When the 'Spruce Goose' Took Flight

Howard Hughes' giant wooden seaplane took its first flight 75 years ago.

Wednesday, October 19, 2022 at 04:19 PM ET

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November 2, 2022, marks the 75th anniversary of the one and only flight of the Hughes Flying Boat, the so-called 'Spruce Goose.' [Courtesy: Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum Collections]

Key Takeaways:

The Hughes H-4 Hercules, famously nicknamed the "Spruce Goose," was a massive wooden flying boat designed by Howard Hughes during WWII, constructed from Duramold (birch and resin) due to wartime material restrictions.
Despite its immense cost and scale, the aircraft made only one successful 30-second flight on November 2, 1947, piloted by Hughes, flying approximately one mile at 70 feet, and never flew again.
After decades of meticulous preservation by Hughes, the H-4 is now the crown jewel of the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum in McMinnville, Oregon, prominently displayed in a building literally designed around it.

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November 2, 2022, marks the 75th anniversary of the one and only flight of the Hughes Flying Boat, the so-called Spruce Goose. The massive machine is the crown jewel of the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum in McMinnville, Oregon. The one-of-a-kind aircraft is the centerpiece of the museum in a building that was—quite literally—designed around it. And you better believe the museum is celebrating the 75th anniversary.

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.