The first and last flight of the Hercules. The largest seaplane in the world. The only flight of a dream Path to aviation

Hughes H-4 Hercules(eng. Hughes H-4 Hercules) - a transport wooden flying boat, developed by an American company Hughes aircraft under the direction of Howard Hughes. This 136 ton aircraft, originally designated as NK-1 and received the unofficial nickname Spruce goose(amer. "Shchegol", "Dude"), was the largest ever built flying boat, and its wingspan still remains a record - 98 meters. It was designed to carry 750 soldiers fully equipped.

At the beginning of World War II, the US government allocated Hughes $ 13 million to build a prototype of a flying ship, but the aircraft was not ready by the end of hostilities, due to a shortage of aluminum, as well as Hughes' stubbornness to create a flawless machine. Airplane Hercules, piloted by Howard Hughes himself, made its first and only flight only on November 2, 1947, when it took off to a height of 21 meters and covered approximately two kilometers in a straight line over the harbor of Los Angeles. After long-term storage, the plane was sent to the Long Beach Museum, California. Currently is an exhibit of the museum Evergreen International Aviation v McMinnville, Oregon, where he was transported in 1993. But let's talk about everything in order ...

In the initial period of the war, the Allies did not immediately realize what a danger German submarines were. The experience of the First World War was happily forgotten, which entailed simply catastrophic losses in the merchant fleet. If in 1939-1940. the number of ships sunk by the Germans did not go beyond the acceptable norms of losses, then in 1941-1942. The Krigsmarine staged a real terror in the Atlantic. The situation was stabilized only by the end of 1942, and even then, by a global increase in the fleets of covering ships. However, the threat from the submarines was not eliminated. In such a situation, a completely predictable option was found - goods can be transferred not only by water, but also by air. The main problem was only that none of the parties at that time had an aircraft with sufficient carrying capacity.

The author of the initial concept of this project was Henry J. Kaiser, a steel industry tycoon, owner of shipyards that produced ships of the Liberty series during the Second World War. The aircraft was designed and built by "Hughes Aircraft": billionaire Howard Hughes with his team.

An order for the construction of a multi-ton wooden amphibious aircraft with a wingspan of almost one hundred meters was received from the American government in 1942. The goal was declared: to build a ship for cargo and passenger transportation in such a way as to spend as little strategic raw materials as possible. That is: the plane was to be made not of metal, but of wood. The aircraft was intended to transport cargo and troops to help belligerent Europe: the traditional waterway at a certain period of hostilities turned out to be inaccessible due to the powerful development of submarines on the enemy side.

Working documentation was developed quickly enough, which cannot be said about the pace of aircraft construction. Starting in 1943, construction was fully completed in mid-1947.This was influenced by several reasons, starting from the end of the war (and as a consequence - lack of interest in further work on NK-1 by the military) and ending with various legal proceedings against Hughes.

Throughout the implementation of the project, there were disputes about the amount of its financing, and in principle there was no unambiguous opinion about the need for such a project. One of the American senators dissatisfied with the project called the future plane a "flying timber warehouse." However, his most famous nickname is "Spruce Goose".

The aircraft's official name was originally HK-1(comes from the names Hughes and Kaiser). After the Kaiser abandoned the project in 1944, Hughes renamed the aircraft to H-4, and after the first flight changed tail number with NX37602 on N37602.

This huge flying boat consists of a hull, a cantilever wing and eight radial engines (motors of the brand Pratt & whitney, 3000 hp each each). It has a vertical and tail unit, fixed wing floats. The entire structure consisted of glued timber (despite the nickname, birch, not spruce, was used in the construction).

The physical parameters of the amphibious aircraft were as follows:
length - more than 66 meters
height - 24 meters
wingspan - 98 meters
weight - 136 tons
maximum cargo weight - 59 tons
maximum number of passengers - 700 people

Flight performance(hypothetical):
maximum speed - 378 km / h
cruising speed - 282 km / h
flight range - 5634 km
flight altitude - 7165 m

For all its unprecedented size, a crew of only 3 people was required to fly this aircraft.
The hull of the aircraft was divided into two compartments: a flight deck for accommodating people and a large cargo hold. For communication between the compartments, spiral staircases are installed. Below the cargo hold were the fuel tanks, separated by watertight bulkheads.

Hughes and Kaiser's flying boat was to be the largest aircraft ever built (in fact, it was seven times the size of any aircraft built before it) and became the most amazing aircraft project of all time. Only the courage and dedication of Howard Hughes and his small team of like-minded people allowed to bring the construction to the end, in spite of everything they did not give up their work and nevertheless sent the Hercules on its only historic flight.

At some point, the contradictions between the project leaders, Hughes and the Kaiser were rigidly defined: Henry Kaiser suggested limiting ourselves to a 70-ton apparatus in order to meet the deadline and provide the customer with a finished product; however, Hughes insisted on a larger, 200-ton aircraft, which required a much greater investment of time and money. Henry Kaiser refused to further participate in the project, and Howard Hughes became more and more carried away by the idea, making more and more suggestions and improvements that further delayed the completion of construction.

In 1942, this was an urgent, top-priority order for the US government. By 1944, the priorities had changed: due to a change in the situation on world fronts, the state's interest in the project had disappeared. The government hoped to cancel the construction contract. But Hughes' motivation by that time had already ceased to be rational: rather, he was seized by the idea of building an air cargo ship that surpassed the wildest human fantasies.

Keeping the entire global project in mind, Hughes did not lose sight of the most subtle details: nothing but his personal eccentricity could explain the need to sit for hours discussing the design of the dashboard. Perfectionist by nature, he still could not decide to recognize the work as perfect, until finally such numerous delays attracted the attention of the Senate: a committee was created to review the current work.

The construction of the plane was completed only in 1947: a huge amount of $ 22 million was spent on the project from the US state budget. But this was not the end of it: due to insufficient funding, Howard Hughes spent his own 18 million on the project.

On November 2, 1947, the Hercules was launched and Howard Hughes and his small crew started the engines in test mode. Having made several passes through the water, in front of excited spectators, mainly journalists, who watched the ship's movements, the Hercules took off from the surface of Los Angeles harbor, embarking on its first and last, unannounced flight. Hughes himself was at the helm.

At low altitude, just over 20 meters, the plane covered about two kilometers at a speed of about 120 km / h and made a perfect landing. This test launch, carried out by Howard Hughes, despite the official ban on lifting the Hercules into the air, was intended to rebuff critics of the project and prove that the largest aircraft in the history of mankind can still fly. This flight is still considered by many to this day as one of the greatest moments in aviation history.

Having completed its historic flight, the Spruce Goose returned to its hangar - a gigantic, specially built room - never to take off again. At the request of Hughes, until his death in 1976, the state of the aircraft was constantly maintained in full "combat readiness", including monthly engine starts.

Over the past 50 years, the aircraft has become one of America's favorite artifacts, moving from the world of the military industry to the category of cultural objects due to its virtual uselessness. Today, his story is seen as an example of unprecedented determination and self-sacrifice. Hughes H-4 Hercules became one of the symbols of the twentieth century.

In fact, Howard Hughes' Hercules was not so useless. This plane, with all its imperfections, was decades ahead of its time, became one of the steps of the technical revolution not only in aviation, but also in engineering as a whole. He demonstrated the potential of artificial aircraft, largely forming the modern understanding of the implementation of flights.

After long-term storage at an aeroclub base in Southern California, adjacent to an expired ocean liner Queen Mary, in 1992 the plane was transferred to Evergreen Aviation Museum- Museum of the Educational Center in Oregon. To this day, it remains the largest man-built aircraft ever to have taken off.

The most interesting thing is that many of you have seen its prototype. Of course, provided that you watched the movie "Aviator", with Leonardo DiCaprio ( Leonardo DiCaprio).

The creator "Hughes H-4 Hercules", named Howard Hughes ( Howard hughes), who ran his own company "Hughes Aircraft", became the prototype for the main character of the picture, "The Aviator".

There are longer planes in the world, there are more carrying capacity, but the Hercules, which made its first flight in 1947, is still unsurpassed in wingspan (97.5 m), and only the newest one could catch up with it in height to the tip of the keel. A-380-800.

Hughes H-4 Hercules Is a wooden transport flying boat developed by the American firm Hughes Aircraft under the direction of Howard Hughes. This 136-ton aircraft, originally designated NK-1 and unofficially nicknamed Spruce Goose, was the largest flying boat ever built, and its wingspan is still a record 98 meters. It was designed to carry 750 soldiers fully equipped.

At the beginning of World War II, the US government allocated Hughes $ 13 million to build a prototype of a flying ship, but the aircraft was not ready by the end of hostilities, due to a shortage of aluminum, as well as Hughes' stubbornness to create a flawless machine. The Hercules aircraft, piloted by Howard Hughes himself, made its first and only flight on November 2, 1947, when it took off to an altitude of 21 meters and covered approximately two kilometers in a straight line over the harbor of Los Angeles. After long-term storage, the plane was sent to the Long Beach Museum, California. It is currently on display at the Evergreen International Aviation Museum in McMinnville, Oregon, where it was moved in 1993. But let's talk about everything in order ...
Original taken from masterok c The largest seaplane in the world. The only flight of a dream. Fierce traffic!

The author of the initial concept of this project was Henry J. Kaiser, a steel industry tycoon, owner of shipyards that produced ships of the Liberty series during the Second World War. The aircraft was designed and built by Hughes Aircraft: billionaire Howard Hughes and his team.

Working documentation was developed quickly enough, which cannot be said about the pace of aircraft construction. Starting in 1943, construction was fully completed in mid-1947. This was influenced by several reasons, ranging from the end of the war (and as a consequence - lack of interest in further work on the NK-1 from the military) and ending with various legal proceedings against Hughes.

The aircraft's official name was originally HK-1 (derived from the names Hughes and Kaiser). After the Kaiser abandoned the project in 1944, Hughes renamed the aircraft H-4, and after the first flight changed the tail number from NX37602 to N37602.

This huge flying boat consists of a hull, a cantilever wing and eight radial engines (Pratt & Whitney motors, 3000 hp each). It has a vertical and tail unit, fixed wing floats. The entire structure consisted of glued timber (despite the nickname, birch, not spruce, was used in the construction).

Flight characteristics (estimated):
maximum speed - 378 km / h
cruising speed - 282 km / h
flight range - 5634 km
flight altitude - 7165 m

Over the past 50 years, the aircraft has become one of America's favorite artifacts, moving from the world of the military industry to the category of cultural objects due to its virtual uselessness. Today, his story is seen as an example of unprecedented determination and self-sacrifice. Hughes H-4 Hercules became one of the symbols of the 20th century.

In fact, Howard Hughes' Hercules was not so useless. This plane, with all its imperfections, was decades ahead of its time, became one of the steps of the technical revolution not only in aviation, but also in engineering as a whole. He demonstrated the potential of artificial flying vehicles, largely shaping the modern understanding of the implementation of flights.

After long-term storage at an aeroclub in Southern California, next to the expired ocean liner Queen Mary, in 1992 the aircraft was transferred to the Evergreen Aviation Museum, a museum for an educational center in Oregon. To this day, it remains the largest man-built aircraft ever to have taken off.

The most interesting thing is that many of you have seen its prototype. Assuming you've watched The Aviator, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, of course.

The creator of Hughes H-4 Hercules, Howard Hughes, who ran his own firm Hughes Aircraft, became the inspiration for the protagonist of The Aviator.

There are aircraft in the world that are longer, there are more carrying capacity, but the Hercules, which made its first flight in 1947, is still unsurpassed in wingspan (97.5 m), and only the newest A-380 could catch up with it in height to the tip of the keel. 800.

In 2004, renowned director Martin Scorsese directed the famous film "The Aviator". The film received 5 Oscars and sparked a wave of interest in one of the most extraordinary personalities in American history - billionaire Howard Hughes.

Howard Robard Hughes Jr. was born on December 24, 1905. At the age of 18, he inherited a drilling equipment company from his father. During the oil boom in America, the company quickly climbed to the top positions in terms of profitability.

Young Howard, who did not even have a high school education, was diversified. The circle of his interests was extensive, and irrepressible energy and vanity made him strive to be the first in everything. Producer, engineer, entrepreneur, director, one of the pioneers of aviation, Hughes Jr. everywhere wanted to achieve unprecedented success.

The path to aviation.

In 1930, filming began on Hell's Angels. The film was about the legendary pilots of the First World War. Howard Hughes directed and independently produced the tape. On the set, he became seriously interested in aviation, learned to pilot and set himself the goal of becoming the best pilot in the world. In fairness, it should be noted that Hughes became a first-class pilot, and subsequently set several world records and participated in the tests of many aircraft, including his own designs.

With the outbreak of World War II, the United States realized that there was a need for an urgent transfer of industry to military products. A heavy blow to Pearl Harbor, systematic attacks by German submarines, led the military to the idea of the need to create a flying boat with a large carrying capacity. Using his influence in power and enormous opportunities, aircraft designer and owner of the film companies Howard Hughes, together with the industrialist and owner of the shipbuilding company Henry John Kaiser, received a contract for $ 13 million from the US Department of War.

Initially, the project of a giant flying boat was named HK-1, but when Henry Kaiser left the project, the project now began to be called H-4(this was Hughes' fourth in-house design). And since the plane was almost completely wooden, an offensive nickname stuck to it SpruceGoose- "Spruce goose".

Despite the fact that, by the 40s, most aircraft were already built from duralumin, many structures were still completely wooden. For example, the British plane "Mosquito", or the Soviet fighter LaGG-3.

But it was not possible to build such a giant plane out of wood and plywood at a furniture factory, the movie mogul built a special hangar and decided to apply the already known technology of hot forming of wood veneer. This technology has been around since the 1930s. And Hughes has already built airplanes using this molding.

The technology was simple and technologically advanced. The matrix was made of polished steel. Then a package of birch veneer layers with phenolic glue was placed in it. At a temperature of 150 degrees, under pressure in an autoclave, the glue polymerized. The result was excellent stamping, lightweight, waterproof, suitable for machining.

The same technology was used in the USSR and was called Bakelite plywood.

The eccentricity of the billionaire, the desire to be the first at all costs, to achieve perfection in everything, led to the emergence of this wooden monster.

The boat's wingspan was unheard of - 97.71 meters. This record has not been broken to this day.

Length - 66.65 meters.
Height 24.16 meters.
The cargo compartment had a volume of 4,700 cubic meters.
Takeoff weight 180,000 kg. Of these, 60,000 are payloads.
750 soldiers in full combat gear could fit in the cargo hold.

The flying boat could "hang" in the air for almost a day and fly 5000 km. On the overhead wing, 8 engines were installed. The plane, to this day, surprises visitors with its size in a museum in Oregon, where it has been kept since 1993.

The first and last flight of the Wooden Miracle.

A huge crowd gathered in the harbor of Los Angeles on November 2, 1947, when the plane was rolled out of the hangar.

Hughes' free life, in which there was a lot of space for flights, filming films and romance novels, thwarted all the terms of contracts with the military. The terms of the contract were also constantly changing, the unusual dimensions, the uniqueness of the technologies ... the perfectionism and mental breakdowns of its creator, became another reason that the plane entered testing only in 1947.

The boat scattered long and hard in the harbor. Finally, it broke away and rose to a height of about 20 meters. Having flown about 2 kilometers, the boat completed its first and last flight in history.

From the flight to the museum

More flying boat H-4 Hercules never rose into the air. Although Howard himself kept the plane in full flight readiness until the end of his days. A staff of 300 people monitored the condition of the car until the 50s. The constant inspection by technicians included checking all systems and "racing" the engines. Later, the staff was reduced to 50 people, but even then the costs of maintaining the giant cost $ 1 million annually.

Howard Hughes died on April 5, 1976. His brainchild was bought by a businessman who put the plane up for viewing since 1983.

The Goose is now owned by Disney and is worth viewing in McQueenville.

The aircraft, built 90% of birch veneer in 1947, is still one of the largest aircraft in the world.

Characteristics of the Hughes H-4.

Modification	H-4
Wingspan, m	97.54
Aircraft length, m	66.45
Aircraft height, m	24.08
Wing area, m2	1061.88
empty plane
maximum takeoff	136078
Fuel, l	52996
engine's type	8 PD Pratt Whitney R4360-4A
Power, h.p.	8 x 3000
Maximum speed, km / h	351
Cruising speed, km / h	282
Practical range, km	5633
Practical ceiling, m	7165
Crew, people	5
up to a maximum of 59,000 kg of commercial cargo

At the beginning of World War II, the US government allocated Hughes $ 13 million to build a prototype of a flying ship, but the aircraft was not ready by the end of hostilities, due to a shortage of aluminum, as well as Hughes' stubbornness to create a flawless machine. The Hercules aircraft, piloted by Howard Hughes himself, made its first and only flight on November 2, 1947, when it took off to an altitude of 21 meters and covered approximately two kilometers in a straight line over the harbor of Los Angeles. After long-term storage, the plane was sent to the Long Beach Museum, California. It is currently on display at the Evergreen International Aviation Museum in McMinnville, Oregon, where it was moved in 1993. But let's talk about everything in order ...