Back Hughes H-4 Hercules Afrikaans إتش-4 هيركوليز Arabic Hughes H-4 Hercules AST Hughes H-4 Hercules Azerbaijani H-4 Hercules Catalan Hughes H-4 Hercules Czech Hughes H-4 German Hughes H-4 Hercules Greek Hughes H-4 Hercules Spanish Hughes H-4 Hercules Basque

Hughes H-4 Hercules

"HK-1" redirects here. For other uses, see HK-1 (disambiguation).

H-4 Hercules
Spruce Goose
General information
TypeHeavy transport flying boat
National originUnited States
ManufacturerHughes Aircraft
Designer
StatusPreserved
Number built1
History
Manufactured1947
Introduction date1947
First flightNovember 2, 1947 (77 years ago)
Preserved atEvergreen Aviation & Space Museum
FatePreserved

The Hughes H-4 Hercules (commonly known as the Spruce Goose; registration NX37602) is a prototype strategic airlift flying boat 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 prototype.

Built from wood (Duramold process) because of wartime restrictions on the use of aluminum and concerns about weight, the aircraft was nicknamed the Spruce Goose by critics, although it was made almost entirely of birch.[1][2] The Birch Bitch was a more accurate but less socially acceptable moniker that was allegedly used by the mechanics who worked on the plane.[3] The Hercules is the largest flying boat ever built, and it had the largest wingspan of any aircraft ever flown until the twin-fuselaged Scaled Composites Stratolaunch first flew on April 13, 2019.[4][5] The aircraft remains in good condition. After having been displayed to the public in Long Beach, California, from 1980 to 1992, it was moved to display at the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum in McMinnville, Oregon, United States.[6] It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2024.[7]

  1. ^ Parker, Dana T. Building Victory: Aircraft Manufacturing in the Los Angeles Area in World War II, pp. 49–58, Cypress, CA, 2013. ISBN 978-0-9897906-0-4.
  2. ^ "Hughes HK-1 (H-4) 'Spruce Goose'." The Aviation Zone. Retrieved October 6, 2010.
  3. ^ "When the ‘Spruce Goose’ Took Flight." Flying Mag. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  4. ^ Spruce Goose. Archived September 27, 2015, at the Wayback Machine Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum. Retrieved December 14, 2011.
  5. ^ "Stratolaunch airborne in first flight of world's largest aircraft". Flightglobal.com. April 13, 2019. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  6. ^ Parker, Dana T. Building Victory: Aircraft Manufacturing in the Los Angeles Area in World War II, p. 55, Cypress, CA, 2013. ISBN 978-0-9897906-0-4.
  7. ^ "Weekly List of Actions Taken on Properties: 10/15/2024 Through 10/25/2024". National Park Service. Retrieved October 28, 2024.

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