NOVA MCGILL
Contributor
On Nov. 2, 1947, Howard Hughes’ “Spruce Goose” made its first and only flight. This large airplane was primarily made of birch, not spruce, and was designed as a World War II transport plane to carry materials and troops across the Atlantic. However, by the time it was finished, the war was over and many doubted its ability to take off. Mr. Hughes himself though set off to prove them wrong.
On that fateful day on Nov. 2, Hughes personally piloted the huge aircraft nicknamed the “Spruce Goose.” He did this during a test in Long Beach Harbor, California. After the test began, “Spruce Goose” went on to fly about 1 mile off and roughly 70 feet over the water for 26 seconds before making a safe landing. Howard Hughes set out to prove that it could fly, and in the end he did, silencing critics nationwide. Unfortunately, this was the first and only time it hit the air, and it ended up being preserved, relocated and place on displayed at the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum in McMinnville, Oregon.
Photo from allthatintersting.com