spruce goose

I met and spoke with Hughes’ personal aircraft mechanic (post-flying boat days).

He said Hughe’s was a first rate engineer, while not a professional, he was as logical and scienfific as most back in those days. Having said that, if the racer didn’t kill him with flutter…and he designed it, he must have been good.

Remember, even during the war, professionals still did a lot of things wrong. So IF it had control problems, it might not have been his fault…if could have been the work of a “professional”.

No argument with most of that John,I think he was an ‘Ideas’ man but my overall impression about him was that he was a meddling control freak.
This computer is too slow to research anything much but he could afford to employ the best of design/engineers/engineering test pilots but his personality meant that he wanted to personally run everything and would not delegate important tasks to other more qualified people.
There is no doubt that he was a very talented pilot but he did not move with the changing face of test flying and I surmise that many of his employees had to be ‘yes’ men to keep their jobs.

rgds baz

Spruce Goose

Here are a couple of shots I took in 2005 showing its humungous size.

Sorry David

means I Seem To Recall (or similar)

rgds baz

ISTR What does this mean?

Hughes was a genius, from the books I’ve read & the program I started this thread about his chief engineer/designer said the hydraulic control artificial feel system was all his idea. He even designed what is the hospital bed we all know today while lying in hospital after his XF-11 crash.

He also designed the famous bra for Jane Russell (cor my kind of job :))
She later said that it was awful 😉

I am away from home as usual,but I think his personality/problems precluded him from having a cold logical engineers brain.
ISTR He rushed/botched the preflight testing of the recon a/c (cannot remember model number) he should have had a professional test team on the project…sorry but I think he was a cowboy engineeringwise…talented maybe but deeply flawed !

rgds baz

Edit…Obviously the recon model was XF11,as posted by Black Knight

Hughes was a genius, from the books I’ve read & the program I started this thread about his chief engineer/designer said the hydraulic control artificial feel system was all his idea. He even designed what is the hospital bed we all know today while lying in hospital after his XF-11 crash.

Hughes never struck me as much of an engineering brain or for that matter neither logical or scientific.

I met and spoke with Hughes’ personal aircraft mechanic (post-flying boat days).

He said Hughe’s was a first rate engineer, while not a professional, he was as logical and scienfific as most back in those days. Having said that, if the racer didn’t kill him with flutter…and he designed it, he must have been good.

Remember, even during the war, professionals still did a lot of things wrong. So IF it had control problems, it might not have been his fault…if could have been the work of a “professional”.

Hi James
Hughes flew the Goose to take the wind out of the financial accusations against him at the time,if it was a good a/c then he might have flown it again.
My view would be that it was grossly underpowered to carry any useful load and probably had control problems as well.

rgds baz

Edit…I also think that he interfered far too much during the design and build…he should have left it to the professionals ! Hughes never struck me as being much of an engineering brain and also neither logical or scientific.

Agreed Ken but it was eventually sorted whereas the Goose never was (it was basically unsortable)

In what respect?
I always thought that the aircraft was fine but Hughes didn’t wan’t to fly it?

The Hughes H-4 is one of those huge aircraft that really does look quite good and clean, everything’s scalled up nicely as it were.
One indication of it’s sheer size is the fact that the mighty 4,000hp P&W R-4360 engines look quite compact and streamlined in those nacelles.

Speaking of which….

The actual aircraft is so large that I didn’t get any good shots of it, but I did take some of the the aforementioned models.
The diorama of it under construction used in the film The Aviator was very interesting, as was another model of the completed aircraft.

Both were1/72nd scale or larger. Anyone recall their scale?

Yeah that kit costs the same as a trip to see the real thing lol

Even the model of her alongside is quite some size.

You can build your own model of her now – in 1/72 scale.

Thanks to the Ukrainian firm of Amodel…….

Available from Hannants – and other good model shops.

Ken

Saw the “Goose” last year on my long weekend visit to America. As folks say, she is impressive. Even the model of her alongside is quite some size. Not sure if I put my pics on flickr or just Facebook.

Did they have many aviation books?
I’d love to find more Putnams…if they’re not at stupid prices.

I go to Portland occasionally for a massive British car show as my sister shows here Land Rover, MGB and Austin Healy Sprite.

We may well have passed each other!! I’ve shown a couple of my MG’s and a Jag MKII up there in the past…………..Paul……..

Can also recommend the Portland artists market held every Saturday, some amazing creations showing great initiative among the hippy community. 😉

I’ll check out the books, but I don’t “do” hippy. 🙂

When I go to Portland I feel like yelling…”Come on people, it’s the 21st century. The 60s are long over”.

Did they have many aviation books?
I’d love to find more Putnams…if they’re not at stupid prices.

I go to Portland occasionally for a massive British car show as my sister shows here Land Rover, MGB and Austin Healy Sprite.

A variety of aircraft, automobile and technical books are in a separate store across the street from the main multi floored store. Don’t recall seeing any Putnams at the time.

Can also recommend the Portland artists market held every Saturday, some amazing creations showing great initiative among the hippy community. 😉

IIRC, didn’t the Dornier Do-X also fly ‘in ground effect’ ???

It was so underpowered it couldn’t fly at more than 200m – until fitted with Curtis Conqueror engines.

Ken

Agreed Ken but it was eventually sorted whereas the Goose never was (it was basically unsortable) – it was only a light hearted comment on my part.
I did see the Goose up at Evergreen some 10 years ago and thought she looked better in the flesh.

rgds baz

And if you want to test how good your sphincter muscle is then try ‘flying’ a Baron 58 at low-level up the Columbia River Gorge to the Hood River on FSX! Not for the faint-hearted!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Resmoroh

And while you’re in the area, you might want to take in the new Western Antique Aircraft and Automobile Museum in Hood River on the Columbia river.

To get there from the Evergreen, go north and you’ll travel east through the spectacular Columbia River gorge, designated a Nattional Scenic Area…it’s a worthwhile trip just for that. Photos below.

Not a lot of warbirds but an excellent assortment of pre-war civil aircraft and hundreds of pre and post war cars, motorcycles and military vehicles.
They sponsor antique aircraft fly-ins and vintage car shows.

http://www.waaamuseum.org/

A friend winters his Boeing 40 (the sole airworthy example) there so it’s on display Sept-April.
Most of the aircraft are airworthy and flown, the cars are driven. Very much a “live” museum. (I believe many of the planes are on loan or permament loan by their owners).

And there are plenty of nice warbiirds in the nearby Tilliamook Air Museum housed in a WWII Airship/blimp hangar.
http://www.tillamookair.com/
Tillamook is also known for its famous dairy products, so you non-vegans can tour the cheese/ice cream factory.