Daring Pilot

Hughes’s subject in Hell’s Angels reflected his other passion in life: flying. He was devoted to flying-and to flying fast. In 1934, Hughes flew a Boeing air­plane at 185 miles per hour (300 kilometers per hour), a new record. The next year, he flew the H-1 Racer, a plane he and an associate had specially designed.

Built for speed, the plane had landing gear that could retract into the wings. More important, all rivets holding the metal pan­els of the plane were set flush into the structure to produce less drag. With these features along with a powerful engine, Hughes shattered the old speed record by flying more than 352 miles per hour (570 kilometers per hour).

Hughes continued working on the H-1 to improve its per­formance. In 1936, he flew the air­plane across the country. Flying from Los Angeles to New York, he arrived in less than 91/2 hours-2 hours less than the previous record. On that flight, the H-1 averaged 322 miles an hour (520 kilo­meters per hour). In 1937, Hughes shaved a further 2 hours off that speed.

In 1938, Hughes and a team of four pilots attempted a round-the-world flight. They modified a twin-engine Lockheed 14, stuffing it with extra gas tanks, radios, and navigational equip – ment. Hughes wanted to prove that safe, long-distance flying was possible, and
he spent $300,000 of his own money to do so.

The trip was so well planned that the plane never made any unscheduled stops. In the end, the team circled Earth in 3 days, 19 hours, and 14 minutes, cut­ting the old round-the-world record in half. Hughes was hailed as a hero and was given a tickertape parade in New York City. The following year, he received a gold medal for his achieve­ment from the U. S. Congress.