So, I got on this kick a while back, just diving into old aviation stuff. You know how it is, one thing leads to another. And somehow, I landed on Howard Hughes and his machines. Man, what a rabbit hole that was. I spent a good few evenings just reading up, looking at old photos, trying to get a feel for that era.
My Deep Dive into a Legend
The thing that really grabbed me was this one plane, the H-1. I started digging into its story. Turns out, back in ’35, this thing was a beast. I remember seeing the numbers – September 13, 1935, Hughes himself flew it and bam! A world speed record. We’re talking 352 miles per hour over at Santa Ana, California. Can you imagine that back then? Most cars couldn’t even dream of that speed.
And Hughes, he wasn’t just some rich guy bankrolling it all. Oh no. He was a good pilot, but he insisted on being his own test pilot. Now, that’s gutsy, but also a bit crazy if you ask me. I read somewhere that this stubbornness, always wanting to be the one testing, got him into serious trouble more than once. There was this other incident I found out about, not with the H-1, but when he was testing a Sikorsky. It apparently broke up during a water landing on Lake Mead, and he nearly died. Two crew members weren’t as fortunate, which is a grim reminder of the risks.
I got pretty fascinated with the H-1 aircraft itself. It just looked fast, even in the old black and white pictures. Such sleek lines, powerful engine. They were really pushing the envelope with its design. And that record flight? I found out they flew it with loaded with minimal fuel. Just enough to do the job, or so they hoped. Apparently, he was not intended to make the 3rd and 4th passes he did for that record run. Talk about flying by the seat of your pants!
Where is it Now?
Naturally, I got curious about what happened to the original H-1. You know, these historic machines, sometimes they just vanish or end up in private collections where no one sees them. But this one, the H-1 Racer, it’s safe and sound. I learned that it was donated to the Smithsonian way back in 1975. So, it’s there for everyone to see, which is great. I read that it’s usually at the National Air and Space Museum. Though, because of all the ongoing construction they’ve been having there, sometimes it’s being kept on display over at their other big place, the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA. Pretty cool that they’ve kept it in such good shape and folks can still go see this piece of history.
So yeah, that was my little adventure into the H-1’s story. It’s amazing what you can uncover when you just start pulling on a thread. Makes you appreciate a few things about that time:
- The sheer guts of those early aviators and test pilots.
- The incredible engineering leaps they were making back then.
- How much these pioneers, like Hughes, risked personally.
Just a guy, a dream, and a whole lot of speed. Makes you think.
