The Goose
by Jon Burch Photography
Title
The Goose
Artist
Jon Burch Photography
Medium
Photograph - Digital Capture/faa Watermark Will Not Be On Your Finished Photograph.
Description
The Hughes H-4 Hercules known as the "Spruce Goose" is a prototype heavy strategic airlift military transport aircraft designed and built by the Hughes Aircraft Company. Intended as a transatlantic flight transport for use during World War II, it was not completed in time to be used in the war. The aircraft made only one brief flight on November 2, 1947, and the project never advanced beyond the single example produced. Built from wood because of wartime restrictions on the use of aluminum and concerns about weight, it was nicknamed by critics the "Spruce Goose", although it was made almost entirely of birch.
In 1942, the U.S. War Department needed 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. Wartime priorities meant the aircraft could not be made of strategic materials.
The aircraft was the brainchild of Henry J. Kaiser, a leading Liberty ship builder. He teamed with aircraft designer Howard Hughes to create what would become the largest aircraft built at that time. It was designed to carry 150,000 pounds, 750 fully equipped troops or two 30-ton M4 Sherman tanks.
Seven configurations were considered, including twin-hull and single-hull designs with combinations of four, six, and eight wing-mounted engines. The final design chosen was a behemoth, eclipsing any large transport then built. It would be built mostly of wood to conserve metal with elevators and rudder covered with fabric, and was nicknamed the "Spruce Goose" which Hughes hated, or the Flying Lumberyard.
On November 2, 1947, taxi tests began with Hughes at the controls. His crew included Dave Grant as copilot, two flight engineers, Don Smith and Joe Petrali, 16 mechanics, and two other flight crew members. In addition, the aircraft carried seven invited guests from the press corps and an additional seven industry representatives. Thirty-six were on board total.
After the first two taxi runs, four reporters left to file stories, but the remaining press stayed for the final test run of the day. After picking up speed on the channel facing Cabrillo Beach, the Hercules lifted off, remaining airborne at 70 feet off the water at a speed of 135 miles per hour for nearly a mile in ground effect. The brief flight proved to detractors that Hughes' masterpiece was flight-worthy-therefore vindicating the use of government funds. However, the Spruce Goose never flew again. A full-time crew of 300 workers, all sworn to secrecy, maintained the aircraft in flying condition in a climate-controlled hangar in California. The company reduced the crew to 50 workers in 1962, and then disbanded it after Hughes' death in 1976.
The Hercules is the largest flying boat ever built and has the largest wingspan of any aircraft in history. It is on display, and remains in good condition at the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum in McMinnville, Oregon where this photograph was made.
Some digital effects were applied to the original image after the photograph was made. No electrons were harmed during the transition.
Image copyright 2023 Jon Burch Photography.
Uploaded
November 17th, 2015
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