Jetrader - Spring 2016 - 46

aviation history

The
Silver

Howard Hughes'
H-1 Racer

Bullet

By Jack Feir

Not So Humble Beginnings
Howard Hughes, born in Texas on
Christmas Eve 1905, was the son of Howard
Hughes Sr., an inventor, successful businessman and founder of the Hughes Tool
Company. Hughes Sr. patented a novel
rotary bit used for drilling in oil fields, and
the family was soon among the wealthiest
in Houston, with steady income mostly from
leasing the bits rather than selling them.
By age 18, following the separate,
untimely deaths of both of his parents,
young Howard inherited nearly all of the
family fortune, including the Hughes Tool
Company. Over time, he bought out most
of the remaining stock. Wisely, he did not
meddle in the company's day-to-day operations, so the handsome profits continued
to flow while he pursued other interests.
Howard moved to Hollywood in 1925 and
resolved to get into the movie business.
His first film was so dreadful that it was
never released; the second made a slight
profit, and later ones did even better.
His signature movie was Hell's Angels, an
epic extravaganza about the gallantry and
bravery of pilots in the World War I. Jean
Harlow, in her first role in a major movie,
appeared as the femme fatale, bringing
some sex into the action-packed film,
and making it the highest-grossing movie
of 1930.
While making the movie, Hughes collected dozens of SE5s, Spads, Sopwith
Camels and Fokkers. Soon, he owned the

world's largest private air force with nearly
100 aircraft that were used for the movie's
aerial combat scenes. Three pilots died
in fiery crashes, and Hughes himself was
badly injured when an aircraft he was piloting went down. Nevertheless, Hell's Angels
was a success, and in the process, Hughes
had become an expert pilot. He went on
to make many movies, but his real interest
turned to airplanes.

Hughes's First Racing Airplane
In 1932, Hughes had a new obsession:
airplane racing. He bought a Boeing 100A,
the civilian variant of a military pursuit
biplane. As built, the 100A was not particularly fast, but Hughes leased a ropedoff corner of a hangar owned by Lockheed
Aircraft Corporation and hired a crew to

Hughes's 1932 Boeing 100A biplane before
modifications. Photo: San Diego Air &
Space Museum (SDASM).

46 The official publication of the International Society of Transport Aircraft Trading

prepare it for racing. Thus, the Hughes
Aircraft Company was born, a new division
of Hughes Tool Company.
The extensive modifications included
an upgrade to a 580 horsepower Pratt &
Whitney Wasp instead of the standard
450 horsepower model, a full NACA engine
cowl, wheel pants and an enlarged vertical tail to counter the torque forces of the
more powerful engine. Hughes did most of
the flight testing and reportedly achieved a
maximum cruising speed of 225 mph compared to the original's speed of 168 mph.
He entered the souped-up aircraft in
the sixth annual All-American Air Meet in
Miami in January 1934, winning handily
and almost lapping his nearest competitor
around the 20-mile triangular course. With
the trophy in hand, Hughes's appetite for

The Boeing 100A modified by Hughes
for racing.
Photo: SDASM.

Jetrader - Spring 2016

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