Museum officials said Laney is known for his dynamic leadership skills, effective execution of projects, and work with nonprofit organizations. 

“Scot assuming the role of CEO is like winning the lottery for the museum,” said Gary Mortensen, vice president of the museum’s board of directors and president of the Stoller Wine Group. “Having served as board director alongside Scot this past year, I know his leadership style will invigorate our museum with renewed energy and vision. He is the perfect person to assume the role.”

• READ MORE: Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum Accepts Rare Bird

The Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum, which houses an eclectic collection of 150 aircraft and spacecraft, opened its doors in 2001. The McMinnville, Oregon, facility is the home of the Hughes Flying Boat, the Spruce Goose, as well as an SR-71 Blackbird, an F-117 and a Titan II Space Launch Vehicle. 

The EASM is a Smithsonian Affiliate and hosts more than 150,000 visitors annually. The facility displays aircraft indoors and outdoors. There are two main buildings—one home to the Flying Boat and terrestrial aviation, the other  geared toward the space program, including a replica of a 1960s-era missile launch facility.

The wide-ranging collection enables the museum to share the history of aviation and aerospace and inspire future generations with practical applications of STEAM (science, technology, engineering, aviation, and math). The museum boasts strategic partnerships with organizations like the McMinnville School District and provides access to aerospace summer camps for kids.

• READ MORE: Inside the ‘Spruce Goose’

“Stepping into the CEO role for this remarkable museum is both humbling and thrilling,” Laney said. “As a historian, I have immersed myself in untold stories and unique perspectives, seeking to connect the past with the present. Now, as I journey into this new chapter, I am filled with a deep appreciation for the incredible legacy of this institution and the visionary pioneers who have shaped it.”

EASM is located  33 nm southwest of Portland, across the street from the McMinnville Municipal Airport (KMMV), making it a popular stop for pilots.

The post Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum Names New CEO appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Why Was It Built? 

In an earlier post, I described Hughes’ early career, and the H-1 Racer he built in 1935 to set world speed records. As I also mentioned, he tried but failed to sell the H-1 to the U.S. Army as a high-performance fighter. Even after World War II began, and the U.S. aviation industry was booming with wartime orders, Hughes Aircraft failed to secure any military contracts. His proposed D-2 fighter, which looked much like a P-38, was an expensive flop. Starting in 1939, Hughes owned a controlling stake in Transcontinental and Western Airlines (TWA) and played an important role in encouraging development of the Lockheed Constellation. But Hughes Aircraft itself seemed to be losing out.

• READ MORE: Inside the ‘Spruce Goose’

The brainstorm for a gigantic cargo airplane didn’t originally come from Hughes but from construction tycoon Henry Kaiser. At the start of WWII, the U.S. was losing huge numbers of irreplaceable cargo ships to German U-boats, threatening the ability to keep Britain fighting and eventually turning the tide in Europe. Kaiser proposed to mass-produce “Liberty Ships” faster than the Germans could sink them. Initially ridiculed because of his lack of any experience in shipbuilding, he proved skeptics wrong, building more than 2,700  at an average pace of 39 days per vessel.

Still, to avoid U-boats altogether, Kaiser speculated that a large cargo airplane or “flying boat” could be developed to carry supplies across the ocean, entirely beyond their reach. Kaiser knew nothing about designing planes, but he heard that Hughes did. He approached Hughes with a proposal for a partnership: You design the giant planes, and I will build them. Hughes initially thought the idea was “crazy” but soon realized that it could be his shot.

• READ MORE: When the ‘Spruce Goose’ Took Flight

In fall 1942, a saga began that was to outlast the war the giant airplane was intended to help win. Part of the problem was that Hughes excelled at producing daring new prototypes based on ambitious ideas. Sometimes they worked; sometimes they didn’t. But he had never successfully produced more than a single, custom-built airplane in his career.

The aircraft would need to be capable of carrying 150,000 pounds (68,000 kilograms), including either 750 fully equipped troops or two 30-ton M4 Sherman tanks. Because wartime supplies of aluminum were committed to existing airplanes, engineers decided the HK-1 (originally named after Hughes and Kaiser) would have to be constructed mainly out of wood. They would have to be “flying boats” operating from water because no airports would be large enough to handle them.

The contract called for three prototypes to be built in two years’ time (by 1944) for $18 million (about $332 million today). But delays designing and constructing even the first gigantic airplane began to pile up. The engineers found working with wood on such a scale presented unprecedented difficulties. Multiple layers of birch plywood had to be bonded with special waterproof resins in a process dubbed “Duramold” to form a kind of strong composite. Because of wartime restrictions, Hughes had trouble hiring workers—men or women—with experience in aircraft manufacturing. Many of the people he ended up hiring were carpenters and cabinet makers.

As the tide of the war turned, and the U-boat menace subsided, President Franklin D. Roosevelt nearly canceled the project. Eventually, the contract was reduced to just one airplane for the same price tag, $18 million. Even then, Hughes knew he would have to spend millions more (ultimately $7 million) of his own money to finish just one unit. He stuck with it, even as Kaiser lost interest and dropped out. Critics called the airplane the “Spruce Goose” or “Flying Lumberyard.” The only piece of good news was that the U.S. Army was interested in buying an updated version of the D-2 fighter, called the XF-11, as a photo reconnaissance aircraft. It ordered 100 from Hughes for $43 million.

Finally, in June 1946, the H-4 Hercules (as it was now called) was moved in pieces from Hughes’ factory in Culver City, California, to Long Beach Harbor for assembly. Thousands of people came out to watch as the massive wings and fuselage were carried 28 miles by flatbed truck at a cost of $80,000 ($1.2 million today). They were brought to a specially made dry dock at Long Beach Harbor, where the airplane was assembled in place.

Under the strain of managing two major projects, Hughes was starting to behave even more oddly than normal. Then disaster struck. On July 7, 1946, taking the XF-11 prototype on its first test flight, Hughes lost control and crashed in a residential part of Beverly Hills. He was severely injured and nearly killed. Many believe his already fragile mental health also took a tremendous blow. He had barely recovered when he came under harsh public scrutiny. The U.S. Senate, frustrated that both the H-4 Hercules and the XF-11 had yet to materialize, demanded he publicly testify in response to charges of being a war profiteer, scamming the U.S. government out of millions.

• READ MORE: The Rugged, Sleek Legacy of the Beechcraft ‘Staggerwing’

The hearings were heated. Congressmen demanded to know why the Hercules hadn’t even flown yet. Hughes accused Sen. Owen Brewster from Maine of targeting him on behalf of Pan Am CEO Juan Trippe to prevent TWA from competing with Pan Am for international airline routes. Stung by the accusations, Hughes returned to Long Beach with a plan to exonerate himself. And this is where we join him—and the Hercules—on November 1, 1947, the day the giant airplane was first launched from its dry dock and presented to the press and public.

It was, at the time, the largest airplane ever built. The wingspan of the completed Hercules was 320 feet, 11 inches, longer than a football field—or the Statue of Liberty on its pedestal, lying sideways. The plane was 218 feet, 8 inches long, roughly the same as a Boeing 747. The massive tail rose to 79 feet, 4 inches, and by itself was the height of a five-story building.

The Hercules was powered by eight Pratt & Whitney Wasp Major engines, the same as the XF-11, four on each wing. With 28 air-cooled cylinders each, they were the largest radial piston engines ever built and produced an astounding 3,000 hp each. The propellers, with adjustable pitch for constant speed, were 17 feet, 2 inches in diameter. Each engine required 32 gallons of oil to keep it working properly.

The model in MSFS2020 doesn’t show the cargo bay, so here is my own photo of it, taken a few years ago at the Evergreen Museum in McMinnville, Oregon, where the Hercules stands on display. The first flight of the Wright Flyer in 1903 could have fit entirely within its confines.

The beach balls at the lower right of the photo were discovered in the wing pontoons when the Hercules was moved and underwent restoration in 1993. They had been placed inside them as a backup in case the pontoons themselves ever sprang a leak.

The cargo compartment would have been loaded through a large clamshell door at the nose of the airplane, but since this was just a prototype, the doors were never installed. Here’s a photo from inside the airplane toward the nose. The metal stairway on the right leads up to the cockpit and crew cabin.

About 25 feet above the water, the cockpit offers a commanding view. That’s about the same height as a Boeing 747 flight deck, similar to the windows on the third floor of a building.

The H-4 Hercules was the first airplane designed with a hydraulically assisted steering system, capable of multiplying the pilot’s strength 200 times. This has since become commonplace in large transport category aircraft.

The instrument panel is fairly straightforward, with flaps and fuel indicators on the left, a vertical speed and airspeed indicator, heading indicator, attitude indicator, and altimeter far right) along with a radio navigation aid.

To the left of the yoke is a crank for setting elevator trim, and the rudder pedals are at their usual place on the floor. To Howard Hughes’ left is a radio with a phone handset. Not pictured here was a big pipe that directed specially filtered air at his face while flying to alleviate his constant, paranoid concern about germs. Between the pilot and copilot seats are the throttles and engine gauges. Each of the four levers on each side controls two engines. There’s also levers for flaps and hydraulics, as well as an autopilot system.

• READ MORE: The Effective, Long-Lasting MiG-21

While the copilot can fly the airplane, their main job is to assist in operating its various systems. David Grant, a 30-year-old hydraulics engineer who sat in the chair beside Hughes, didn’t even have a pilot certificate—a “license,” at the time.

Looking back from the pilot’s seat, you can see the station for the flight engineer and beyond it the seating for the gaggle of journalists Hughes invited onto the Hercules the day after its official launch, November 2.

The flight engineer has panels for monitoring each of the eight engines in detail (left) and the flow of oil and fuel to each (middle). The right-hand panel controls the electricity and lights, alerts the engineer to fires, and starts the engines.

Directly behind the pilot, and across from the flight engineer, is a station for the navigator and radio operator. If you look closely, you can also see Howard Hughes’ hat. Hughes was a big coffee drinker, so the flight deck includes a coffee machine for everyone to enjoy.

At the back of the cabin are two APUs (auxiliary power units), Franklin engines used to generate the airplane’s electrical power as well as start the engines. The ladder to their right leads up to an observation station the crew can access either in flight or while docking.

This metal tank here contains an extra reservoir of 189 gallons of oil, which can be directed by the flight engineer to any of the engines as needed. The little door behind it gives engineers access to the interior of the gigantic wing. The cabin takes up the entire front half of the plane, from the wings forward.

Let’s get the eight engines started, two at a time. Each engine consumes over 100 gallons of fuel per hour at cruise speed. To supply that, the Hercules has 14 fuel tanks in its belly (under the cargo compartment) holding 1,000 gallons each.

On November 2, with journalists on board, Hughes took the H-4 Hercules out for what he said would be a series of taxi runs, to test the airplane out. No one expected it to fly. The big aircraft cut smoothly through the waters off Long Beach, reaching 90 mph.

After two taxi runs, he let all but one reporter (Jim McNamara from a Los Angeles radio station) off in a boat. Then, with the reporters still watching, Hughes turned the Hercules into a brisk wind and began what was to be his third and last taxi run.

A gasp and a cheer from the onlookers went up when the airplane lifted off the water, a few feet into the air, at a speed of 135 mph. The “Spruce Goose” was flying.

The flight lasted 26 seconds, covered about a mile, and rose just 70 feet above the water. Rather than risk trying to land the airplane in the choppier waters farther offshore, Hughes soon brought it in for a landing.

Barely airborne, it was the one and only flight the H-4 Hercules would ever make. But it was enough to serve Hughes’ immediate purpose: undercutting his critics. Now that the airplane had flown, the hostile hearings in Washington, D.C., lost steam and soon were adjourned. Hughes and the “Spruce Goose” (a nickname he absolutely hated) appeared on the July 19, 1948, cover of Time magazine. The headline: “Money + brains = fun (sometimes).”

At this point, under the contract, Hughes should have delivered the Hercules to the government. But guessing it would almost certainly end up scrapping it, he exercised an option to lease it back. For the next three decades, until his death in 1976, Hughes kept the Hercules in a climate-controlled hangar in Long Beach, hidden from public view, maintained by a team of 300 workers tasked with keeping it in flying condition.

• READ MORE: The Daring Legacy of the Hughes H-1 Racer

Once a dashing playboy, Hughes increasingly drew back, becoming a kind of ultra-wealthy hermit. Stories of his odd behavior abounded. When he died—without a recognized will—he left an estate estimated at $2.5 billion. After his death, the Hercules went on display beside the ocean liner Queen Mary in Long Beach. In 1993, it was moved to the Evergreen Museum in Oregon, where it is on display today. The hangar in Culver City where the Hercules was built was later converted to sound stages for movie production. Titanic was partly filmed there. More recently, it was converted to office and event space for Google.

But…what if Hughes had tried again. Could it have really flown, as intended? The sim isn’t a reliable test, but I couldn’t resist giving it a try.

The H-4 Hercules weighed 250,000 pounds empty, 400,000 pounds (200 tons) fully loaded. When it rose to 70 feet in 1947, that was still within ground effect, giving it additional lift. Nevertheless, I was able to gently coax it off the water and into the air.

The Spruce Goose is often portrayed as the fanciful dream of a madman, like Don Quixote tilting at windmills. The world’s largest airplane, made of wood, built for no good reason. In fact, as its story makes clear, it had a very good reason—even if the resources available didn’t allow Hughes to achieve it within the relevant time frame.

The H-4 Hercules was designed to have a range of 3,000 miles (2,607 nm), enough to fly from Los Angeles to New York, from San Francisco to Honolulu, or across the Atlantic from Halifax, Nova Scotia, to London. At a designed cruising speed of 250 mph (217 knots), it could have covered that distance in 12 hours, compared to four to five days for the fastest ships. A fleet of them could potentially deploy a U.S. military force anywhere around the world in a matter of days, safe from U-boats and other threats.

It’s the same vision that ultimately gave birth to modern-day airlift giants such as the C-5 Galaxy, capable of carrying 281,000 pounds to a range of 5,500 miles (4,779 nm), at a speed of 532 mph (462 knots). Or the Antonov An-225, another one-of-a-kind airplane that nearly matched the Hercules in wingspan. It reigned as the world’s biggest airplane, in weight, before it was destroyed during Vladimir Putin’s Russian invasion of Ukraine.

In fact, the Hercules retained its lead in wingspan all the way until 2019, when Scaled Composites’ Stratolaunch took to the air to launch vehicles into space. With a wingspan of 385 feet, the Stratolaunch follows in the Spruce Goose’s footsteps, being made from composites rather than metal.

It’s time to begin my descent to land, from the flight that never took place.

Out my side window is the Port of Long Beach, where the Hercules was built and later hidden away for many years. The white dome straight ahead, next to the Queen Mary, is where the Spruce Goose was on display from Hughes’ death to 1993, when it moved to Oregon.

When Hughes first flew the Hercules, his first instinct was to cut the power to descend. He had to be reminded by the hydraulics engineer in the copilot’s seat that without engine power, the hydraulic controls would no longer work. So I’m going to try not to make that mistake and still come in slow enough for a safe water landing.

Hughes once said, “I want to be remembered for only one thing: my contribution to aviation.” He is also reported to have said, “Do the impossible, because almost everyone has told me my ideas are merely fantasies.” I hope you’ve enjoyed the story of the impossible airplane he built, the H-4 Hercules.

If you’d like to see a version of this story with many more screenshots and historical images, you can check out my original post here.

This story was told utilizing H-4 Hercules included in the 40th Anniversary Edition update to MSFS 2020. 

The post A Fanciful Flight in the ‘Spruce Goose’ appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

For many aviation enthusiasts, the new edition is not just another update of the company’s long-standing simulation program, but instead a celebration of virtual aviation’s past, present, and future. 

The Microsoft Flight Simulator software program was first launched in 1977 when Bruce Artwick, a software engineer who founded Sublogic, created and developed the first iteration of the program. Two years later, the company released Flight Simulator for the Apple II. In 1982, Microsoft purchased licensing rights to that original software and officially launched the first iteration of Microsoft Flight Simulator 1.0 that same year.

Since that time, Microsoft has released updated versions of the program periodically. In 2012, the company decided to shelve product development after it faced intense criticism from users after launching Microsoft Flight, designed to replace the original simulator series. Microsoft’s franchise remained grounded until the company partnered with Asobo, a French video game developer known for video game versions of Pixar movies. That collaboration led to the release of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020.

The long break between versions allowed the team to take advantage of substantial advancements in gaming technology. The result is flight simulation software that rivals (and even surpasses) scenery used in full-motion commercial flight simulators.

Marking 40 Years of Development

This latest release of Flight Simulator is chock full of features that appease new flight simmers—what those aficionados call themselves—and those loyal to the program since its beginnings. Every update comes with new virtual aircraft models to fly, but this time around, they’ve gone old school.

Seven historical aircraft are featured: the 1903 Wright Flyer, a 1915 Curtiss JN-4 Jenny, the 1927 Ryan NYP Spirit of St. Louis, a 1935 Douglas DC-3, a 1937 Grumman G-21 Goose, a 1947 de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver, and the famous 1947 Hughes H-4 Hercules Spruce Goose. Some of these (like the Jenny and Spirit of St. Louis) were featured in the 2004 release, while others are making their flight simulator debut with this latest version. 

Aside from the new aircraft, Microsoft’s scenery brought an entirely new dimension to flight simming, including simulating the topography of the entire Earth using data from Bing Maps. Microsoft Azure’s artificial intelligence (AI) generates three-dimensional representations of Earth’s features, using cloud computing to render and enhance visuals. Combining these visual tools sets this software far ahead of its previous iterations.

Sharpening Virtual Flying Skills

When Microsoft and Asobo released the 2020 version of Flight Simulator, it provided some much-needed engagement for real-world pilots grounded at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The software’s advanced scenery and aerodynamic modeling allowed many frustrated aviators to practice their flying skills. Whether or not the flight time is loggable is another discussion. Either way, they could practice pilotage, instrument scanning, and radio navigation.

While flight simulators are not helpful for ground operations, like parking or taxiing an airplane, some flight training academies encourage pilots to improve their skills through home-based flight simulators. An example is a Melbourne, Australia-based flight school that has developed online training modules and recommends supplemental practice via Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020.

While there is no way to replace real turbulence and its bumps, skips, and jolts—and landing in a tabletop simulator does not provide the same depth perception as real-world pattern work—there are benefits to using the program. Occasional sim time engages neurons that fire after practicing checklists, following a road via VFR [visual flight rules] navigation, or maybe shooting an instrument approach or two.  

Flight simmers can enjoy flying various aircraft, from jets to Jennys and sport aircraft to the Spruce Goose, they enjoy the immersive experience of flying virtual skies to destinations they may only dream of. 

The post Fly a DC-3, or ‘Spruce Goose’ in the New Microsoft Flight Simulator appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Those were the first words out of my mouth when I laid eyes on the Hughes Flying Boat, aka the Hercules, colloquially known as the Spruce Goose. Not terribly poetic, I know, but it was from the heart.

The last time I was inside the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum in McMinnville, Oregon, was 20 years ago, when the facility was under construction. At the time, the Spruce Goose was across the street in pieces, shrink-wrapped and waiting for installation. The museum was in the excavation stage, and I stood in the 7-foot deep pit that had been dug to hold the hull of the behemoth aircraft. 

On Friday, November 4, 2022, I was back, and face to face with one of the most iconic and impressive feats of aeronautical engineering ever achieved. Up until that moment, the largest airplane I had been physically close to was a Lockheed C-5 Galaxy that Dad had taken me to see when I was a kid. For the record, the Spruce Goose wingspan bests the C-5 by approximately 97 feet, and the tail of the wooden behemoth is over 100 feet tall. I submit the exclamation was warranted.

Let’s Take a Tour

The museum campus sports three buildings: a theater, a wing for more modern aircraft, spacecraft and the SR-71 Blackbird, and the structure that houses the Hughes Flying Boat. There are also several aircraft outside on static display, including multiple military jets, a Douglas C-47 that towed gliders on D-Day, a Boeing 747 painted in the livery of Evergreen Flying Service, and a McDonnell-Douglas VC-9C that served as Air Force Two for decades. There is also a waterpark, Wings and Waves, for those who desire a more kinetic experience.

The star of the museum, of course, is the Flying Boat, the largest seaplane in the world, which was apropos for my visit on a really rainy day even by western Oregon standards—ducks were donning rain gear and frogs were wearing flotation devices. 

Barry Greenberg, the secretary/treasurer of the museum, chairman of the collection and acquisitions committee, and founder of the Spruce Goose Advisory Board, escorted me to the center of the main building where the Flying Boat reigns supreme.

I had been warned that the aircraft is so large that it’s hard to comprehend as you approach it. This is true. It takes you a moment to realize that the big silver-gray thing that is overhead is a wing. The aircraft sports eight Pratt & Whitney R-4360 Wasp Major 28-cylinder, air-cooled radial piston engines with four-bladed propellers—each blade longer than I am tall. I was told the hull measures 265 feet wide and the mid spar of the wings measures 322 feet.

Although the hull is countersunk into the floor by about 7 feet, a staircase is necessary to reach the main boarding door of the aircraft. There is a platform there with an informational plaque and a cadre of well-informed docents waiting to show you the aircraft.

We were greeted by Wayne Swanson, one of the docents who specializes in tours of the Spruce Goose. The docents at the museum wear green vests covered with military patches. The first thing Swanson showed me was a sample of the material from which the airframe is crafted—Duramold. The sample Swanson pulled from his pocket looked more like the layers from a Kit Kat candy bar rather than a slice of modern plywood. Duramold is a composite material made from birch wood impregnated with phenolic resin, then laminated and put under heat and pressure resulting in something as light and strong as steel.

“The skin is made of nine plies, but don’t call it plywood,” he said, as he tapped gently on the fuselage. The sound is unmistakably wooden. According to Swanson, 8,000 nails were used to hold the wood layers together as the three different types of glue and heat were combined to cure the material that would become the wings. A special nail gun was developed to put the nails in and another tool created to take the nails out when the wood and glue layers had cured.

Inside the Engineering Marvel

You enter on the cargo deck and the ceiling is high above you. It is almost like stepping into a cathedral. The aircraft smells different from the other restorations I have been aboard—it took me a moment to realize I was smelling the wood. Most large aircraft smell of plastic and metal. The first thing you want to do when you enter the flying boat is look towards the aft section. The museum has taken care to light the aft deck so you can see allllllll the way down the tail—a distance of approximately 200 feet down a tunnel of ribs that become progressively narrower. You get the impression of looking into infinity.

• READ MORE: When the ‘Spruce Goose’ Took Flight

Using a flashlight—a necessity as for the most part, the lighting inside the Spruce Goose is subdued—Swanson pointed out the details of the great airplane. For example, the

I-beams are made from laminated wood and are “super strong,” and the corner brackets—also made of wood, some of which are as thin as a playing card or a credit card, depending on the angle.

How can something so thin be so strong? Swanson explained, “In the 1940s they rotated the grain of each ply. The first one was vertical, the second was 45 degrees off, then 90, so everytime they put a ply in, they rotated the grain. Today they call that engineered plywood.”

Swanson proceeded to tap on the aircraft as he described the ribs of the aircraft, which measure 3 by 5.5 inches and larger where the wing joins the fuselage.

“That wing is 322 feet long,” he continued. “That’s end to end, and so big that you can’t build it in one piece. You have to build it in at least two pieces. They had a left half and a right half as you couldn’t even transport a 322-foot I-beam.”

The aircraft has a gross weight of 400,000 pounds. “[It’s] the same as a 747 and could hold 120,000 pounds of cargo,” he said.

Fuel Tanks

A lighted hatch leads to a bilge that holds the fuel tanks. The aircraft burned the 130 octane aviation gasoline available in the period. “Each tank has 900 gallons, and there are 14 tanks, which gives you 12,600 gallons,” Swanson said, adding, “Multiply that by 7 because each gallon weighs 7 pounds and that gives you almost 100,000 pounds of fuel.” (I did the math: it comes out to 88,200 pounds of fuel.)

Fuel hoses run from the bilge to each engine. Electric pumps moved the fuel. Hughes liked redundancy, noted Swanson. “Everything is in parallel. There are two fuel hoses and two pumps on each engine so if one fails, the other one takes over. He did an analysis of everything that could fail on the airplane, everything that could keep the engines from running and made sure it had two sources so there are two fuel sources, two oil sources, two hydraulic sources, two electric sources.”

The wings and the engine compartments are large enough for a man to stand in. The engines are placed at 20-foot intervals on the wings. According to Swanson, the original engines were rated at 3,000 hp, but then they were modified to 3,500 hp.

“A person can go to that engine in flight and adjust the throttle or tighten up hoses and things as all the accessories are on the back of the engine,” he continued. “A series of intercom radios enabled Hughes to communicate with the crew, which on the flight consisted of a pilot, [a] copilot, and [an] engineer for engine instruments, and a second engineer for utilities such as hydraulic pressure.”

A hydraulically actuated control system—developed by Hughes—was a necessity, as the size and therefore the weight of the control surfaces were far beyond anything that had come before. The ailerons, for example, measure 140 feet long. Although they were covered with fabric, it was said it would take the strength of 200 men to move them if the aircraft was rigged with cables and pulleys like the multiengine bombers of the day.

Fire Extinguishers and Beach Balls

Inside the cargo hold just behind a stanchion rope there are 16 red fire extinguishers—two for each engine—and a pile of inflated red, yellow, and blue beach balls. The beach balls are there for buoyancy should the aircraft go down on the water.

The application of the beach balls was a take on Hughes’ 1938 around-the-world flight where concerns about ditching at sea inspired him to load his aircraft with 80 pounds of ping-pong balls in the wings and fuselage to keep the aircraft afloat in the event of a water landing.

“He couldn’t get enough ping-pong balls for this airplane so he went with beach balls,” Swanson said, “although there is some controversy as to if they were on board during the one and only flight.”

Another Hughes engineering marvel was an electrical system of 120 volt DC, which allowed for the use of smaller cables and wires, saving considerable weight despite the miles of wiring required for the system.

The Flight Deck

The flight deck is above the cargo hold, accessed through a circular staircase. One of the first things you will notice when you get there are rows of what look like theater seats behind the raised platform where the pilots sit. This flight deck is spacious in every sense of the word. On the port side, there is a series of plexiglas windows that were installed when the aircraft was on display in Long Beach, California—the other side is solid bulkhead, leading a person to wonder how dark the aircraft was back in the day, when the only source of natural light came from cockpit windows.

The aircraft featured built-in coffee urns. [Courtesy: Meg Godlewski]

Hughes was known for eccentricities but he did like his comforts—there are built-in coffee urns on the flight deck.

The flight engineer’s station is located aft of the pilots’ seats on the starboard side of the fuselage. It is a wall of dials stacked 11 high and eight across next to panels of annunciator lights and switches. The dials measure manifold pressure, tachometer, oil temperature and pressure, fuel pressure, cylinder head temperature, and fuel flow—that’s how you keep track of eight engines. The other panels display the output of the three electrical generators, and monitor the aircraft systems for fire—a bad thing in any aircraft but particularly dangerous in one that is made primarily of wood.

Across from the engineer’s station are monitors for a series of strain gauges installed for the taxi tests. “They ran the engines when the aircraft was under construction but they couldn’t run them under load until the test flight,” Swanson explained, adding that the wing load of the aircraft had an arc of 13 feet “so they needed to structurally test where it was overbuilt or underbuilt.”

The information from each strain gauge was recorded on magnetic tape.

I was offered the chance to try out the left seat—and, of course, I had to put on the Hughes-esque hat that you must wear when you do this. Barry graciously took the right seat for the full effect.

The first thing struck me about the left side of the cockpit was the throttle quadrant—eight levers in all. As a multiengine pilot, I’ve had the experience of having to bring both throttles up simultaneously. I very gingerly stretched my hand out to see if I could get all eight levers at once. I didn’t move them—but hovered over them. The answer is yes, I can reach all eight at once. I share this as one of my siblings, when we were watching the movie, The Aviator, asked if I would be able to fly the Spruce Goose. I said yes, as it was all physics—bring the throttles up to get enough thrust to get airflow over the wings and up she goes.

There is another set of throttle levers on the copilot’s side—Hughes’ redundancy again.

The arrangement of the instrument panel is confusing by today’s standards. Most of the aircraft I have flown are post-1967 designs with the standardized placement of the so-called six pack: airspeed on the top row, far left; the attitude indicator then altimeter; then on the second row, left to right, the turn coordinator/slip skid indicator, heading indicator, and vertical speed indicator.

On the Spruce Goose, I had to spend a few minutes looking for these instruments—trying to do an IFR scan in this airplane would definitely be difficult. Some of the instruments are located below the pilot’s field of view, underneath the yoke.

The airplane has a slip skid indicator—two actually—without the upside-down “doghouse” markings, although there is a yaw indicator next to the one on the pilot’s side at eye level. The attitude indicator is the 1940s-style black ball with tick marks at the top to indicate bank angle and a stylized aircraft for pitch. The vertical speed indicator is located directly beneath the attitude indicator.

On the lower part of the panel there is the other slip-skid indicator, a radio direction finder and another AI.

There are dials to show aircraft trim for aileron, elevator, and rudder, which are managed by a joystick on the left side of the cockpit. There is a centralized gauge to indicate pitch. “DOWN” is in red. In addition, there is a mark on the windscreen, sort of a first-generation “heads up display” to help the pilot determine aircraft attitude.

The avionics, which were likely state-of-the-art at the time, consist of an ADF (automatic direction finder), an RMI (radio magnetic indicator), and a radio direction finder. (Hughes didn’t like getting lost.)

To the right of the pilot’s seat is a console filled with toggle switches and annunciator lights for all the aircraft systems—Hughes was known for always wanting to be in control, and this console is a testament to that. By comparison, the copilot’s panel feels rather sparse in instrumentation.

Directly over the cockpit is a roof hatch, which, if you are tall enough, gives you a great view of the top of the aircraft—and/or the harbor when you’re on the water.

During the one and only flight of the Spruce Goose, it only flew for 1 mile at an altitude of approximately 70 feet above the surface of the water; some say it never got out of ground effect. We will never know what its service ceiling was or how it handled during maneuvers—but that doesn’t take away from the feat(s) of engineering required to build it.

What the Visitors Say

I was not the only visitor that rainy Friday—there were several children, a few accompanied by parents and at least one school group. The children were as impressed as I was—I heard the exclamation “WHOAAAAA!” several times as they walked around the museum. One can only hope the next generation is inspired.

The post Inside the ‘Spruce Goose’ appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The Hughes Flying Boat

The aircraft was first conceived during World War II, when there was a growing need to get men and supplies over to England and Allied ships were being sunk at an alarming rate by German submarines.

In 1942, Henry Kaiser—a steel magnate and shipbuilder—came up with the concept of a giant seaplane to transport men and supplies. He enlisted the help of Hollywood producer and aircraft designer Howard Hughes. At the time, aluminum and steel were considered strategic materials needed for the war effort, so this aircraft had to be designed from non-strategic materials, such as wood.

It was constructed of Duramold, a composite material made of birch and resin, which is then laminated together.

The aircraft was originally designated as the HK-1, but when Kaiser dropped out of the project in 1944 due to frustration over construction delays, the behemoth aircraft was re-named the H-4 Hercules.

Delays would continue and the aircraft was not completed until 1946 after the war had ended. The aircraft cost $23 million to build, or about $352 million in 2022 dollars.

The name Spruce Goose was a pejorative nickname given to the project by Hughes’ critics. It was said that Hughes hated the name, as he thought of the aircraft as an engineering marvel, not to mention the aircraft was not constructed from spruce.

(Historians would later note that some of the men who worked on the airplane allegedly referred to it as The Birch Bitch, so perhaps Hughes accepted the lesser of two evils.)

The size of the price tag, not to mention the size of the airplane itself, raised eyebrows in Congress, as lawmakers who had allocated the funds for the airplane demanded proof that it could actually fly. The first step was to conduct taxi tests for the mammoth seaplane.

Thousands of people and scores of journalists turned out to watch the flight on November 2, 1947. Hughes was at the controls as he took the H-4 from its berth in Long Beach into the harbor. On board were dozens of crew members, along with a significant number of journalists from both radio and newspapers. Many more stood on the shore watching the spectacle.

Hughes made two taxi passes, keeping the aircraft below its 95 mph lift-off speed. On the third pass, he accelerated, allowing the aircraft to lift off.

“Two hundred tons are airborne!” crowed the newsreel announcer as the aircraft in the flickering black and white footage cruises over the water. 

The aircraft flew for approximately one mile at an altitude of approximately 70 feet over the water. When Hughes was asked if the 30-second flight was intentional, he replied, “Certainly. I like to make surprises.”

After the Flight

The H-4, however, never entered production and never flew again. 

Hughes had the aircraft moved into a climate-controlled hangar in Long Beach Harbor. It was off limits to the public. Despite this, until the end of his life, Hughes had standing orders that the aircraft was to be kept “one phone call away” from flight. 

The annual cost to mothball the airplane was $1 million, which included the salaries of the people whose job it was to keep the aircraft ready to fly. There were people who spent their whole career caring for an aircraft that never left the ground.

After Hughes’ death in 1976, the lease on the hangar expired and plans were made to dismantle the aircraft. Summa Corporation, Hughes’ holding company, wanted the aircraft to be divided up so components of it could be sent for display in several aviation museums.

The Aero Club of Southern California and the Wrather Corporation, which managed outdoor exhibits in Long Beach, California, such as the Queen Mary, stepped in to thwart the plan. The H-4 was removed from the hangar and transported by barge to Long Beach, where it became a tourist attraction next to the Queen Mary. The aircraft was placed under a large shell and put on display for the public. As the 1980s drew to a close, the Spruce Goose as it was now known had been sold to the Disney Corporation, and was now in need of a permanent home.

In 1992, Michael King Smith and his father Delford M. Smith, founder of Evergreen Aviation, founded the Evergreen Air & Space Museum and submitted the winning proposal to provide a home for the Spruce Goose. Both father and son were accomplished pilots and wanted to preserve the iconic airplane.

Years in the salt air under the shell had taken their toll. Smith’s plan called for the aircraft to be relocated to McMinnville, Oregon, where Evergreen Aviation was located. The Spruce Goose would become the centerpiece of an aviation museum.

The Big Move

The aircraft was disassembled, and the fuselage, control surfaces, wings, horizontal stabilizers and vertical tail were carefully shrink-wrapped to protect them. The disassembly took six weeks and left the airplane in 38 pieces. There were, however, a few surprises along the way. When the massive tail was pulled off the empennage, for example, it let go with a loud “pop!” like a champagne cork. The engines and propellers were also wrapped and shipped by truck. 

A hole had to be cut in the shell so that the rest of the aircraft could be loaded onto barges for its journey up the West Coast. It would travel up the Columbia and Willamette Rivers to Portland, Oregon. From there, it would be trucked to McMinnville some 50 miles away.

The conditions had to be perfect for the barges to negotiate the rivers. If the water level was too high, the barges could not pass beneath the bridges. It took several months for the barges to travel the distance to the location where the Spruce Goose was placed on flatbed trucks for the last 50 miles of the journey.

The last part of the journey was well documented, as people lined the streets. The pace was slow and methodical. In certain places street signs and telephone poles and wires had to be removed so the trucks with their bulky cargo could make it safely down the road. The entire trip took 138 days.

Restoration Begins

The first stage of restoration was accomplished over several months in a temporary facility at Evergreen Aviation at McMinnville Airport (KMMV). While the aircraft was restored, the museum, located about 800 feet away across the road, began to take shape. Sadly, Michael King Smith would not live to see the museum open. He was killed in a car accident before the building was completed. His father insisted on continuing the project.

On September 16, 2000, the aircraft—still under restoration—was painstakingly and slowly moved across the road to the museum. The work on the aircraft continued as paint was stripped, the skin re-sanded and the control surfaces reskinned.

When the museum officially opened on June 6, 2001, the Spruce Goose was in the center of the building, but not completely together. Its flight control surfaces were still undergoing restoration. The final assembly was completed on December 7, 2001.

The Spruce Goose Reigns Supreme

Today the Spruce Goose is one of 108 aircraft on display at the museum. It sits in the center of the building, its keel countersunk about seven feet into the floor.

The airplane is so large, according to the museum Curation & Collections Director Lydia Heins, that some visitors don’t realize they are looking at an airplane when they first lay eyes on it. After a few minutes, the sheer size of it registers, and they take it in, with some even venturing inside the mammoth aircraft.

“The cargo hold is available to enter and view with general admission to the museum, and visitors can take a guided tour of the flight deck with an additional ticket,” Heins said,  adding, “For the 75th anniversary year, we are workshopping new ways to enhance the aircraft experience for guests using more modern exhibitry tools available while preserving the integrity of this historic artifact.”

According to Heins, the museum staff are careful to protect the integrity of the artifact, as it is sensitive to climate conditions and external contaminants. Of particular concern is sun exposure, which degrades the composition of Duramold, as well as humidity, and extreme temperature fluctuation. The museum’s mission is to keep the airframe healthy enough to keep it on display.

“We are raising money during the 75th anniversary year to investigate supports for the wings and tail as the aircraft and Duramold material ages,” Heins said. The museum is focused on preserving the mechanical components and, “exploring what it would take to restore the Flying Boat to its original condition before it was placed on display in Long Beach,” she added.

Dispelling Rumors

There are some wild stories out there about the Spruce Goose, according to Heins, among them that the Spruce Goose has termites (not true), that the engines are fired up annually (not true), or that there is more than one Spruce Goose (so not true).

None of that is true, Heins said, adding that the termite reference was someone’s idea of an April Fool’s joke online that went viral. Termites are not an issue because the combination of preservation practices and the aircraft’s Duramold construction, which is essentially a chemically processed wood product, make the Spruce Goose unappetizing to the insects.

Hughes, who was renowned for his eccentricities, was also known for his engineering skills. As part of its collection, the museum is in possession of the technical data for the Spruce Goose. The material came to the museum “with more than a million pieces of paper about the fabrication and construction of the airplane,” Heins said. “We call that collection of documents the Hughes Archives, and it consists of original concept designs, original engineering drawings of every part of the aircraft, photographs and moving images, and testing reports.”

The Movie Connection

In 2003, when the Hughes’ biopic, The Aviator, was in production, movie production staff visited the museum several times as they worked to design and build sets for the all-important Spruce Goose flying scene.

The museum staff worked with set designers that built the full mockup of the flight deck, which required the recreation of the flight stations down to the levers and dials.

“The movie costume crew also visited the museum for information about the types of clothing worn by the workers who constructed the Flying Boat,” Heins said. “The color historic film footage also came from the museum’s collection.” 

After the release, the miniatures that were used in the production of the movie were donated to the museum and are currently on display.

The post When the ‘Spruce Goose’ Took Flight appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The idea that engineers have built machines of this size that can harness the laws of physics is simply awe inspiring and continues to mezmerize aviation enthusiasts around the world.

Let’s take a closer look at some of the world’s largest airplanes by wingspan, length, and capacity. 

• GALLERY: The World’s Largest Aircraft

ANTONOV AN-225 MRIYA

Purpose:

First developed to transport Buran, the Soviet Union’s space shuttle, the An-225 was owned and operated by Antonov Airlines to carry oversized and extremely heavy equipment, such as steam generators and high-voltage power transformers.

Facts:

• Designers considered a twin-fuselage version powered by at least 12 jet engines.

• It was literally a one-of-a-kind airplane. (A second An-225 was started, but never finished.) 
• Mriya was destroyed in February 2022, during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine at Gostomel Airport (UKKM).

AIRBUS A380-800

Purpose:

Airbus miscalculated that superjumbo airliners would yield big long-term profits for passenger carriers. But new designs for twin-engine, transport-category airplanes with ultra-efficient engines lessened the viability of these double-decker wonders. After producing 251 A380s, production ended in 2021. Emirates, British Airways, and Singapore Airlines are among a handful of carriers that continue to operate them.

Fun facts:

• The A380 is the world’s largest passenger airliner. In a typical four-class configuration, the superjumbo has a maximum capacity of 545 passengers, which is 78 more than Boeing’s 747-8 Intercontinental, which maxes out at 467. 
• Some carriers have outfitted the A380 with a luxurious shower for first class passengers. 

• The A380’s horizontal stabilizer measures 30.4 meters (100 feet), which is almost as long as the entire wingspan of the Airbus A320 single-aisle jet. 
• During takeoff, the A380 wings flex upward by more than 4 meters (13 feet). 
• The external paint (primer and topcoat) on an A380 weighs 531 kg (1,171 lbs).

BOEING 747-8 INTERCONTINENTAL

Purpose:

Boeing’s initial iteration of the iconic Jumbo Jet, the 747-100, was the world’s first double-decker passenger jet, launching service with Pan Am in 1970. Earning the nickname “Queen of the Skies,” the 747 single-handedly changed the airline industry, making international travel for the middle class possible for the first time. More than 1,500 were built in multiple variants. The final 747—a 747-8F freighter—is expected to be delivered in 2022. 

Fun facts:

• The next generation jetliner to be used as Air Force One will be a military version of the Boeing 747-8i. The new type will be designated VC-25B. 
• The 747-8i is the world’s longest airliner currently in service. The 777-9, expected to enter service as early as 2023, will extend the 777 model’s lifespan a bit longer than the 747. 
• The 747-8 includes improvements over the 747-400, such as technology from the flight deck of the 787 Dreamliner. Redesigned wings incorporate efficient raked wingtips, and double-slotted inboard flaps.

BOEING 777-9 (aka 777X)

Purpose:

The idea behind Boeing’s 777X program was to produce a larger twin-engine passenger jet without having to start with a clean-sheet design. (The original 777-200 first flew in 1994.) What sets these new airplanes apart are their giant, lightweight, carbon-fiber wings that increase range while burning less fuel. 

Fun facts:

• The 777X has the longest wings Boeing has ever built. In fact, they’re so long, their wings include hinges that allow the wingtips to fold. This feature allows the jet to more easily taxi to and from airport gates without colliding with infrastructure or other aircraft. 
• The wings are composed of very strong and lightweight carbon fiber and are made in giant ovens called autoclaves, which are used to bake the enormous wing components under pressure. 
• The 777X will be longer and wider than a Boeing 747 and will be the world’s largest twin-engine airliner.

BOEING DREAMLIFTER LCF (LARGE CARGO AIRCRAFT)

[Boeing’s modified 747-400 transporter]

Purpose: 

To transport wings, tail, and fuselage components for Boeing 787 Dreamliners and other oversized cargo.

Fun facts: 

• Only four of the modified 747-400s were ever built.
• The fuselage diameter of the Dreamlifter is 18 inches larger than the fuselage of the Airbus A380, the world’s largest passenger jet.

HUGHES H-4 HERCULES [AKA SPRUCE GOOSE]

Purpose: 

To serve as a U.S. military troop transport.

Fun facts:

• Largest flying boat ever built. 
• It was made almost entirely of laminated birch, not spruce. 
• Only flew once: November 2, 1947.
• On the day it flew, Howard Hughes, head of Hughes Aircraft Company, piloted the aircraft himself in California’s Long Beach Harbor. It flew a distance of 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.

LOCKHEED C-5 GALAXY / C-5M SUPER GALAXY

Purpose: 

Transportation of outsized cargo.

Fun facts:

• The C-5M, the largest U.S. military aircraft, has an unrefueled range of approximately 5,524 statute miles (4,800 nm) with 120,000 pounds of cargo—and approximately 7,000 nm with no cargo on board.
• C-5 aircraft engines were upgraded from four General Electric TF-39 engines to General Electric CF6-80C2-L1F (F-138) commercial engines, which have 22 percent more thrust, a 30 percent shorter takeoff roll, and a 58 percent faster climb rate, according to the U.S. Air Force.

STRATOLAUNCH ‘ROC’

Purpose: 

Air-to-launch carrier for hypersonic vehicles and other types of aircraft.

Fun facts: 

• Designed and built by Scaled Composites, founded by Burt Rutan.
• Avionics, engines, and landing gear are re-purposed from the Boeing 747-400.
• A three-person crew operates the jet from a flight deck in the right fuselage. (The front left fuselage is empty).
• Its wingspan is more than 150 feet wider than a Boeing 747-8, more than 90 feet wider than the Antonov An-225, and more than 60 feet wider than the Hughes H-4. 
• FAA registration number: N351SL 
• Crew: Two pilots and a flight engineer
• The twin fuselages are 95 feet apart
• Official designation: Model 351

Read more on Stratolaunch:

• What It’s Like to Fly the World’s Largest Airplane
• World’s Largest Airplane to Launch Hypersonic Aircraft

OTHER AIRCRAFT

LZ-129 HINDENBURG AIRSHIP

Purpose: 

Long-distance passenger transportation.

Fun facts

• It was the longest aircraft ever built in aviation history—more than three times longer than a 747. 
• Typical crew: 40 flight officers and men; 10-12 stewards and cooks

HYBRID AIR VEHICLES AIRLANDER 10 AIRSHIP

Purpose:

Cargo or passenger transport; communications and surveillance platform. 

Fun facts:

• If successful, it could become the longest aircraft in the world currently operational. 
• The prototype only flew seven flights.
• The production version is designed to be nearly 20 feet longer and is expected to enter service in 2025. 
• Airlander uses fiber optic flight control systems, aka “fly-by-light” technology, instead of conventional systems that send control signals via fly-by-wire.

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