Since I’m home sick for the next several days, I’m watching favorite movies that I haven’t seen in a long time. Up for today is The Aviator. And as I watched this scene I was vividly reminded of just how crazy test pilots had to be.
I read that Hughes committed many oversights in safety for this flight – he shouldn’t have been the test pilot, he retracted the landing gear among other failings. But as I watched this scene (and I am completely aware of the other thoughts we’re all having…) I had a new-found admiration for Howard Hughes. I’ve seen the film many times of course but for some reason – seeing it today is reminding me that while he was a deeply troubled man, he was also brilliant beyond his time.
In fact, as a result of his hospitalization from the crash, hospital beds were redesigned from his complaints. Many of those designs are still used today.
The Lexicans 
I think this movie was pretty accurate in portraying Howard Hughes the man. But casting Leonardo DiCaprio as him – the psychical side was 180 degrees off. DiCaprio looked silly in a fedora – Hughes looked manly.
That being said I think Hughes is remembered primarily today as just a mentally-ill recluse, which is a shame.
That he should be known as a pilot seems to have been forgotten.
Who else could have conceptualized the H4 Hercules – and actually built it?
The Japanese Zero – which, until the Navy got some top line fighters like the Hellcat – was ruling the Pacific Air – and rumor was they got a lot of the design from his H1 racer.
My father, who grew up in Los Angeles from the 1920s, made an interesting comment about Hughes. Said that he really became the recluse after this accident – before he was a man-about-town – ladies man.
Don’t know if you can accurately say “that’s what happened” in the XF-11 crash – maybe it is accurate and maybe it isn’t – I have learned to judge what Hollywood tells you with a grain of salt until independently verified – just sayin 😉
Oh, someone I grew up with down there – his father used to work for Hughes and he really would get 3AM phone calls ordering clothes…
I’m with you Kris. Before I watched this film I was where Bill mentioned “Howard Hughes was a Nut job recluse”. Saw the movie, did some research and realized that prior to “losing the bubble” Mr Hughes was a pretty impressive guy. And who doesn’t love a pilot, am I right?
I was just thinking now – the list of genius aeronautical designers is pretty small. (would be fun to compile a list – Kelly Johnson, Hughes, Lear, …who else?) And those without a formal education in the discipline probably can be counted with 5 fingers – or less.
But another who came to mind just now was Bill Lear. Lots of stories about him, but getting the original Lear 23 from prototype to certification in 6 months is probably a feat that will never be duplicated.
But getting back to the movie – what i thought interesting – was his exposure to the Houston epidemic as a child – and how his mother treated him – presumably setting up all the mental problems later in life.
That he died on board a Learjet going to (I think) a Houston clinic somehow seems fitting a great aviator.
OldAFSarge – never heard that saying before about losing the bubble but it seems appropriate.
Bill, I have a retired Engineer acquaintance in the Seattle area who knew Bill Lear quite well. “He may have been a rough talking son of a bitch, but he was one hell of an Engineer! Funny as hell, too!”
Mongo – I used to work for Cessna, in Wichita, and in that town the Lear stories were everywhere. My favorite was the engineer on his drawing board, perplexed how to solve a problem with the retractable front nose gear.
Lear is standing behind him, unknown to him, and Lear – after a moment’s examination, just gives the solution.
It was all in his head – from a man with an 8th grade formal education.
Like Hughes Lear was a prolific inventor – the auto radio, autopilot, and the original 8 track tape unit.
My 8 track tape unit in my first car – a ’67 Camaro – was a Learjet.
When Lear died he was trying to get the LearFan certificated and in production – a radical (what else from Lear?) single engine turbine executive plane with a pusher prop.
When he died, the project soon evaporated but if anyone could have pulled it off it would have been Lear.
When you go to the Reno Air Races, the massive hanger that houses all the smaller formula biplanes was his factory.
My 1967 Mustang fastback had a LearJet AM/FM 8 track in the dash to replace the original Ford AM/8 track.
My Dad worked for Hughes Aircraft Company in Culver City for a long time, and finished out his life as their employee working at the Canoga Park facility. I remember Dad citing Hughes once saying that if he lost it all, just give him his team of Engineers and he’d have it all back in a year’s time.
When Dad died his boss and one of the VP’s stopped by the house to check on my Mom and see if we needed anything. We had about $1,500 left to pay on a ’69 Continental, and the next day HAC paid it off. It was the little things like that that made the company great, and much of it came of the leadership influence of Howard Hughes. However much his gyro tumbled later on, he was a great and innovative man.
I enjoyed watching “The Aviator”, in spite of what I believe was an overdone focus on his quirks, and am proud to have been, in a second generation sort of way, a part of the Hughes family. I also thoroughly enjoyed the brief scene with Hughes in “The Rocketeer” “That son of a bitch *will* fly!”
Sorry to read that you’re sick, Kris, and especially with pneumonia. I hope you get better soon!
Mongo – I think that small scene in the Rocketeer – with his GB 2 racer – more accurately portrayed Hughes The Man than Dicaprio did in The Aviator
But, Hughes probably would have flown up in his H1 which looked a lot sleeker than the GB 2
Kris – also hope you get better soon
From what I’ve read, the crash itself was portrayed pretty accurately.
http://www.check-six.com/Crash_Sites/XF-11_crash_site.htm
I think Hughes probably had OCD that he was able to keep in check so long as he was kept busy; as soon as he became immobilized post-crash, that’s likely when it really took over.
And pretty cool Mongo – incredible story and nice to know that companies did that once upon a time.
Like I said – I think Hughes was far more brilliant than his public persona would allow. But he did the playboy-thing very well – Kate Hepburn and Ava Gardner were certainly not run-of-the-mill women.
And Mongo – thank you. Pneumonia does suck for sure; I’m just resting. Along with major medications, it’s about all I can do.
Kris:
Best wishes for a speedy recovery.
Paul
Kris – your subject on Hughes really got me going – if I am over posting & you’d like me to shut up please let me know 😉
But two other things about him – well, you could probably make 4-5 movies on his achievements and never overlap but I think he designed a drill bit for oil exploration very early on that is still used…I think it was the foundation of his fortune.
And a small story – for many years when I would drive to the Bay Area – taking the ‘back way” – going down I-680 you cross the Benicia bridge – until recently the sight of a lot of mothballed navy ships on Suisun Bay – mainly liberty ships from WW2.
But one special ship was near the bridge for several years and I’ll bet you 999/1000 drivers had no idea of its history – the Glomar Explorer
It was this ship that he built under secrecy for the CIA that raised the sunken Soviet submarine.
That alone would probably have made a great movie.
And Mongo I second Kris about your story of your father’s working for Hughes Aircraft – you’d have been proud to work there.
Kris/
LOL. MOST pilots are OCD types to some degree–comes with the territory–helps keep one alive in a game where a loose $1.25 hose-clamp or improper carless entry of digital coords in a nav computer can lead to bad things..
PS: Before we got our place in Marina del Rey we stayed for an extended period at the Culver City Extended Stay America on Sepulvada just across from the Hughes Center where it’s looming everpresence burned itself into my retina–I STILL can picture it in detail, lol.
Hey Kris! My $.02 best wishes for a quick recovery!
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