The largest wooden flying boat (36 photos + 3 videos)

Information from Wikipedia:
The Hughes H-4 Hercules is a wooden transport flying boat developed by the American company Hughes Aircraft under the leadership of Howard Hughes. This 136-ton aircraft, originally designated as the NK-1 and nicknamed the Spruce Goose (American for "Goldfinch"), was the largest flying boat ever built, and its wingspan remains a record of 98 meters. It was designed to transport 750 soldiers when fully equipped.




At the beginning of World War II, the U.S. government allocated $13 million to Hughes to build a prototype of a flying ship, but the aircraft was not ready by the end of hostilities, which is explained by the lack of aluminum, as well as Hughes' stubbornness, who sought to create an impeccable machine. The Hercules aircraft, piloted by Howard Hughes himself, made its first and only flight only on November 2, 1947, when it took off to an altitude of 21 meters and covered about two kilometers in a straight line over the harbor of Los Angeles. After extensive storage, the aircraft was sent to the Long Beach Museum, California. It is currently an exhibit at the Evergreen International Aviation Museum in McMinnville, Oregon, where it was moved in 1993. But let's talk about everything in order...



In the initial period of the war, the Allies did not immediately realize the danger posed by German submarines. The experience of the First World War was safely forgotten, which entailed simply catastrophic losses in the merchant fleet. If in 1939-1940 the number of ships sunk by the Germans did not go beyond the acceptable norms of losses, then in 1941-1942. Krigsmarine staged real terror in the Atlantic. The situation was stabilized only by the end of 1942, and even then, by a global increase in the flotillas of covering ships. However, the threat from submarines was not eliminated. In such a situation, a completely predictable option was found - goods can be transferred not only by water, but also by air. The main problem was that neither side had an aircraft with sufficient payload capacity at the time.

The author of the original idea of this project was Henry J. Kaiser, steel magnate, owner of shipyards that produced ships of the Liberty series during World War II. The aircraft was designed and built by Hughes Aircraft: billionaire Howard Hughes with his team.



The order for the construction of a multi-ton wooden amphibious aircraft with a wingspan of almost a hundred meters was received from the American government in 1942. The stated goal was to build a vessel for cargo and passenger transportation in such a way as to spend as little strategic raw materials as possible. That is: the aircraft had to be made not of metal, but of wood. The aircraft was intended to transport cargo and troops in aid of warring Europe: the traditional waterway was inaccessible at a certain period of hostilities due to the powerful development of submarines on the enemy side.

The working documentation was developed quickly enough, which cannot be said about the pace of construction of the aircraft. Beginning in 1943, construction was completed in mid-1947 for several reasons, ranging from the end of the war (and the consequent lack of interest in further work on the NK-1 on the part of the military) to various lawsuits against Hughes.



Throughout the implementation of the project, there were disputes about the amount of its financing, and there was no unequivocal opinion about the need for such a project in principle. One of the US senators dissatisfied with the project called the future aircraft a "flying timber warehouse." However, his most famous nickname is "Spruce Goose".

The official name of the aircraft was originally HK-1 (derived from the surnames Hughes and Kaiser). After Kaiser abandoned the project in 1944, Hughes renamed the aircraft the H-4, and after the first flight, he changed the tail number from NX37602 to N37602.



This huge flying boat consists of a hull, a cantilever wing and eight radial engines (Pratt & Whitney engines, 3000 hp each). It has a vertical and tail unit, fixed wing floats. The entire structure consisted of glued wood (despite the nickname, not spruce, but birch was used in the construction).



The physical parameters of the amphibious aircraft were as follows:
Length - more than 66 meters
height - 24 meters
wingspan – 98 meters
weight – 136 tons
Maximum cargo weight – 59 tons
Maximum number of passengers – 700 people



Flight characteristics (estimated):
Maximum speed – 378 km/h
Cruising speed – 282 km/h
Flight range – 5634 km
flight altitude – 7165 m



For all its unprecedented size, a crew of only 3 people was required to fly this aircraft. The body of the aircraft was divided into two compartments: a flight deck to accommodate people and a large cargo hold. Spiral staircases are installed for communication between the compartments. Below the cargo compartment were fuel tanks, separated by watertight bulkheads.

Hughes and Kaiser's flying boat was to be the largest aircraft ever built (in fact, it was seven times larger than any aircraft built before it) and was the most amazing aircraft project of all time. Only the courage and dedication of Howard Hughes and his small team of like-minded people, who in spite of everything did not refuse to work and still sent the Hercules on its only historic flight, made it possible to complete the construction.



At some point, contradictions between the project managers, Hughes and Kaiser, became harsh: Henry Kaiser proposed to limit themselves to a 70-ton device in order to meet the deadline and provide the customer with a finished product; however, Hughes insisted on a larger 200-ton aircraft, which required a much greater investment of time and money. Henry Kaiser refused to participate further in the project, and Howard Hughes became more and more carried away with the idea, making new proposals and improvements that further delayed the completion of construction.

In 1942, this was an urgent, priority order for the US government. By 1944, priorities had changed: due to the change in the situation on the world fronts, the state's interest in the project disappeared. The government hoped to cancel the construction contract. But Hughes's motivation had already ceased to be rational by that time: rather, he was obsessed with the idea of building an airborne cargo ship that surpassed the wildest human imagination.



Keeping the entire global project in mind, Hughes did not lose sight of the most inconspicuous details: nothing but his personal eccentricity could explain the need to sit for hours discussing the design of the dashboard. Being a perfectionist by nature, he still could not bring himself to recognize the work as done, until at last so many delays attracted the attention of the Senate: a committee was created to review the ongoing work.

The construction of the aircraft was completed only in 1947: a huge amount of $ 22 million was spent on the project from the US state budget. But it didn't stop there: due to insufficient funding, Howard Hughes spent his own 18 million on the project.



On November 2, 1947, the Hercules was launched and Howard Hughes and his small crew started the engines in test mode. After several passages through the water, in front of excited spectators, mainly journalists who watched the ship's movements, the Hercules took off from the surface of the Los Angeles harbor, embarking on its first and last, undeclared flight. Hughes himself was at the helm.



At a low altitude, just over 20 meters, the plane traveled about two kilometers at a speed of about 120 km/h and made a perfect landing. This test launch, made by Howard Hughes despite the official ban on lifting Hercules into the air, was designed to rebuff critics of the project and prove that the largest aircraft in the history of mankind can still fly. Many to this day consider this flight to be one of the greatest moments in the history of aviation.

After completing its historic flight, the Spruce Goose returned to its hangar, a gigantic, purpose-built facility, never to take off again. At the request of Hughes, until his death in 1976, the condition of the aircraft was constantly maintained in full "combat readiness", including monthly engine starts.



Over the past 50 years, the aircraft has become one of America's favorite artifacts, moving from the world of military industry to the category of cultural objects due to its actual uselessness. Today, his story is seen as an example of unprecedented determination and sacrifice. The Hughes H-4 Hercules has become one of the symbols of the twentieth century.

Although in fact, Howard Hughes' Hercules was not so useless. This aircraft, with all its imperfections, was decades ahead of its time, became one of the steps of the technical revolution not only in aviation, but also in engineering as a whole. He demonstrated the potential of artificial aircraft, largely forming the modern understanding of the implementation of flights.



After extensive storage at the Southern California Flying Club, next door to the outdated Queen Mary ocean liner, the aircraft was transferred to the Evergreen Aviation Museum, a museum of an educational center in Oregon, in 1992. To this day, it remains the largest man-made aircraft to take to the air.



The most interesting thing is that many of you have seen its prototype. Of course, provided you've seen the movie The Aviator, with Leonardo DiCaprio.

The creator of the Hughes H-4 Hercules, named Howard Hughes, who ran his own company, Hughes Aircraft, became the prototype for the main character of the film The Aviator.



There are longer planes in the world, there are more carrying capacity, but the Hercules, which made its first flight in 1947, is still unsurpassed in wingspan (97.5 m), and in height to the tip of the keel, only the latest A-380-800 could match it.





































Source: masterok.livejournal.com