| During the second world war, the United States Department of War was faced with the need to transport war material and personnel to Britain. Due to German U-boats, allied shipping across the Atlantic Ocean suffered major losses so a requirement was issued for an aircraft that could cross the Atlantic with a large payload. The H-4 Hercules was designed by Henry J. Kaiser who later teamed with aircraft designer Howard Hughes to create what would become the largest aircraft built. When completed, the aircraft was capable of carrying 750 fully-equipped troops or several M4 Sherman tanks. The original designation, the "HK-1", reflected the collaboration between Kaiser and Hughes.
Initially, the HK-1 contract called for three aircraft to be constructed under a two-year deadline in order to be available for the war effort. Seven different configurations were considered including twin-hulled and single-hulled designs with combinations of fours, six and eight, wing-mounted engines. The final design chosen was a behemoth, eclipsing any large transport yet built or even envisioned. In order to conserve metal, it would be built mostly of wood hence, the "Spruce Goose" nickname.
Although Kaiser had originated the "flying cargo ship" concept, he did not have an aeronautical background and deferred to Hughes and his designer, Glenn E. Odekirk. Development dragged on which frustrated Kaiser who blamed delays partly on restrictions placed for the acquisition of strategic materials such as aluminium but also placed part of the blame on Hughes' insistence on perfection. Eventually, Kaiser withdrew himself from the project.
Hughes continued the project on his own under the designation "H-4 Hercules", signing a new government contract that now limited production to only one example. Work continued at a slow pace with the end result that the H-4 was not completed until well after the war was over. There were many reasons for this, including Hughes' mental breakdown during development of the aircraft.
In 1947, Howard Hughes was called to testify before the Senate War Investigating Committee over the usage of government funds for the aircraft. Even though he encountered skepticism and even hostility from the committee, Hughes remained unruffled. |
|
During a break in the Senate hearings, Hughes returned to California in order to execute some taxi tests on the H-4. On 2 November 1947, after a series of taxi tests with Hughes himself at the controls and co-pilot Dave Grant next to him, the Hercules lifted off from the waters of Long Beach, remaining airborne 70 feet off the water at a speed of approximately 135 mph. At this altitude, the aircraft was still experiencing ground effect and some critics suggested that the aircraft lacked the power necessary to climb above the ground. | 
