Tag: Hughes Aircraft

Remembering Hughes Airwest: Howard Hughes’ Other Airline
Airlines

Remembering Hughes Airwest: Howard Hughes’ Other Airline

Though best known for being the brains behind the Hughes Aircraft Company or his holdings in TWA, Howard Hughes had another airline: Hughes Airwest, a wholly different airline to that of TWA. Where TWA had been a legacy carrier, Hughes Airwest (originally founded as simply Air West) was one of the original low cost carriers. Its slogan of "Top Banana in the West" and brightly colored yellow aircraft were instantly recognizable wherever they went and helped it become a seventies icon! In part due to this, the airline was acquired by the then new Republic Airlines in October 1980, who themselves were acquired by Northwest Airlines in 1986, who in turn merged with Delta in 2010, keeping the Delta name. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Background ...
Hughes H-4 Hercules: Inside The Largest Aircraft Ever Built That Could’ve Changed History!
Aircraft Digest

Hughes H-4 Hercules: Inside The Largest Aircraft Ever Built That Could’ve Changed History!

Designed by Howard Hughes himself, and ridiculed as the "Spruce Goose" for its size and the material it was built out of, the Hughes H-4 Hercules should have had a long and storied service life. Yet it never took off as it was expected... As the largest fixed-wing aircraft ever built (only the LZ 129 Hindenburg airship from the famed Hindenburg disaster is bigger), the H-4 was a behemoth for its time, and indeed in our own, being far larger than anything built before or after it. So why did it go from one of the most anticipated aircraft of the 1940's to something relegated to the pages of history in less than a decade? (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Pre-Hughes H-4 Hercules Having supplied the Allies (mainly Britain) with supplies since 194...
MD Helicopters MD 500: The Best Helicopter Family Yet?
Helicopters

MD Helicopters MD 500: The Best Helicopter Family Yet?

Now relegated to the pages of history, Hughes Helicopters was one of the largest helicopter manufacturers of its day. Among their most famous designs is the MD Helicopters MD 500 light helicopter, which originally began life as the Hughes 500. Produced by three different companies (Hughes Helicopters, McDonnell Douglas Helicopter Systems and MD Helicopters) continuously since 1967, a total of 4,700 Hughes 500s (as it was originally known) have been built to date! Beyond being one of the most produced helicopters in the world, the MD 500 is also one of the most famous, with a name that's known across almost every generation and that's synonymous with the word "helicopter" itself. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Pre-MD Helicopters MD 500 In 19...
Hughes XF-11: The Rise And Fall of The F-11 That Could’ve Changed The World!
Aircraft Digest

Hughes XF-11: The Rise And Fall of The F-11 That Could’ve Changed The World!

The heaviest and fastest twin-engine aircraft in the world at the time, the Hughes XF-11 was poised for success. Despite placing a large order for the aircraft, the US military eventually cancelled the XF-11 contract and the world was never truly the same again... Personally designed by Hughes Aircraft owner Howard Hughes to be a fighter, and later a reconnaissance aircraft, the aircraft (developed in secret) received national attention in 1946 when the aircraft crashed on its first flight, nearly killing Howard Hughes. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Pre-Hughes XF-11 In 1932, millionaire businessman Howard Hughes established the Hughes Aircraft Company as a subsidiary of the Hughes Tool Company (a manufacturer of drill bits founded by his fat...
Remembering Hughes Aircraft Company: How Howard Hughes Became an Aviation Pioneer!
History

Remembering Hughes Aircraft Company: How Howard Hughes Became an Aviation Pioneer!

Howard Hughes was one of the most important aviation pioneers of the 20th century. Not only did he run two airlines (TWA and Hughes Airwest), but he also ran the Hughes Aircraft Company - known for being one of the largest aircraft manufacturers of its time! Despite that, the death of Howard Hughes in 1976 profoundly impacted the company, with it being dismantled and sold on within 20 years of his death, with only portions of the business surviving to this day... (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Pre-Hughes Aircraft Company: Howard Hughes Known as an eccentric even back then, Howard Hughes had inherited his father's drill bit manufacturer, Hughes Tool Company, in 1924 at the age of 18. Not really interested in spending the rest of his life mak...