Donald Johnson related that Howard Hughes and his pilot landed at Mexico Farms for fuel and Donald’s older bother, Harvey, was sent to tend the refueling. Hughes remained in the plane and when Harvey curiously looked inside the withdrawn Hughes quickly closed the window curtains blocking Harvey’s view. Floyd Johnson related that in late 1935 Howard Hughes, while flying his modified Northrop Gamma, landed at Mexico Farms for fuel, probably to simply avoid publicity. The Johnson’s addressed him by his first name (The Johnson’s were very informal and regardless of what VIP might arrive at Mexico Farms they were addressed by their first name). The query was, “Howard, where are you going with this racer?” “Oh, just going to California”, was Hughes reply. A few weeks later on January 14, 1936, Howard Hughes established a new transcontinental speed record of less than 9.5 hours and for this flight, he was awarded the Harmon trophy for 1936. Hughes later established more speed records in other aircraft.
Howard Hughes and his Northrop Gamma.
In July 1938, he circled the globe in his Lockheed Model 14 Lodestar, which was modified at the factory to Hughes specifications and was probably the best-equipped airplane of its time for such a trip. (The Kelly-Springfield Flight Operations operated a similar Lockheed Lodestar during the 1950’s and through the 1970’s). In 1939, Hughes bought controlling interest in TWA, which would become Trans World Airlines in 1950, and established Hughes Aircraft Corporation to both design and build aircraft. He tried to develop the D-2, a sleek twin engine fighter-bomber similar in appearance to the P-38. It was a revolutionary aircraft and never reached its potential. In the spring of 1942, German U-Boats seemed to be on the verge of successfully cutting off shipments of supplies from the USA to Europe, by sinking traversing ships. Industrialist Henry J. Kaiser envisioned a fleet of flying boats that could transport troops and supplies to Europe, safe from the U-Boat threat. The resulting aircraft became the Hercules or H-4. To the press, it was known as the ‘Spruce Goose’. The famous ‘Spruce Goose’ flew but once, with Hughes at the controls, then only for a mile distance in an effort to prove its validity to Congress. In 1943, Hughes helped develop the well known Lockheed Constellation airliner aircraft used by many post WW II airlines. As time went on Howard Hughes became more and more eccentric and died in the 1970’s.
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Wings Over Cumberland 