޴��4oR w!

k D��-�-�b�鸊b>� ��� yp��J�/��9 ��" �0�}Rܡú � *�� � 3l#���yp<u �zD}/ H-@�Ѳ8�(:��dG}� !t� ��@�`| _�6�ۤ�@�j�x<B�p(0�n�R������ɽ\mս$�K \}"#�xa�m�[�%�, �;�(z ��%I�m�w�!h���DRr;� 6�-�*��9wr������$� ��ȮClr���-��p�n�� �e6A�q !�>�x�a�q��&:X��dp��d��@�����WA#��"38�A�e� �{

w���r_ ���"F ��N�ݺ��^�2� p8�P�|r�6w~A��T���j � �  ��~m� ���ZK���BHtܷ�m�nކ�$���vA]�$ �A� � 0�8w� ��i,� ��VAHp�i��: 3�����@�b,����I�� a�-�G��o�,Z�H�rc��庬0�i:M��z# �4�@��pP��I�n�6 g���i.� ɏa!L� �چ�6���޴�@�r�q������ �5�����j@Iɸ� a��n맻T�T��9 + �ip�ӥ� ��% ���J@������V _.(���m�JV

�J���-n���M��6ׯ�C��Dc�8� �B!��c�]����`�l6�$�c��r 2ܱ�,X�s��D��0tæ)�  ���oT�WLn 9 F!+u z ��(vҪ {J�h���6�X�gSC �-�I{w��������H4\�7�p��� 0�{ZU��ݡ�&��9 �� 8���t� 0�a��-wCI8��2�CI�|0齆�p�nڥ�8U���[c��c��� ��J�e�|��� Ɏ[��|$ 0�n�ҫ��I.Ci�n􃓁Ɏ庚�m�ˍ���$�I/�H$)�0j�a��o�k��e� ,0��z 2

n*C���b�iC a�zIvّ� V O�U �9N!E���� �޵ f@�xl÷�ń�lpˍ& -��a�1�hE�Bh� �@�"��l�� 0b�h6�-� 7ۅ� �x6� A�=ӻ�!"�ҊPÖ��a��L���"��.!u𾨆��z$� �a� m�٘ X����W䇱riaҊ � 6Î��P!� >���6��6� < �0� 6۹ڰ� ��6S�)�� ��l0�`���1�G ���>��9 ��$Axߠ�0�m�۶I�@j~vZ!

) ٴG��Z�<� ��U �� 0�3%�� �)�d ߆S���� �U��`����� �!���"�_"᜿hZ�d3H=�N���a��m���� ���n!", � &9��6��d5�����A�}(h0�0�� ;�� �!�l�aW�9XCkf}m!��"�G�0� ��{ � *>"�� ��� �D�  ���L0� ��dN#�M)}Z����C $� P|6���2O��6@�\��_� W��( �k�ㅯ ����0�m��ǒ��@�:.���G]��M2V@�R?Pr��樜4�#��2�Aht��c�u ���a�

 �8r�����za�h�����WN F �w� (�� D�T�`˂�M�� �0�2��u^�q+�BR�4��JM���l6�!��� '+����F�暷�  p�_P�0a� m���i�B"�p�<3��V� ���;�c 0�  7 x2�~�i���t�<'K+C9!ˁU@�j �m�؋��h��8����3���S Á�r �ګqA�`� �ݢ `�䰕�B��ぜ�jC7d�0D㒇�T�a�a�� C 0&!�W�����a� ��rn@�7 � c�vH~����)�['� �h �7�:H���l6� � ��29�P{ս�� AԆ@

*9 ��i��a�a�a��&�1l�H)�<�����P6�� �ڮ � �� �n�!�o~ݽ��V dta�2Aw�&8�a��m�7�d�n��w���ɉ�@�tGˁ�$����!� ���!�������ʂ��:�k�( -��O�Ԙ�l0�a�� �C ��6���� d/����[ p�� NA�|���� 0�l66v� NA ���A�Gw�������Cn�!�����$  ��)A��a� 6a��Q�$>J͉�/O����7�����r��G�e�P�:�@jH �7LR�a��a��a��@�1 ���n��m����_u�ʂ�>�j����a�a

��� =����Ǵ����O��+!� �e��DE� 2�AD$��a�� ��m2 i�o{wz�����w�a$�w#r9����d��1�# �a�l0�l0��뿷�m�{������� D�C� C���f �� �.a�t�x, &�2� �� �0�a�����< � C�d��v����o�~�܃(,�ˎ� n� -�����#���8�a�a���a��=�rC��b��������#�Q�J����<�R��x/lh�r�U!� 6�a�#� Aqɼ2q�dǽ� �o�����zmr ��� 쟑�w�rDuǾ�L�w!��ɸa��l0� 0� �'�

~���1�ǽ���w��:��N��Mmq� Y�;�=K}���(��6a� 6�m�dG�{���ɏ~������E�X�_Na���Ȯ�\y ���0��ץ����a 0� �a�C�X����w��m�ݿ�NЊ T� Z-�A�5�&�'HT��2���C@���"vAj� �� 6�w��}��1�������GtC��6�z��B厯�5G)�vF:��CP����� �� 0��������v��Њ�M%T�Uj�!�H���Ҵ��iq��1h� Dp( 6lm�m������#����Gt����;M�C�kLQ 9u�� ����`X\ 0l6 �a������m�ݻ} �5*�Yc��Zm

 �j�zR(�8�\��-�$�E2 O��a��l6����=������삓�{WU�[�mt�]F�EA]r�_T�F�) 3 Ca� 6l6�a���~�����B!�4�(���SZI�N@�!�|�k�6�$=~�SX� 0� �� 0�7�w}�����:ON����t��*�n6E��r'�\�#�/��A��>�m�� a�a������{�� �0�2?�&:��qLmSZs;JHr(�m�� ȿ��۵nA.�0�l6�247{����~���!� � ��Ҵ���i�c�[��Z��n� 9rR2�UV�CH�Sr d�'�a����ۯ��m�

t��^���������j�uT��G#4+b�t��Cb�;�h� ��a��Dw� ��m� �:�!\E��Q�^�˄�GUH��4�w}^�9�R �&uK$:�Մ�2 ���ڈ0�l6m��l��8��Uw�w�qM$��6ȃ�!?����r��f��!

�*�[��[�Ol`�6�m��qm�h�@YO���zODv�u���tӱh[�H�r ��2��I�_d0�I��� �`� � ����D2A�B���1�G �-���R$8�� �!�t��qȮC 69 6������*�� !�� �� ���ŰӐ<� x4�E�\DDC#�=U�nD #��IȎ�i&B��@4�����UP��� 0�m��m��C%��}�"*�8�U�W��jD{i�9+!�!G����I$��[� 0� �� �d�$��a������M/j�ЋO ��� 0�l6�d��d��^C$ �ȰE �r �n5d#� 8�ȷ -U/Rc���H:!�n��a�� �

 6� ��@,�i�� �S��v�� ��&��$��B9�wkK�Ii;#qIPz�@�a��a�x� �j�*FL��hAu0�ZI�iP���شAq��iS $C`�� ]a��l6��� �՝�l��b��j� ��49ڱA��_�I 7 a�� 0l9r��� !��� �S�!

L�|SL*� �;�n;d�� � �V���J�D �aXa�a��a�"� ��X�#��k�9' x:J�I � �m�^�K��I]��a� 2�0� �B��� 㪰�R ��5]t��:I+�����l6fۋ��#�p��M� ����Azׯ,{I(NA��6 �\F�i��A��d 2B��D �P�9�� ���}*w��c�!;a��m� 6@���aZ2 �h#�\dqA2� @���\t �V��Fᤪ�a��a�l��� ��烹G�Z Ê��6G"���U����|,2DG����a��m�d2��DDY {1�5!�� v �_� 7A� ��F꣯K�a

��4�� �0`�e�a��l��Z B��%�"� �bry�?��t�i$�RJ�a�}�� ����oM�6���n�<4Bp�t��t���X�:����\,0ö� ��}��oP d���WM4�7_���ۥ�dd1a�l0m���ұ@�ґ m����� �RIӄ����m�Ǽ|2�q�K�nE�$/�]z�8Z��� � �l7lwT�p =�1�4����k�� 4�Ka�wr�� � ��-²8 1LSO��V��It�qd1 0�a�m��ma�"FCP}�����4�W ��&a��bq�&�XKw�C�_KP�N)k�2� 4m�dQ�0��M�

R!��v��֔Z -R3�r�a�� �?p�w!

���E�B;D܌���z�&�6�a�����k;I��c�K��$�[��6�a��V�i�T ��UJ� c�`p�Z�<4@��B�n� ��lwI�[N��/�e��*�4�Vm�� ��.=�A�{�Z֛dpoT�~��0�m��OC���;O�T�x��w!c��a�a� ^�D q�^���DpΒ�U,6�mߧz ���Z�{# ��"܂>C�l0�e�ެ�X�E�dXN��� Y "U�_��ll6ݿ Ӿ��肰��:���a]�l; ��rQ����V�� dp�*�d C���m��C<GL&��Mz_�c

J�����m�}����]RH �%U� ��Gl�8l �j��s����MA�Q�u�2N�R�W� �p�n�}��L�/3�4��Pv�I,�m�m& ����D5�Si6����ia�^��L0ö{��CL|� �� C�&=�����R�{h6�m��C�ڑ�6�>��e�uI-,�Ȱ� ��{�#�ݪ��HX��^�zpD[�a��a����.���uM5�]��JxۆGN�o�n�2(���7"A8�kIza�� Xa��n��[�I�Ш�馚K�XእU� �H�a���[��� S����K� �ol0�������m]ݽua��IXh �BE�a����!��ݪ��_TS������

om��ud5�k��^�5��Y �'A�a�������ӽ,���T0V��� �碌���B"���-n�D(�"a�� H�+�i =�:�ۅ�*�� �6 ���ot�4�0�i~ �� Æo��ư�i�7Xi��Ih�c&�A|pÆ�o�(��jӵJ�}-%�m^���!��%�p�A��;ZZT�tC�ۑ��a���r ��ӈ�I� �ijX�A �w�L6���b6CPw.������ � C~��A��q]��G-��J�!=��o��ڤ�������`7����W���J�Ma+k��"��ݢND��`a�Z�ئ�o���i�N����-$� ߿�D4$:i��u�K[r�d5GZ!�

g� �9�;�j�=�Xk]U��r���we�4C��$�6�t��D� R�����oۧ�LZ� #�j� 5�~��M���鿱�� ��[��Ii(��~߂�Sh4A��F��������m?~@��X���!ӽ��k����w� mL�q�  S�(M�^ �� vLwy�@��r ]��i� wUZ�Ն�w�8v�m�ow�v�IBr1ů�;-�:#� �(��� ���!���ڒ3t t��A�I)1��n�/E���{M.�ڭt|V�eY v�Gj�gt�&�Mߴ�*T��ߙ$ <1��QÇ-�1LkGf`��� ��v�"��W��D�a�XM�Il4���E�����!�qMS�L;���*

�-�m;��ƩR � ��g �v� �Ii����d#��뷈0� ˃\Xxiڽ0���Q� �+�1 ��;B��LGT�� ���+�1֋r#�3�� R��]�I:i��ꌉ�.�Q�V����i��m���w��?y]81k ��xkI+h:K�w�r�0ąv�*ŧ��j��[ ���LB��m-�/Z �\^�a��Kngp�0����W t�jÐ���뤤09�WmᇅWB��� @���wܮ,�0��c�D��/������C:��h v�w|$�J�lTp`���� v �+�PD ��� B�t�Ç����������g��4#Wd;�����1cې��r@_�cY��`uF"*����zo��C��h�

ô� ��B~��s ��mF-&6��b:^/��h�p�y��wmZ�d�WI{��7�[� �k踵�>�9� m�շ�l=��ܔ��!�=];܈�frC�׫���uw-�I�q_�oxpq�;B��cT�����G��7-�I; %�⭻�P�����&9����dQÅ �cا\i����f�� }��M�5��xl6�'�{��UƒI��� �tڶ�y������n��P�c��֚"�1�0=U���l7 ��� ֽ�R7�]�v�m�i���U Tݖ8�M���z�`�)�iRA#�1U��ç���8W�Ҥ����v�i?�6Ъ#k�d��m��A@�ڹ�Z

��LE��ݶ�:��+t��n�{��r#�+�� �瘭�����}����:I���{�ھ�=�Wa�� � ������E�/��ݶ �0�m �)'�W{�<�8����Ub�Oo��h�:�mU2��9�?��Lop�N�EKp�A���4A�|�q�,q��܅ ���xm��)�I� �@���8���:yx��-*b�����LAv��U�G����{��n�ۦ�ki�Lvݷ�a�,n�R"t��鿇{m0�R�roP�1H�nݎ� ��n��j_�&�� Ů�~à���=����ɏ�x�u ������a�g �Ox��Sz�� =�����8����>���m8����Eڶ�������

aD�ί��'����N���� �:�M�#�a���P�M� ���� -�{��X�*Lwoݺu�Cj�#r|=�� ��� GL:[�1����r��HFn � �ڤ/d�߽ې!� `zܘ���b� C����h%~��k����٘f����n� ���� ӆuS��i�m;��!���J�8m�vۇ"� g��q �\������6��>�IKw�o��'���cH�Gb��C�o��6��M�!

��t�LvG/n�B��HRl~H{# [���&Ր� �L5Kd�]��L+��Ah�l4���ݻ�T�wxDn�t�4���~�h��ⶰް@�^ȣ��o��_�e<�a���LvG��n�+U�di}%�1�N����U 5_dǫ�߶�,4F9 ��4�;�H�c���[��ݺdvBI�DU4�KZ��n�m��^v��z�����jX#;�&���ݿ���N��R\������ ��@�q��骮��v��VuHaZ�^���&;��uO �®�����V�߻C��D��F� _�{-���7l4� 4��)1�RU��ۺ�a� � ����u�J�$����P�KM$�b

�K����nD �ޗ �m��R�T���K�w����ap�`u��Ե��Ү�^� �J�Ƕ�� X�Vx�5j��Z��$�ݻ��ç�C �=EjX��Z������W ����꟪��UIRKU&>��m�J<"v��$�II.���_����C[�zi��}2;�Z�_�Y1ۿ�Wmw V�I$� �"(R��!K��K����m�d �[����L�/��"1�/_K�� 6��OK $���X�:6��i%뤩�ީ-���7Mi^�������W֨%�w���qO�F7�p���P�Z���Է���0��Xa7J��뽪��z֡8=�k[ob�I$�= I$��Z�X���j����$��A��j�i%K�+�Ax�

oC�K����� ]/���s�!�~*�I���cj���O}�I~� y=>�� f 4��_�m��q(�>�� �Ϛ� ���C (I~�^��0���E�ǽ_gcV K ��>��'�m�O���Wa�*����}=k��¬�DRm� ���� 2� �}^�n/��Ð�����s [􁦱�_�~� �LxT�}U�oH$# ��ꭇ��m�-�)i!��^�I�V�8�m��P�-!n�>�y�m:M�4]�$0Dc��) ���n܂��lD��ۧ���m�I}m��%mڂ�~�% �^ov��,< ��~��ķ4�$���q�Lk��$8ZXl[҄�4!��R���Ͷ�b����^�

t)�Ѵ�����ޚ�~�/N�[m0�,� m�p�H։�)�i��_�� ���� &z��*�y��n@�����;T'���X�G�܌p�-��,��������ۡR+���f�eѼ�I�����t��* �Ń���?�o�#��Ԃ[�T9ǘz��ǫ����syF�ߤ����]��2�� �N�j�������۸�� Lwz�.!�Jݻ ��76�A���� �iW���#��}������� {���nGA[�:�y��Y��;m��H8����L}m���h+"��T�B�A�����AXn�k��v�}iw� i���L�o"I��� ��0�D��p���%`�

xD~Ƿo�}��1�ޠ��Ѿ� �i����~۬�F�[j��; _w��l�����$ݶ���!

���0<�{ �!�5_�q^�� E(� ��)E�����1�c���++Ę�q@�K�b*���{ �b�@�����{�t��ӠD<w�p����i����m��P�H�Ҫd~�e ��f����@�R�ބ6ﴕ'� ��RCL�:"�n�׋��a��*��* t�o���S�0��n�B��w��/�"&�� � �j����*@�[(h��k���[Q� �VP��:l'{���+yibo�[ۢ�� �`�Hܧ�߶����M�ٮTŔ�i��vc�� < V�hv>=ݯ[�b4��c��g m��}-�m ����c�A�!����9�0��O���A��ۆ��ۿ]

W|PI�kV����=.��1�m���t�L������ ��G�j��lRS�A���dp�.��1`�#�^/��Z�ǶG ^¶ !m0��C��� "���� C`�%�@�� O��Z�����A���ѝ���AE���P�A$r�ҷ`�g�{m����e��vg �W��AZIC� �`��!�{oK� #��@��>t� � ��# �������@� ^�� u��$EQNt���q��T����el 4���M����}v���)�m$ ;�BA���=!�K t����*���r�ud�VA�IeITG�v�f/��� �#��A�����IA�a�$�1��b��a��n�䛻��u\"� �ނ3NGC��

;$���)�m�I� b�3V ��&Q]����l; �H:�xjj���sg��$�6�<6��ګA=�o���h XDA��M�z��cCn��^�� I������eE�W��"�-8I*���I��Z�ka==���ߦ� �& ��ſ{L�U�H��a,6�9F��oq��﨤�m��mڴޞ��0���* �m�a������d ]z�kToi6�����-?_Ҧ�a'o�U�ۇ��J�N���a�ۂ8��4�ݾ5�"�Z��A&�m� 2۷����ZI6��M�v���r��5 ֩"ݱ�'o#8�V��=H���V�MФ�m�W����^�I$ނo{�

Lt��ⱶ�o�����߻w���cm�p�l���f �Im�c�ݶ�k}�ݡk�؄�wm�Q�+=m�V���!}���kI6�m��� �ե~�c�'3����{��V�l�m��E6 ����&�c��M��v���n� 'l$�nݱ�U�o��դ�h'{oʮ������ܞ�^���V�7�m�|�5�};���Zn�����)�n�z���D۶���7Q ��.

Z om��wӻz�M&��I���×�k]��' ����wl`�*۷&� ����ؤ�����_幚�E �i����{v�h��{t�7K�ꝶۻ�g��ӷ �vr7�ڦV�a]��w�U��v��i�6����n�4Jc�m��(��֓t-���{�<(�ܮ+�_���[Mկ������}�0��{��7M�i7G�R��vۈƑ&U���~��M��N�@�o��j����z�uM�+���v�c����_,q���.I6�v���p���%_,,w�I�.�6����6��q:__�� �M�L0۶�߷,p��� ?_�^���M$�6�o�W�zҵ���N��H���{m��i��\1��i��~(=�m���

~��@���H{��M�B�o�ݴ����e�q��0�)�� ��ۿ��V����R��ӵi&۶������IW�ȃ����{��m����{N�{i6GA�v�� �� �T�Sm���"6��ғ �u�?����m��q��;�}��w�(�p�?���m��86��n��o�������oI�ۿ�0۷�IY��wm�H; 7��{���6�w�I ;m�۴�}��q�1�{m�ؤ��鷻}�a�|}/�o�;۶�I�oowu��K���m�m�H�7�v������}��ᆕ�K۾�� � �X�[m�i$�a�}�^vޒ��5�6)|]$� �����~�O�1��m�A(a��۶�����RU���iR

0�0ό��.�}�.�K ��۷I$m�{��{j�۽Uf��$�#����P� 7n�����d I%���36!�lPJ�7m�X۶�O�m�� ������$m�������K�����L:Ov�v�{��?��|��M���S@7m���i{�n���o�l���H0��{m����U_�Kk�V�I�a����m��軮���m��M� 6�����S �_�e6մ� 6ۻv�A+�v�-?�*� i6�L0�0�m��ۄ�w�J:� c ��A7I�o��]��򾋮�����������u���G��&:�ZH0�~鷰�}������~�$���A� o�R��w�G�j����KPصzG������,^���

᠘a��XJ�}���IR�W���Uj �ڧIv��I$�t�_����i � �{~�-=}Z��n�M��v�������C��_� �Ţ�LBA�d >��[���$�K W���}�RW�p�X�����U�rO����t���/�+K��}f-$��� �IXb ��'t�m��$����Ǥ�W ��]w��>�U�KW�!�^�a��V�����Z]-��T��ehwj�[��_���҅��>�I% ��~���o�Z�X��� I ;v�O�o�t�IR.�k��J�0d M��[~��I~�L�?���� o |=��Tn�%��d4l^��%Pa� �7Ii�#In��_�C6��v�I$�a�޽{v��*I����x�T� �

{U��~�IGZ^�Z�I$��A��}n�o�����I�J��a��o�%۶���I-*��j�I$�w�W�߷�6�Ik�I%H� ��t��� *������� �c]BO~��%T��� #��A�� � p��޷��%����������� �N���޴�WU_x�*�� �� }z�o�uZi*��kIPI%A��o ������W�R $� ��i/Do�����:J�� ͉�$�I"Zm�&�$�>m��ҥR�ͯ�p��5I-%6�ŃzV4����J����^�I�P�6 7�i`��o R@�J�T����ARI$�0m�S��(���-iu�T�0�$�� ����R�&ݽ�I4�U��[�bXHRIR��: �����t�JE

 �8��eRI$�*��l�!�{��%�*�x���I%TV�� ��^���%I$�=�۴�P^���c���T�I���e���;}��Z֩*I.R��LAm��� T�U�U*I)4�5HWs ���Z����r��I$��7��xM��zI%�URC��}$�ZH�'��9�� ��K�U6�t�I$�����l�r�n�=�o��ִ �$�J��Aݱ�[�̉!�9�V�#r�%�v t�I$���}��ݸM%�]q $!$I$�`��G��y�"KUҪ�H$� $���)���C�5��*[$2>G���T�H��j߄�m��P� IW���� �I%L ��������$�I%�׶��n

��n�V��� ��h%T��p맊~���#hV��CJ�KIF����m�}$�Sv�G ȻK� $��I��؄��t��U���� $�A"P�����I*��$���$J���[�m^ݼ%ZTH���RI�I �Dc�um���Lt��%�_V���I)�(IP��{n���I%^�) �I$�T��IA�X���KB�q(�}��� I*H*ơ*��m��w��UZM/I5�}���I$�]$�t�H{�}��K����!�����%���w���Ɩ��Ik�oI$�KZI#n�A �׻m�Qv)$�W�/�I �T�:I$ �b��&���-UW��E�Z��%X�� 'T����$�T��J�V"�$�I$�4�>�J�ݽ$

����]z�W�J$�uKԱᄖ��T���?��Gg��$�I}�IR�&�ނI%�T�RIm=�$�$�HPT{m�}������U�եH$�h �l��{_��T�U�IS7�IRI%I$��ڻo� �0��U�I.�CF�� �I$UA(K�l=ݶ�$��^�Ur| Spruce Goose flies - Nov 02, 1947 - HISTORY.com Spruce Goose flies Publisher A+E Networks The Hughes Flying Boat—the largest aircraft ever built—is piloted by designer Howard Hughes on its first and only flight.

Built with laminated birch and spruce, the massive wooden aircraft had a wingspan longer than a football field and was designed to carry more than 700 men to battle. Howard Hughes was a successful Hollywood movie producer when he founded the Hughes Aircraft Company in 1932. He personally tested cutting-edge aircraft of his own design and in 1937 broke the transcontinental flight-time record. In 1938, he flew around the world in a record three days, 19 hours, and 14 minutes. Following the U.S. entrance into World War II in 1941, the U.S. government commissioned the Hughes Aircraft Company to build a large flying boat capable of carrying men and materials over long distances. The concept for what would become the “Spruce Goose” was originally conceived by the industrialist Henry Kaiser, but Kaiser dropped out of the project early, leaving Hughes and his small team to make the H-4 a reality. Because of wartime restrictions on steel, Hughes decided to build his aircraft out of wood laminated with plastic and covered with fabric.

Although it was constructed mainly of birch, the use of spruce (along with its white-gray color) would later earn the aircraft the nickname Spruce Goose. It had a wingspan of 320 feet and was powered by eight giant propeller engines. Development of the Spruce Goose cost a phenomenal $23 million and took so long that the war had ended by the time of its completion in 1946. The aircraft had many detractors, and Congress demanded that Hughes prove the plane airworthy. On November 2, 1947, Hughes obliged, taking the H-4 prototype out into Long Beach Harbor, CA for an unannounced flight test. Thousands of onlookers had come to watch the aircraft taxi on the water and were surprised when Hughes lifted his wooden behemoth 70 feet above the water and flew for a mile before landing. Despite its successful maiden flight, the Spruce Goose never went into production, primarily because critics alleged that its wooden framework was insufficient to support its weight during long flights. Nevertheless, Howard Hughes, who became increasingly eccentric and withdrawn after 1950, refused to neglect what he saw as his greatest achievement in the aviation field.

From 1947 until his death in 1976, he kept the Spruce Goose prototype ready for flight in an enormous, climate-controlled hangar at a cost of $1 million per year. Today, the Spruce Goose is housed at the Evergreen Aviation Museum in McMinnville, Oregon. Related Videos Boeing: Historical Snapshot: H-4 Hercules Flying Boat H-4 Hercules Flying Boat H-4 Hercules Flying Boat Historical Snapshot The single 400,000-pound (181,436-kilogram) H-4 Hercules flying boat, built by the Hughes Aircraft Co., was the largest flying boat ever built with the widest wingspan. It was built after a U.S. government request in 1942 for a cargo and troop carrier that would not be susceptible to Axis submarines and, by substituting wood for metal in its construction, would not use critical wartime materials. Originally conceived by Henry J. Kaiser, a steelmaker and builder of Liberty ships, the aircraft was designed and constructed by Howard Hughes and his staff; hence, the original HK-1 Hercules (NX37602) designation.

Kaiser withdrew his support in 1944 because Allied aircraft needs shifted toward bombers and the type of aircraft was no longer needed. Hughes continued to develop the aircraft under the H-4 designation. The press nicknamed it the "Spruce Goose" — a name Hughes hated because it insulted its builders and, in fact, the plane was built almost entirely of laminated birch, not spruce. The cargo-type flying boat was designed to carry 750 fully equipped troops or two Sherman tanks over long distances. It has a single hull, eight radial engines, a single vertical tail, fixed wingtip floats, and full cantilever wing and tail surfaces. The entire airframe and surface structures are composed of laminated wood and all primary control surfaces, except the flaps, are fabric covered. The aircraft's hull includes a flight deck for the operating crew and a large cargo hold. A circular stairway connects the two compartments. Fuel bays, divided by watertight bulkheads, are below the cargo hold. By 1947, the U.S. government had spent $22 million on the H-4 and Hughes had spent $18 million of his own money. Finally, on Nov.

2, 1947, Howard Hughes and a small engineering crew fired up the eight radial engines for taxi tests. Hughes lifted the giant aircraft 33 feet (10 meters) off the surface of Long Beach (Calif.) Harbor and flew it for one mile (1.6 kilometers), for less than a minute, remaining airborne 70 feet (21 meters) off the water at a speed of 80 mph (128 kph) before landing. The H-4 Hercules never flew again. Until he died in 1976, Hughes made sure that the HK-1/H-4 was constantly maintained and kept in flight-ready condition. The "Spruce Goose" then found a home with the Aero Club of Southern California, preserved in its own circular building, next to the former ocean liner Queen Mary, at Long Beach, Calif. In 1988, The Walt Disney Co.

acquired the location, and Disney's plans for the site did not include the "Spruce Goose." Facing loss of its lease, the Aero Club sold the giant plane to the Evergreen Aviation Museum (now the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum) in 1993, which disassembled the aircraft and moved it by barge to its current home in McMinnville, Ore. By the mid-1990s, the former Hughes Aircraft buildings in Los Angeles, Calif., including building 15 where the "Spruce Goose" was built, had been converted into movie sound stages. Scenes from movies such as "The Aviator", "Titanic", "Avatar", "Eagle Eye" and "Transformers" have been filmed on location in the 315,000-square-foot airplane hangar where Howard Hughes created the legendary flying boat and other famous Hughes aircraft. In October 2010, a real estate developer, the Ratkovich Company, bought the former Hughes Aircraft headquarters and converted all the buildings except building 15 to office space for high-tech firm, including Google-owned YouTube, naming the complex Hercules Campus at Playa Vista. On Aug.

26 2014, the Wall Street Journal reported that Google was in negotiations with Ratkovich to buy building 15 for office space.

Question: How many engines were there on Howard Hughes "Spruce Goose"?
Answer: 8