Flying for Fun - 2004/03

104 MODEL AVIATION
D.B. Mathews
F l y i n g f o r F u n
909 N. Maize Rd., Townhouse 734, Wichita KS 67212
THE HUGHES H-1: It would be superfluous and redundant to
review Howard Hughes’ history here. Among his numerous
interests was flying. He caught the speed-record bug in 1932 by
flying a highly modified Army pursuit airplane to several records
and winning several races.
He had the necessary funds to bankroll his dream to be the best,
so he hired Harold Palmer and Max Harlow to head a design and
construction team to develop the fastest airplane in the world.
On September 13, 1935, Howard Hughes piloted the H-1 to an
absolute speed record of 352 mph in a straight line. This record was
preceded on July 28 of the same year with a coast-to-coast flight
(Burbank, California, to Newark, New Jersey) of 7 hours, 28
minutes, with no stops!
The H-1 had a set of short-span wings used on the speed dashes
and a longer set used for the transcontinental flights. The aircraft
also featured the first set of hydraulic (not mechanical or electrical)
retracts used on a land airplane. During takeoffs and landings the
side windows were lowered (as was later seen on the P-38), the
windscreen slid forward, and the seat rose to allow for better
forward visibility.
As was typical of so many of Howard Hughes’ aircraft, the H-1
was then placed in a hangar where it languished, unflown, until it
was donated to the Smithsonian in 1975. I
believe the Spruce Goose Flying Boat was
removed from storage at the same time.
For airplane lovers, isn’t it fortunate that
these rare and incredibly beautiful aircraft
were stored all those years rather than being
flown to death or cannibalized for other
projects, or damaged in some sort of
operational accident to follow the fate of so
many airplanes of that era?
I found a few pieces of trivia concerning
Howard Hughes and his industrial giant on
the Internet. In 1985 General Motors bought
the Hughes Aircraft Company from the
estate for $5 billion. Those funds were used
to establish and endow the Hughes Medical
Institute, which has become the world’s
largest privately endowed medical-research
organization.
In addition to the flying boat, Hughes
Aircraft had a government contract to
develop a high-altitude, high-speed, photoreconnaissance
aircraft: the XF-11. This was
a twin radial-engined, pod-and-boom design
with an attractive outline.
Howard Hughes piloted the prototypes on
July 7, 1946, and experienced a propeller
pitch reversal in flight, and he crashed the
aircraft into some homes, killing several on
the ground and severely injuring himself.
Hughes suffered numerous broken ribs, a
collapsed lung, a severely broken left arm,
and third-degree burns over large portions of
his body. He was hospitalized for nine
months following the accident but did
survive his injuries. Or did he?
The following is purely speculation and
can never be proven or disproven. I was
Howard Hughes stands next to his modern-looking H-1 in 1935.
Photo from collection of Bob Garrett via Bob Banka.
Jim Wright sits in his reproduction of the H-1 with the seat in the full up position. Text
details the tragic end of this story. Photo by Frank Macy.
Three-quarters side view of Jim’s reproduction shows incredible smoothness of sheet
metal and riveting work and the super-high shine. Macy photo.
106 MODEL AVIATION
taught in pharmacology that those poor souls who are addicted to
opiates (codeine, morphine, heroin, etc.) Develop hypersensitive
skin and hair; become irrational, reclusive, delusional, and
incredibly paranoid; and eventually destroy their kidneys. Factor
that into the horrendous crash injuries that Howard Hughes suffered
and his eccentricities in later life, and you see what you might get.
What a Waste: Since many of this column’s readers also have an
abiding interest in full-scale aviation and read some of the full-scale
magazines, some of you may be aware of Jim Wright’s (Cottage
Grove, Oregon) efforts in recreating a Hughes H-1 racer.
Jim co-owned Wright Machine Tools in Cottage Grove. He had
a passion for high-speed flight which had its roots in his first
airplane—a Taylorcraft—which was followed by a Bonanza and
then a Glasair. He routinely took the Glasair to speeds approaching
300 mph and took great delight in its vertical performance.
This fascination with speed coupled with Jim’s extremely high
level of skill with metal fabrication led him to the massive
undertaking of reproducing the 1935 Hughes H-1 racer. As you can
see in the photos of his completed aircraft, the workmanship is
incredible; the sheet metal is formed and riveted so smoothly that
the aircraft almost looks molded.
The H-1 had been flown and exhibited at fly-ins and air shows
across the country for more than a year and is therefore frequently
photographed. Its connection to the original Howard Hughesdesigned
H-1 created a flood of interest since only a handful had
ever seen Howard’s fly.
Jim wanted to replicate the original design, including the Pratt &
Whitney geared R-1536 radial engine. This Twin Wasp Jr.
developed only 700 horsepower at 25,000 feet. The power plant is
rare because it was developed in the late 1930s to power such lowvolume
production aircraft as the Douglas TBF Devastator and the
Vought Vindicator. Both encountered what eventually became
insurmountable problems with the gearbox, leading to the
withdrawal of the few remaining airplanes from military inventory.
The Devastator was flown by the squadron of torpedo bombers
that the Japanese completely wiped out in the first wave at the
Battle of Midway. It is also the aircraft Ensign Gay crash-landed
during the same battle, forcing him to watch the “show” while
bobbing around in a life raft, as glamorized in the movie about the
battle.
Jim had flown the H-1 to Oshkosh, Wisconsin, for the annual
fly-in and was returning to his home base on August 4, 2003. He
was on his way to a special event at the Evergreen Aviation
Museum in McMinnville, Oregon (the location of the Hughes
Spruce Goose exhibit), that was to be held the next weekend. Frank
Jim taxis his H-1. Extra-long undercarriage is needed to clear
two-blade propeller. Bob Garrett photo via Bob Banka.
The 1935 H-1 has tail skid; Jim’s had tiny tail wheel. Do you know
why? Bob Garrett collection photo via Bob Banka.
Eric Roberts’ (Newport Beach CA) 1⁄8-scale H-1 proves attractive
prototypes make attractive models. Roberts photo.
Macy (the AJ aircraft guy I wrote about in the November 2003
column) was to be Jim’s host and record an interview series with
him.
As Jim approached Yellowstone National Park he radioed that
he was having engine problems. The engine seized over Old
Faithful geyser, forcing him to select an area for a dead-stick putdown.
Since the Old Faithful area was crowded with tourists, it being
August and all, Jim opted to glide northward toward an open area
around Midway Geyser Basin. As he reached that area, he saw that
it was also crowded with people on the wooden walkways. The Jim
Wright Forum contains an eyewitness account of Jim’s heroic
action in the last moments of his life.
The four members of the Chen family were on the walkways at
roughly 6:30 p.m. that day, taking camcorder and still photos, when
someone shouted, “Look at that airplane!” They turned to the south
to see a blue-and-silver airplane with no engine sounds rapidly
gliding toward them.
Mrs. Chen was directly under the aircraft when it passed over
her at approximately 200 feet altitude. The pilot turned sharply to
the right (east) and crashed the right
wingtip first with a loud explosion and fire
into a creek bed. Jim chose to protect those
on the ground by deliberately crashing his
aircraft; he must have been quite a guy.
A look at the photos shows that the
Hughes H-1 racer has tremendous eye
appeal. Its smoothly faired wing/fuselage
joints and long, sleek thoroughbred lines
combined with its great long and
widespread undercarriage and distinctly
beautiful outlines and contours give the
aircraft a sculpted look. Consider what an
uproar it must have caused in the press
when compared to its contemporaries in
1935.
For nearly 70 years there has been a
persistent story that somehow the H-1 had
an influence on the Japanese, who designed
the Mitsubishi Zero. Believe what you
want, but take an honest look at the photos
and try to find any commonalities.
The fuselage and tail feathers are highly
polished aluminum, and the wings are a
medium blue with yellow letters. This
beautiful prototype begs to be modeled; yet
few flying models of the Hughes H-1 have
ever been published or kitted.
However, all of that may be rectified
soon. A largish electric-powered Radio
Control version may be published in this
magazine, and a 1⁄8-scale, glow-powered
version is to be published soon in another
magazine. After nearly 70 years, it’s about
time!
Apparently the modeling community
has made numerous inquires since there is
a page on the Internet devoted to Radio
Control enthusiasts. Type “Hughes Racer”
in a search engine, such as Google, and
follow the threads from there. For threeviews
of the long- and short-wing versions
and numerous photos, contact Bob Banka
at 3114 Yukon Ave., Costa Mesa CA
92626. (He advertises in this magazine.)
It seems a fitting tribute to Jim Wright,
who spent many dollars, much effort, and
hours of research to produce a beautiful recreation,
that modelers around the world
duplicate his dream aircraft. I would think
the family would greatly appreciate photos
of miniature re-creations. MA
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