31.07.2009, 22:17
Not another one paragraph request. :roll: But since I would like to see the Hughes H-4 ingame here's a more detailed description of it.
![[Image: H-4_Hercules_2.jpg]](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ad/H-4_Hercules_2.jpg)
The Hughes H-4 Hercules (registration NX37602) was a prototype heavy transport aircraft designed and built by the Hughes Aircraft company. The aircraft made its only flight on November 2, 1947. Built from wood due to wartime raw material restrictions on the use of aluminum, it was nicknamed the "Spruce Goose" by its critics. The Hercules is the largest flying boat ever built, and has the largest wingspan and height of any aircraft in history. It survives in good condition at the Evergreen Aviation Museum in McMinnville, Oregon, USA.
Due to wartime restrictions on the availability of metals, the H-4 was built almost entirely of laminated birch, not spruce as its nickname suggests. The plywood and resin "Duramold" process, a form of composite technology, was used in the laminated wood construction. The aircraft was considered a technological tour de force.
The aircraft was not finished in time for use in World War II and never advanced beyond the single prototype produced.
In 1942, the U.S. Department of War was faced with the need to transport war materiel and personnel to Britain. Allied shipping in the Atlantic Ocean was suffering heavy losses to German U-boats, so a requirement was issued for an aircraft that could cross the Atlantic with a large payload. Due to wartime priorities, the design was further constrained in that the aircraft could not be made of metal.
The aircraft was the brainchild of Henry J. Kaiser, who directed the Liberty ships program. He teamed with aircraft designer Howard Hughes to create what would become the largest aircraft built at that time. When completed, it was capable of carrying 750 fully-equipped troops or one M4 Sherman tank. The original designation "HK-1" reflected the Hughes and Kaiser collaboration
The HK-1 contract in 1942, issued as a development contract, called for three aircraft to be constructed under a two-year deadline in order to be available for the war effort. Seven configurations were considered, including twin-hull and single-hull designs with combinations of four, six and eight wing-mounted engines.[6] The final design chosen was a behemoth, eclipsing any large transport then built. To conserve metal, it would be built mostly of wood (elevators and rudder were fabric covered[); hence, the "Spruce Goose" moniker tagged on the aircraft by the media. It was also referred to as the Flying Lumberyard by critics. Hughes himself detested the nickname "Spruce Goose".
While Kaiser had originated the "flying cargo ship" concept, he did not have an aeronautical background and deferred to Hughes and his designer, Glenn Odekirk. Development dragged on, which frustrated Kaiser, who blamed delays partly on restrictions placed for the acquisition of strategic materials such as aluminum, but also placed part of the blame on Hughes' insistence on "perfection." Although construction of the first HK-1 had taken place 16 months after the receipt of the development contract, Kaiser withdrew from the project.
Hughes continued the program on his own under the designation "H-4 Hercules" (initially identified as the HFB-1 to signify Hughes Flying Boat, First Design,) signing a new government contract that now limited production to one example. Work proceeded slowly, with the result that the H-4 was not completed until well after the war was over.
In 1947, Howard Hughes was called to testify before the Senate War Investigating Committee over the usage of government funds for the aircraft.
During a Senate hearing on 6 August 1947 in the first of a series of appearances, Hughes said:
The Hughes H-4 Hercules (registration NX37602) was a prototype heavy transport aircraft designed and built by the Hughes Aircraft company. The aircraft made its only flight on November 2, 1947. Built from wood due to wartime raw material restrictions on the use of aluminum, it was nicknamed the "Spruce Goose" by its critics. The Hercules is the largest flying boat ever built, and has the largest wingspan and height of any aircraft in history. It survives in good condition at the Evergreen Aviation Museum in McMinnville, Oregon, USA.
Due to wartime restrictions on the availability of metals, the H-4 was built almost entirely of laminated birch, not spruce as its nickname suggests. The plywood and resin "Duramold" process, a form of composite technology, was used in the laminated wood construction. The aircraft was considered a technological tour de force.
The aircraft was not finished in time for use in World War II and never advanced beyond the single prototype produced.
In 1942, the U.S. Department of War was faced with the need to transport war materiel and personnel to Britain. Allied shipping in the Atlantic Ocean was suffering heavy losses to German U-boats, so a requirement was issued for an aircraft that could cross the Atlantic with a large payload. Due to wartime priorities, the design was further constrained in that the aircraft could not be made of metal.
The aircraft was the brainchild of Henry J. Kaiser, who directed the Liberty ships program. He teamed with aircraft designer Howard Hughes to create what would become the largest aircraft built at that time. When completed, it was capable of carrying 750 fully-equipped troops or one M4 Sherman tank. The original designation "HK-1" reflected the Hughes and Kaiser collaboration
The HK-1 contract in 1942, issued as a development contract, called for three aircraft to be constructed under a two-year deadline in order to be available for the war effort. Seven configurations were considered, including twin-hull and single-hull designs with combinations of four, six and eight wing-mounted engines.[6] The final design chosen was a behemoth, eclipsing any large transport then built. To conserve metal, it would be built mostly of wood (elevators and rudder were fabric covered[); hence, the "Spruce Goose" moniker tagged on the aircraft by the media. It was also referred to as the Flying Lumberyard by critics. Hughes himself detested the nickname "Spruce Goose".
While Kaiser had originated the "flying cargo ship" concept, he did not have an aeronautical background and deferred to Hughes and his designer, Glenn Odekirk. Development dragged on, which frustrated Kaiser, who blamed delays partly on restrictions placed for the acquisition of strategic materials such as aluminum, but also placed part of the blame on Hughes' insistence on "perfection." Although construction of the first HK-1 had taken place 16 months after the receipt of the development contract, Kaiser withdrew from the project.
Hughes continued the program on his own under the designation "H-4 Hercules" (initially identified as the HFB-1 to signify Hughes Flying Boat, First Design,) signing a new government contract that now limited production to one example. Work proceeded slowly, with the result that the H-4 was not completed until well after the war was over.
In 1947, Howard Hughes was called to testify before the Senate War Investigating Committee over the usage of government funds for the aircraft.
During a Senate hearing on 6 August 1947 in the first of a series of appearances, Hughes said: