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HOWARD HUGHES FLYING BOAT "THE SPRUCE GOOSE"

HISTORICAL MECHANICALENGINEERING LANDMARK HUGHES FLYING BOAT ("THE SPRUCE GOOSE")CONSTRUCTED: 1943-1946   ASSEMBLED: 1946-1947 DESIGNED AND BUILT BY HUGHES AIRCRAFT CO., THIS IS THE LARGEST...

HISTORICAL MECHANICAL
ENGINEERING LANDMARK

HUGHES FLYING BOAT ("THE SPRUCE GOOSE")
CONSTRUCTED: 1943-1946   ASSEMBLED: 1946-1947

DESIGNED AND BUILT BY HUGHES AIRCRAFT CO., THIS IS THE LARGEST WOOD-CONSTRUCTED AND THE LARGEST WINGSPAN AIRPLANE EVER BUILT. 

ORIGINALLY DESIGNATED THE HK-1 IN 1942, IT WAS DESIGNED TO MEET THE WARTIME TROOP AND MATERIAL TRANSPORTATION NEEDS. LAMINATED WOOD (MOSTLY BIRCH) FORMS THE AIRFRAME AND SURFACE STRUCTURES OF THE SEAPLANE, MINIMIZING THE USE OF CRITICAL WAR MATERIALS LIKE ALUMINUM. IT WAS POWERED BY EIGHT PRATT AND WHITNEY 3,000 HORSEPOWER ENGINES. HOWARD HUGHES PILOTED THE FLYING  BOAT ON ITS ONLY FLIGHT, NOVEMBER 2, 1947, IN LONG BEACH HARBOR, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA. THE FLIGHT COVERED APPROXIMATELY ONE MILE AND REACHED AN ALTITUDE OF APPROXIMATELY 70 FEET ABOVE THE WATER'S SURFACE.

THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERS - 2002 

Submitted by John Bradley JEB

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