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Hughes H-1 (Hughes 1B)

History

The

Model H-1 (also known as the "Hughes 1B") was the first product from Hughes Aircraft, and from its humble beginnings was designed to be a world record-breaking land plane. The plane lived up to its expectations, putting Hughes' name in aviation history, while also becoming the last non-military aircraft ever built by a single man.

The H-1 set the world land speed record and later captured the transcontinental land speed record over the United States before the end of her term. The only production example is now at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., and became part of the Aviation Collection when it was donated to the facility in 1975.

H1 origin

Engineers Glen Odekirk and Howard Hughes met while working on Hughes' aviation epic and box office hit Hell's Angels. Hughes hired Alderkirk to shoot the film and was responsible for keeping a fleet of about 100 planes airworthy.

As production progressed, the pair began working on plans for a record-breaking aircraft design that would eventually become the acclaimed "H-1." Designs were drawn up on the drawing board as early as 1934, followed by promising wind tunnel testing. Evaluating the model proved enticing and development continues.

Hughes H-1 walks

Designed to Richard Palmer and Hughes, built to Odekirk, the H-1 exudes speed from every visible angle. She had a distinctive V-shaped low-set monoplane wing, each made of wood, attached to a tubular, pencil-like fuselage that was left bare metal. The engines were kept far away in the design and extended in front of the wings. The cockpit is set aft of the wing, with only a light frame, giving unobstructed views over the front and sides of the aircraft.

The H-1 features a short caudal fin limited by a vertical caudal fin complemented by a matching horizontal stabilizer. The landing gear consists of two single-wheel main landing gear legs and a hydraulically controlled metal tail skid.

The main legs are retracted inward toward the centerline of the fuselage. Two sets of wings are designed to handle two different flight modes - speed racing and off-road racing.

Wings

In its original configuration, the H-1 had shorter wings, measuring just 25 feet, and in this way set the original land-aircraft land speed record. These are indicated by their red paint coat. For the transcontinental record, the H-1 was equipped with a longer wingspan of 31 feet 9 inches.

These are indicated by their blue coating.

Hughes - Always Visionary

Of particular note in the design of the H-1 are several revolutionary features that were important in keeping the Need for Speed ??standard at the forefront. While the H-1 used a monoplane, most aircraft (even military types) still use biplanes dating back to a bygone era.

The retractable nature of the landing gear also differed from the traditional types of aircraft in use at the time, many of which used static structures, while other landing gear legs were mounted in streamlined, if rigid, fairings. The H-1 is also constructed with individually machined flush rivets that fit perfectly with the aircraft's smooth metal skin for a superior streamlined appearance.

All of these implementations combine to produce the fastest of any airframe.

Inner Strength

Power for the H-1 was provided by a Pratt & Whitney R-1535 series 14-cylinder twin-row radial piston engine producing approximately 700 horsepower (although in the H-1 its power rating was impressive to modify to 700 hp). up to 1,000 hp) and operates two-bladed metal propellers. This provided speeds of up to 352 mph, making it one of the fastest piston-engine aircraft of its time.

The hull retains a barrel length of 27 feet and a height of 8 feet. It weighs 3,565 pounds empty and 5,492 pounds fully loaded.

Notes

On September 13, 1935, the first flight of the H-1 (with Hughes himself under control), the H-1 set a new world speed record of 352 miles per hour over Santa Ana, California. Hughes put the H-1 through its paces, setting the record before being forced to land after running out of fuel.

Both Hughes and the H-1 survived, but Hughes only believed he could make his new creation fly faster.

On January 19, 1937, the next transcontinental flight from Los Angeles, CA to Newark, NJ was completed in 7 hours 28 minutes 25 seconds. Hughes averaged an impressive 332 mph on the outing. That's less than the 9 hours and 27 minutes Hughes took in his previous transcontinental attempt.

Why not military chasers?

The H-1 was undoubtedly a forward-looking aircraft, and if anyone knew that, it was Howard Hughes. He was always a businessman, and he thought the U.S. Army Air Force would be interested, but it all failed. The U.S. Air Force was never contracted to evaluate the H-1, the plane was used only as a race car and carried the Hughes name.

In his postwar report to the U.S. Senate, Hughes commented that the U.S. Air Force did not consider cantilevered monoplanes suitable for pursuit fighters.

War designs such as the American Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, the German Focke-Wulf Fw 190, and the Japanese Mitsubishi A6M "Zero" are thought to have borrowed some elements from Hughes' designs, but every respected designer has This was never admitted, and it was refuted by a direct lawsuit. What the H-1 might look like if it were rebuilt and used as a pursuit fighter can only be imagined.