On 13 September 1935, Howard Hughes climbed into the cockpit of a sleek silver racer of his own design and flew it at 352.39 mph across a measured course in Santa Ana, California — faster than any landplane in history had ever flown. He was 29 years old, had already inherited a fortune from a drill-bit company, and was spending it on the most obsessive aviation programme since the Wright Brothers. What drove Hughes into the sky was not money or fame. It was speed. Pure, uncomplicated, machine-mediated speed.
Related Questions
Who was Howard Hughes?
Howard Hughes was an American businessman, aviator and aircraft designer who became one of the most obsessive figures in aviation. Heir to a drill-bit fortune, he set a world landplane speed record in 1935 and poured his wealth into building and flying record-breaking aircraft.
What speed record did Howard Hughes set in 1935?
On 13 September 1935, Hughes flew the H-1 Racer, a sleek silver aircraft of his own design, at 352.39 mph over a measured course in Santa Ana, California, faster than any landplane had ever flown. He was 29 years old at the time.
Where did Howard Hughes's fortune come from?
Hughes inherited his fortune from a drill-bit company founded by his father, whose patented rock drill bit dominated the oil-drilling industry. That wealth funded what the article describes as the most obsessive aviation program since the Wright brothers.
What drove Howard Hughes to fly?
According to the article, what drove Hughes into the sky was not money or fame but speed, pure machine-mediated speed. He spent his inherited fortune designing and flying the fastest aircraft he could build, setting records in the process.
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