The Story Behind Howard Hughes’ Spruce Goose

Evergreen Aviation, McMinnville, Oregon

Here’s a door of a different kind that you can find in the history books filed under aviation. Howard Hughes, or the Spruce Goose.

“The Spruce Goose was first conceived during World War II, when German submarines were sinking hundreds of Allied ships, and there was a growing need to move troops and materials across the Atlantic Ocean. Henry Kaiser conceived the idea of a massive flying transport and turned to Howard Hughes to design and build it. Hughes took on the task, made even more challenging by the government’s restrictions on materials critical to the war effort, such as steel and aluminum. Six times larger than any aircraft of its time, the Spruce Goose, also known as the Hughes Flying Boat, is made entirely of wood and flew just one time on November 2, 1947, in Long Beach, California“. To read more: click here

Close-up view of the nose and an engine of the Spruce Goose, a large wooden aircraft, inside the Evergreen Aviation Museum.
Spruce Goose front of plane
A close-up of a small experimental access door on the side of the Spruce Goose airplane, with a netting visible inside, displayed in an aviation museum.
Net on the interior of the door

The net on the interior of the door was used to keep the beach balls in the plane. The idea of the beach balls was to create buoyancy, and also they be used for flotation.

Howard Hughes Aviation
The Flying Boats
Howard Hughes Aviation
The Flying boat
Howard Hughes Aviation
The Flying boat
Howard Hughes Aviation
The Flying boat

The airplane is so big I couldn’t get a good photo. But, I did get the information panel and I hope you enjoy reading about this “flying boat”.

Information panel about the Hughes Flying Boat, Spruce Goose, detailing its flight altitude and the controversies surrounding its construction.
The Spruce Goose
A historical image of the Hughes H-4 Hercules, also known as the Spruce Goose, taking off over the water, with a city skyline in the background.
The Spruce Goose Flying Boat
Information panel detailing the one and only flight of the Hughes Flying Boat, including a photo of the flight crew and descriptions of their roles.
The Spruce Goose One and Only Flight

For more doors from around the globe stop by and visit Dan at:

Carnival Doors

Have a great day 🙂

Alice

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4 thoughts

  1. What a delightful collection of photos for the challenge. I love aviation, and I’ve read about the Spruce Goose before, but I totally enjoyed this post.

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