The
Hughes H-4 Hercules is a prototype strategic airlift flying boat
designed and built by the ... He teamed with aircraft designer Howard Hughes to create what would become the largest aircraft built at that time. It was designed ..... Seaplanes & Flying Boats: A Timeless Collection from Aviation's Golden Age. New York: BCL ...
Hughes H-4 Hercules
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The
Hughes H-4 Hercules (also known as the "
Spruce Goose";
registration NX37602) is a prototype
strategic airlift flying boat designed and built by the
Hughes Aircraft Company. Intended as a
transatlantic flight transport for use during
World War II,
it was not completed in time to be used in the war. The aircraft made
only one brief flight on November 2, 1947, and the project never
advanced beyond the single example produced. Built from wood because of
wartime restrictions on the use of
aluminium and concerns about weight, it was nicknamed by critics the "Spruce Goose", although it was made almost entirely of
birch.
[2][3] The Hercules is the largest flying boat ever built and has the largest
wingspan of any aircraft in history.
[4] It remains in good condition and is on display at the
Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum in
McMinnville, Oregon,
United States.
[5]
Design and development
In 1942, the
U.S. War Department needed to transport war
materiel and personnel to Britain. Allied shipping in the Atlantic Ocean was
suffering heavy losses to German U-boats,
so a requirement was issued for an aircraft that could cross the
Atlantic with a large payload. Wartime priorities meant the aircraft
could not be made of strategic materials (e.g., aluminum).
[6]
The aircraft was the brainchild of
Henry J. Kaiser, a leading
Liberty ship builder. He teamed with aircraft designer
Howard Hughes
to create what would become the largest aircraft built at that time. It
was designed to carry 150,000 pounds, 750 fully equipped troops or two
30-ton
M4 Sherman tanks.
[7] The original designation "HK-1" reflected the Hughes and Kaiser collaboration.
[8]
The HK-1 contract was issued in 1942 as a development contract
[9] and called for three aircraft to be constructed in two years for the war effort.
[10]
Seven configurations were considered, including twin-hull and
single-hull designs with combinations of four, six, and eight
wing-mounted engines.
[11] The final design chosen was a behemoth, eclipsing any large transport then built.
[9][12][N 1] It would be built mostly of wood to conserve metal (its elevators and rudder were fabric-covered
[13]), and was nicknamed the "Spruce Goose" (a name Hughes hated) or the
Flying Lumberyard.
[14]
While Kaiser had originated the "flying cargo ship" concept, he did
not have an aeronautical background and deferred to Hughes and his
designer,
Glenn Odekirk.
[12] Development dragged on, which frustrated Kaiser, who blamed delays partly on restrictions placed for the acquisition of
strategic materials such as
aluminum, and partly on Hughes' insistence on "perfection".
[15]
Construction of the first HK-1 took place 16 months after the receipt
of the development contract. Kaiser then withdrew from the project.
[14][16]
Rearward view of the Hercules H-4's fuselage
Hughes continued the program on his own under the designation
"H-4 Hercules",
[N 2]
signing a new government contract that now limited production to one
example. Work proceeded slowly, and the H-4 was not completed until well
after the war was over. It was built by the
Hughes Aircraft Company at
Hughes Airport, location of present-day
Playa Vista, Los Angeles, California, employing the
plywood-and-resin "
Duramold" process
[13][N 3] – a form of composite technology – for the laminated wood construction, which was considered a technological
tour de force.
[8] The specialized wood veneer was made by Roddis Manufacturing in
Marshfield, Wisconsin. Hamilton Roddis had teams of young women ironing the (unusually thin) strong birch wood veneer before shipping to California.
[17]
A house moving company transported the airplane on streets to Pier E in
Long Beach, California.
They moved it in three large sections: the fuselage, each wing—and a
fourth, smaller shipment with tail assembly parts and other smaller
assemblies. After Hughes Aircraft completed final assembly, they erected
a hangar around the flying boat, with a ramp to launch the H-4 into the
harbor.
[2]
Howard Hughes was called to testify before the
Senate War Investigating Committee in 1947 over the use of government funds for the aircraft. During a
Senate hearing on August 6, 1947 (the first of a series of appearances), Hughes said:
The Hercules was a monumental undertaking. It is the largest aircraft
ever built. It is over five stories tall with a wingspan longer than a
football field. That's more than a city block. Now, I put the sweat of
my life into this thing. I have my reputation all rolled up in it and I
have stated several times that if it's a failure, I'll probably leave
this country and never come back. And I mean it.[18][N 4]
Operational history
During a break in the Senate hearings, Hughes returned to
California to run taxi tests on the H-4.
[13]
On November 2, 1947, the taxi tests began with Hughes at the controls.
His crew included Dave Grant as copilot, two flight engineers, Don Smith
and Joe Petrali, 16 mechanics, and two other flight crew. In addition,
the H-4 carried seven invited guests from the press corps and an
additional seven industry representatives. Thirty-six were on board.
[19]
After the first two taxi runs, four reporters left to file stories,
but the remaining press stayed for the final test run of the day.
[20]
After picking up speed on the channel facing Cabrillo Beach, the
Hercules lifted off, remaining airborne at 70 ft (21 m) off the water at
a speed of 135 miles per hour (217 km/h) for around a mile (1.6 km).
[21] At this altitude, the aircraft still experienced
ground effect.
[22]
The brief flight proved to detractors that Hughes' (now unneeded)
masterpiece was flight-worthy—thus vindicating the use of government
funds.
[23]
However, the Spruce Goose never flew again. Its lifting capacity and
ceiling were never tested. A full-time crew of 300 workers, all sworn to
secrecy, maintained the aircraft in flying condition in a
climate-controlled hangar. The company reduced the crew to 50 workers in
1962, and then disbanded it after Hughes' death in 1976.
[24]
Display
Hughes H-4 Hercules at Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum
In 1980, the Hercules was acquired by the Aero Club of Southern
California, which put the aircraft on display in a large dome adjacent
to the
Queen Mary exhibit in
Long Beach, California. In 1988,
The Walt Disney Company
acquired both attractions and the associated real estate. Disney
informed the Aero Club of Southern California that it no longer wished
to display the Hercules after its highly ambitious
Port Disney
was scrapped. After a long search for a suitable host, the Aero Club of
Southern California arranged for the Hughes flying boat to be given to
Evergreen Aviation Museum in exchange for payments and a percentage of the museum's profits.
[25] The aircraft was transported by
barge, train, and truck to its current home in
McMinnville, Oregon (about 40 miles (60 km) southwest of
Portland),
where it was reassembled by Contractors Cargo Company and is currently
on display. The aircraft arrived in McMinnville on February 27, 1993,
after a 138-day, 1,055-mile (1,698 km) trip from Long Beach. The dome is
now used by
Carnival Cruise Lines as its Long Beach terminal.
By the mid-1990s, the former Hughes Aircraft hangars at
Hughes Airport, including the one that held the Hercules, were converted into sound stages. Scenes from movies such as
Titanic,
What Women Want and
End of Days have been filmed in the 315,000-square-foot (29,000 m
2)
aircraft hangar where Howard Hughes created the flying boat. The hangar
will be preserved as a structure eligible for listing in the
National Register of Historic Buildings in what is today the large light industry and housing development in the
Playa Vista neighborhood of Los Angeles.
[26]
The
Western Museum of Flight in Torrance, California has a large collection of construction photographs and blueprints of the Hercules.
[citation needed]
Specifications (H-4)
Performance specifications are projected.
General characteristics
Performance
A size comparison between four of the largest aircraft:
Hughes H-4 Hercules (1947)
Notable appearances in media
See also
- Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era
- Related lists
References
Notes
In 1942, the U.S. War Department needed to transport war materiel and personnel to Britain. Allied shipping in the Atlantic Ocean was suffering heavy losses to German U-boats, so a requirement was issued for an aircraft that could cross the Atlantic with a large payload. Wartime priorities meant the aircraft could not be made of strategic materials (e.g., aluminum).[6]Size comparison between the H-4 and a Douglas DC-3.
Hughes continued the program on his own under the designation "H-4 Hercules",[N 2] signing a new government contract that now limited production to one example. Work proceeded slowly, and the H-4 was not completed until well after the war was over. It was built by the Hughes Aircraft Company at Hughes Airport, location of present-day Playa Vista, Los Angeles, California, employing the plywood-and-resin "Duramold" process[13][N 3] – a form of composite technology – for the laminated wood construction, which was considered a technological tour de force.[8] The specialized wood veneer was made by Roddis Manufacturing in Marshfield, Wisconsin. Hamilton Roddis had teams of young women ironing the (unusually thin) strong birch wood veneer before shipping to California.[17]Rearward view of the Hercules H-4's fuselage
Hercules at Evergreen Aviation Museum
In 1980, the Hercules was acquired by the Aero Club of Southern California, which put the aircraft on display in a large dome adjacent to the Queen Mary exhibit in Long Beach, California. In 1988, The Walt Disney Company acquired both attractions and the associated real estate. Disney informed the Aero Club of Southern California that it no longer wished to display the Hercules after its highly ambitious Port Disney was scrapped. After a long search for a suitable host, the Aero Club of Southern California arranged for the Hughes flying boat to be given to Evergreen Aviation Museum in exchange for payments and a percentage of the museum's profits.[25] The aircraft was transported by barge, train, and truck to its current home in McMinnville, Oregon (about 40 miles (60 km) southwest of Portland), where it was reassembled by Contractors Cargo Company and is currently on display. The aircraft arrived in McMinnville on February 27, 1993, after a 138-day, 1,055-mile (1,698 km) trip from Long Beach. The dome is now used by Carnival Cruise Lines as its Long Beach terminal.Hughes H-4 Hercules at Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum
General characteristicsPratt & Whitney R-4360 Wasp Major engine
A size comparison between four of the largest aircraft:Hughes H-4 Hercules (1947)An-225 (first flight 1988)Airbus A380-800 (first flight 2005)Boeing 747-8 (first flight 2010)
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